FORMER Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City keeper Bobby Mimms is the new first-team goalkeeping coach at Wanderers.

Manager Neil Lennon added the 51-year-old to his staff yesterday, filling the gap left by the departure of Lee Turner to Charlton Athletic last month.

Ex-Liverpool stopper Tony Warner had been filling in on a temporary basis since Turner returned to his native London but Lennon will be delighted to have secured a permanent replacement and to have someone with a wealth of experience in the role like Mimms.

The 51-year-old had recently been working with ex-Whites assistant boss Neil McDonald at Blackpool after previously coaching alongside McDonald and former Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce at West Ham.

Mimms moved with McDonald from Upton Park at the start of the summer but has now swapped the Fylde coast for the Macron.

The Yorkshireman has a wealth of experience having been part of Everton's title-winning squad in 1987 and also understudy to Tim Flowers when Blackburn won the Premier League 20 years ago.

Former England Under-21s keeper Mimms, who is approaching 15 years in coaching, also played for Tottenham and went on coach at Wolves, Rovers and Oldham before linking up with Allardyce and McDonald last October.

Now he will work with Wanderers stoppers Ben Amos and Ross Fitzsimons in the build-up to Saturday's Championship opener at home to Derby County.

McDonald moved quickly to replace Mimms at Bloomfield Road by appointing ex-Wanderers and Bury coach Fred Barber.

He told the Seasiders website: "We wish Bobby Mimms all the best in his new adventure at Bolton, but I'm delighted to welcome Fred into the new environment that we've created.

"He's an excellent coach – I've worked with him before at Bolton – and I've done well to get him in as quick as I could.

"Fred's coached some of the top goalkeepers, he's an international goalkeeping coach as well so he's got vast experience to pass on to our three goalkeepers."

Meanwhile, former Whites loanee Giles Coke has joined Ipswich town on a two-year deal.

The 29-year-old ex-Bury midfielder played four times for Wanderers at the end of last season on loan from Sheffield Wednesday.

He was released by the Owls this summer and had a trial at Blackburn before joining Ipswich and penning a permanent contract.