NEWPORT County has appointed Darren Kelly as the club’s first sporting director.

The 41-year-old left his role as manager of Scarborough Athletic last month and has now taken on a newly-created position at Rodney Parade.

A club statement on Newport County's website states: “Kelly will work alongside boss Michael Flynn, Newport’s management team and the club’s directors to develop a robust recruitment, development and retention strategy.”

Kelly said: “I’ve had the privilege of working with two supporter-owned clubs that I’ve been at previously, so I’m looking forward to this new challenge.

“I share the same values as the football club and that’s important to me. When I was a player, I was always hard-working, honest and gave everything that I could, and those principles are the same at the football club.

“I’ve had good conversations with the manager and he’s someone who I’ve watched closely over the last couple of years.”

OTHER NEWS:

Manager Michael Flynn added: "Darren is someone who has plenty of contacts and a lot of experience at different levels of the game, so I’m really looking forward to working with him.

"I’ve already had some positive conversations with him ahead of the new season and I’m sure he will be a good asset to the football club."

For more information about Newport County visit their website www.newport-county.co.uk