WAYNE Hatswell aims to complete some unfinished business at Newport County AFC after giving up a management career to return to the Exiles.

The 38-year-old ended his 20-year playing career of more than 400 games at County, helping the club reach Wembley for the first time in their history with a battling display in the FA Trophy semi-final second leg at Wealdstone.

He marked his last ever appearance as a pro by lifting the Gwent Senior Cup before leaving the club last summer.

Hatswell landed a management role with Stamford AFC and guided them to promotion to the Northern Premier League.

And he does have a desire to one day return to management, but for now he’s fully focused on helping Newport adapt to life in football’s fast lane.

“It’s great to return to Newport, appointing a coach shows the progress the club is making and ever since Justin [Edinburgh] rang me to say he wanted me to come back I’ve been excited,” he explained.

“It was an opportunity I jumped at, I’m really enjoying it and I can’t wait for the start of the season and hopefully exciting times.

“It was a great feeling to help the club to Wembley and it was sad that they didn’t win the FA Trophy final, but they’ve more than made up for it.

“The progress the club has made since I left, on and off the field, is simply staggering. I want to play my part now.

“I get on fantastically with Justin and Jimmy [Dack] and it’s a pleasure to come to work.”

Hatswell felt Newport were a can’t miss career opportunity.

“I enjoyed my time at Stamford,” he said. “I enjoyed some success there as well and maybe in later years management might be something I want to try again. But I’m a coach, I feel like that’s where I can contribute the most at the moment and hopefully I can help us to have a good season.

“Justin and Jimmy have done amazingly well. Working with them is an opportunity in itself and to do it at a club that means something to me, like Newport do, that’s an opportunity that was too big to miss.

“We’ve got every chance, we can be competitive and you never know, we could even get ourselves towards the play-offs if things go well. Nothing is built overnight, but this club has been making strides. We are solid and together, a lot of clubs have done a lot of chopping and changing.

“It’s a long old season, but I’ve got tremendous faith in this group of players.”