COACH Wayne Hatswell has signed up to finish the job of getting Newport County AFC to League One after a pair of agonising promotion bids.

The Exiles have climbed into the play-off spots thanks to a seven-game unbeaten run in League Two ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s clash with Swindon Town.

Assistant manager Hatswell has twice gone close to promotion when working as Michael Flynn’s right-hand man, suffering a pair of controversial play-off final defeats at Wembley.

He now has a new boss in James Rowberry and has committed his future to the club by extending his contract through to 2024 – with the intention of testing himself at a higher level with the Exiles.

“This club should be promoted. There have been a number of reasons why we have not been, you could say cup runs or the state of the Rodney Parade pitch at times,” he said.

“I believe the club should be promoted; we couldn't quite do that [under Flynn] but we have a better squad this year to be able to do that.

“We have no cup distractions, which will help immensely through the winter months, and we won't be playing catch-up with games.

“We’ve got the squad to be able to cope with, for example, Robbie Willmott being out with coronavirus or Ed Upson being suspended.

“We have like-for-like replacements and that is testament to the old gaffer. We are trying to build and keep the team going in the right direction towards the top of the league.”

South Wales Argus: PARTNERSHIP: Wayne Hatswell with Michael FlynnPARTNERSHIP: Wayne Hatswell with Michael Flynn

Flynn brought Hatswell back for a third spell at County in 2017 and the pair formed a formidable partnership.

After the great escape from relegation, they guided the Exiles on a pair of promotion bids and a number of lucrative cup runs.

Flynn is yet to return to management so there hasn’t been a tug of war for Hatswell’s services.

“He hasn’t got a job and I haven’t got a crystal ball, so it's irrelevant at the moment,” said the coach.

“We have discussed things and if there is an opportunity to go to a Championship club then the club would probably not stand in my way.

“That's the same for anybody at the club, whether it's a player or another staff member if you get an opportunity to go somewhere.

“That might not just be with Michael Flynn, football is a unique industry and a week is a long time let alone a couple of months or years.

“All I am focusing on is where I am at now and I want to make sure Newport County do well, because that’s what I am paid to do.”

Hatswell held the reins for four games as interim manager, beating Scunthorpe and drawing with Bradford, Exeter and Carlisle, and has helped Rowberry hit the ground running.

The pair are good friends and the assistant was happy to commit to more seasons in Newport.

South Wales Argus: Wayne Hatswell with County manager James RowberryWayne Hatswell with County manager James Rowberry

Hatswell said: “Someone texted me this morning and said you get less for murder! I knew that it would go well.

“We've been friends for a while and share ideas. I picked his brains a lot when he was at Cardiff and he knew what he was coming into and knew how me and the old gaffer worked.

“He has obviously been aware of the successes that we have had here and how we have tried to do it. He has come into the building and we are trying to take it on a bit further.

“I knew it would go well, I never doubted that, it was just a case of giving him a settling in period and him seeing how I work day-to-day and how I interact with the players. It was a case of letting the dust settle and getting through a few games.”

Rowberry arrived last month but has brought nobody in with him, sticking with the management team put together by Flynn.

Hatswell is back in his preferred role as a number two, stating that it’s been “business as usual”.

“It's Newport and we have to all muck in, whether cleaning the dressing rooms or putting the bins out. We all do that here,” he said.

“It's a place where we get on with things and stick together, and that's why we are so close-knit.”