Wayne Hatswell could stay at Newport with James Rowberry

The caretaker boss took charge of his final game on Tuesday evening when the Exiles were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with Carlisle United, ending the game with nine men at a sodden Rodney Parade.

He held the reins after the departure of Michael Flynn at the start of the month and a 3-0 win over Scunthorpe was followed by draws against Bradford, Exeter and the Cumbrians.

The coach formed a terrific partnership with Flynn for four and a half years but also has a strong relationship with Rowberry, who was at the club when Hatswell was a player.

They have worked together as mentors on the Football Association of Wales’ coaching programme and the 46-year-old hasn’t ruled out staying to help the up-and-coming manager settle into life in League Two.

“I haven’t decided at the minute,” said Hatswell, who is under contract until the end of the season.

"The plan was for me to have the Carlisle game and I am going to go away and have a think about things, then speak to the chairman and sit down with the new gaffer to decide in the next few days.

“We speak pretty much daily on a coaching capacity and on a personal level, so we are quite close in that respect. I have been completely honest with him from day one and I will continue to be.

“I have just treated the last three weeks by trying to give the players that focus rather than bringing speculation up etcetera.

“The most important thing now is that the club have brought in a very good person and a very good coach, who hopefully will be a good manager.

“If I am here then I will give him my support, 100 per cent. We will just have to let the dust settle.”

New County boss James Rowberry

Rowberry, who has left his role as first team coach with Cardiff for the job, grew up in Beechwood and has strong family ties to the club.

His grandfather Jimmy Jenkins and father Stephen played for the club, where he cut his coaching teeth in the academy.

“It’s a good appointment,” said Hatswell. “The club have gone through their process over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of toing and froing and I am just glad it’s all sorted to be honest.

“We worked together here a long time ago and have always remained friends. He has gone on to do really well in the game and it’s his first job as a manager, like Michael Flynn.

“I just want everybody to get behind him and with him being a local boy as well, I think it’s going to be quite exciting.

“He will want to come in and put his own stamp on things but you can see that we aren’t a million miles away from being a decent side.

“One of these days we are going to give somebody a hammering, so hopefully we can give him a few good wins over the next few weeks.”

Hatswell believes Rowberry’s knowledge about County – and also the issues that Flynn had to deal with – is essential.

“He has seen the heartache that I have had with the play-offs but also the good times,” he said.

“He knows a lot about the club and he gets here to watch whenever he can. He is coming into the job with his eyes wide open and that is an advantage.

“He also has the advantage of me because if we can tap into each other’s knowledge then it will only be a positive outcome for the club.”