AS stress levels go, being a football manager must be near the top of the list for heart-testing occupations.

But a fitness expert who monitored Oxford United manager Chris Wilder’s ticker during their clubs’ last two games said he put in a fine performance.

Wilder, chairman Kelvin Thomas and Oxford Mail sports editor Mark Edwards were fitted with heart rate monitors for Saturday’s and Tuesday’s matches.

Wayne Campbell, manager director of Banbury occupational health firm Healthy Performance said he was impressed with Wilder’s heart rate.

The manager went through a range of touchline emotions during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with struggling Macclesfield and last Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Barnet.

Although it increased during key moments, Mr Campbell said the managers’ heart rate quickly returned to normal during the home matches.

He said: “Chris’s highest heart rate in the first half against Macclesfield was just below 120 beats a minute and that dropped to within about 80 beats a minute in around 15 seconds, which is an excellent sign of somebody’s health.”

He added: “Kelvin’s heart rate is at around 60 at rest, but was up to double that during the game, which highlights that people maybe don’t realise the pressure of running a club as everything falls on their shoulders.”

He said: “Heart rate is one of the factors that are used to measure stress, because when adrenaline is released into the body it affects the heart rate instantly.”

Mr Wilder said: “It’s obviously good to hear.

“Managers have to have a cool and calm head when everything else is flying about.

“But I have to say that when your side gives away a daft free-kick after 10 minutes, the results of that incident were right up there!”

Former Scotland manager Jock Stein died from a heart attack at a Wales-Scotland game in 1985, while former Premiership bosses Graeme Souness and Gérard Houllier are among those to have major heart surgery.

Other bosses to suffer from heart problems include Sir Alex Ferguson, who has a pacemaker, while ex-Oxford boss Joe Kinnear and former Peterborough manager Barry Fry have both had heart attacks.

medwards@oxfordmail.co.uk