RICHARD Hill has returned to football almost a year after parting company with Eastleigh.

The 52-year-old has taken over the reins at Vanarama National League South strugglers Whitehawk, replacing Pablo Asensio at the helm of the Brighton-based club.

Hill will forever hold a special place in Eastleigh hearts, having taken the Spitfires from the lower reaches of the VNLS to the play-off semi-finals in his first season at the Silverlake Stadium after succeeding Ian Baird in September 2012.

The following season he and his team secured the title and automatic promotion to take their place at non-League’s top table for the first time in club history.

They went straight to the play-offs the following season, losing to Grimsby Town over two legs in the semi-final.

Hill resigned four months later with the Spitfires lying 11th in the table and without a win in five games. But during three memorable years with Eastleigh, he boasted an impressive win rate of 62 per cent.

Whitehawk reached the VNLS play-offs last season after Pablo Asencio had replaced Steve King in February, initially as caretaker boss.

But they have endured a poor start to 2016/17, picking up just six points from their opening eight league games.

Hawks president Chris Gargan said: “We thank Pablo for his services during his short tenure, but the direction we were going in has not quite worked out with one win in the first eight games."