NEWPORT Gwent Dragons winger Ashton Hewitt has declared his season starts now as he attempts to return to the dazzling form that caught the eye of the Wales management.

The speedster enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2015/16 and his livewire performances on the flank at Rodney Parade put him on the radar of Warren Gatland and Rob Howley.

However, a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely and denied the 21-year-old from Caerleon the chance to force his way into the Wales squad for the summer tour to New Zealand.

Hewitt made his return to the field in September and, after slowly working his way back to full fitness, showed signs of hitting top gear again with a two-try performance against Guinness Pro12 champions Connacht last weekend.

"It's been stop-start coming back from injury," said the winger, who also missed out on the XV against the Ospreys through illness. "I've got to put it all behind me and my season starts now really.

"I want to get a run of games and keep my place in the team. It's all about confidence and continuity in your game and you can struggle for form when it's one week on, one week off."

His importance to the team has been amplified by the injury suffered by attacking talisman Hallam Amos when playing for Wales against Australia.

The 11-times capped winger will be out until February after shoulder surgery, meaning that the Dragons will look to Hewitt, Pat Howard and Tom Prydie to provide the spark out wide.

And it's club duty rather than impressing the national coaches that is on Hewitt's mind, despite Kingsley Jones and Shaun Connor singing his praises and mentioning him as a Test prospect.

"I'm not thinking about Wales in the slightest. Just like last year, I'm going to focus on my job at the Dragons and whatever comes from it, comes from it," he said.

Hewitt wants a run of games and next up is a trip to Leicester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup with the Dragons set to field a mixture of youth and experience at Welford Road on Saturday.

In 2013 he made his regional debut in the development tournament against the Scarlets in Llanelli before earning a first start the following weekend against Wasps.

"It's awesome; the different competitions we play in put you up against different opposition and different style of rugby," said Hewitt. "It keeps everyone on their toes, nobody gets complacent and it's a good experience for everyone that gets involved.

"The coaches tend to give a few of the younger boys a chance and I am sure that will be the case again, with a few getting opportunities while others are rested after working hard for a few weeks."

The Dragons, who name their side for the East Midlands at midday on Friday, hosts the Scarlets a week on Friday before a Rodney Parade encounter with Newcastle on January 29 and a trip to Gloucester on February 4.

The four teams from Pool One face the Pool Four quartet in the tournament with Jones' team battling Northampton, Saracens and Bath for a place in the knockout stages.