WARRINGTON Town will have a new face in their dugout – and potentially on the pitch – for their trip to league leaders Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday.

Manager Paul Carden has moved to add former Premier League winger Craig Noone to his backroom staff in a player-coach role for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Noone will join Nigel Keogh, who arrived as assistant manager on the eve of the new season following Dave Raven’s departure and remained following Carden’s arrival to replace Mark Beesley as manager, and goalkeeping coach Mark Canning as part of the Town staff.

The 37-year-old will also register as a player but will not be able to take the field until he receives international clearance having spent the latter part of his playing career in Australia, playing in the country’s top flight for first Melbourne City and then Macarthur Bulls until 2023, when he became Macarthur’s academy head coach until returning to the UK in October.

Playing wise, Noone’s arrival is timely following Connor Woods’ departure to join Chester earlier this week, while on-loan winger Josh Miles is expected to return to parent club Blackpool following the expiry of his loan deal.

Having been plucked from non-league by Plymouth Argyle back in 2008, Noone’s professional career saw him make more than 400 appearances.

Most of those came with Cardiff City, for whom he played 158 times with 17 of those appearances coming in the Premier League during the 2013-14 season.

His career also took in spells with Brighton and Hove Albion, Exeter City and Bolton Wanderers before his move Down Under in 2019.

“I’m delighted to bring Craig in,” Carden said.

“He has loads of experience in terms of playing, to go from non-league right up to the very top level in the game is an unbelievable achievement.

“He’s played a lot of football high up the leagues, mainly in the Championship, and moved for a lot of money between big clubs.

“He went to Australia and spent his last four or five years there playing and coaching, combining both, which is what his role will be for us.

“We know we need a bit of everything – we need improvements all over – and hopefully Craig will bring the enthusiasm he played with during his career.

“Once I found out he was back over here and looking to get back involved in football, I made sure we made contact and after a couple of meetings and conversations, it was clear he was hungry to come in and be involved.

“He’s been involved at training this week and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“Hopefully he can bring the success he had as a player to our lads and give some guidance to some of our lads through non-league and inspire them to go on to bigger and better things with his experience and knowledge of how he went through it.”

Noone joins Carden in plotting Town’s bid for a league double over Kidderminster, who moved top of the National League North table with a 3-2 win at Scarborough Athletic on Tuesday but were beaten 2-1 by Yellows at the Cal.Delivery Stadium back in August.

Town are hopeful central defender Hamish Douglas involved at Aggborough – like Miles, his loan deal expired last weekend but it is understood talks with parent club Rotherham United regarding another extension remain ongoing.