NEWPORT County AFC have moved swiftly to replace Wayne Hatswell by appointing Carl Serrant as assistant manager.

Serrant heads to Rodney Parade from Cardiff City for a reunion with manager James Rowberry, who arrived from the Bluebirds in mid-October.

The coach spent five years in the capital with responsibility for fitness and conditioning and helped the club to promotion to the Premier League in 2018, an achievement that features on his CV twice from his time on the backroom staff at QPR.

The Yorkshireman played for Oldham Newcastle, Bury and Sheffield United as a player before injury led to an early retirement.

“I'm delighted to be here, it's been a bit of a whirlwind and things have progressed really quickly but once I had the conversation with James it's something that I didn't want to turn down and wanted to grasp with both hands,” said Serrant, who has also worked with Crystal Palace and Sheffield United.

South Wales Argus: Chairman Gavin Foxall, manager James Rowberry, assistant Carl Serrant and sporting director Darren KellyChairman Gavin Foxall, manager James Rowberry, assistant Carl Serrant and sporting director Darren Kelly

Serrant will play a part in the preparations for Saturday’s clash with League Two promotion rivals Tranmere at Rodney Parade.

Rowberry said: "I'm delighted to welcome Carl to our club, Carl brings a wealth of experience and complements our current staffing structure.

"I would like to thank Cardiff City for allowing this process to happen smoothly and quickly.”

Serrant joins first coach coach Jarred Harvey and goalkeeping coach Jim Hollman on Rowberry’s staff along with club ambassador Mark O’Brien and midfielder Kevin Ellison, who is cutting his coaching team with the development team.