ANDY Darnton is back in football as right-hand man to Danny Robinson at Thatcham Town.

Darnton had been out of a job since mid-November when his stint as caretaker manager at AFC Totton came to an end following the appointment of Louis Langdown as new first-team boss.

The former defender – who played over 700 games at Southern and Ryman League level  – admits he is “still disappointed” at the way his Totton stay ended and didn’t want to jump straight into another job.

But after six weeks “assessing and reflecting” on what happened, he is looking forward to a new challenge with ex-Wessex and Southern League club Thatcham who are currently fourth in the Hellenic Premier Division and gunning for promotion.

He teams up with Robinson, another well-known face in this neck of the woods from his time co-managing Alresford Town and Winchester City alongside Tim Cole.

Romsey-based Darnton said: “It’s a fresh challenge for me in an area I haven’t worked in before. There are lots of new clubs to go to which keeps it interesting.

"I've known Danny a long time. He's a good manager and I trust him."

*Full story and all the latest from the regional non-League scene in this weekend's Pink.