New signing Ryan Hawkins goes straight into King's Lynn's squad as they seek to extend their run of form.

Hawkins, 21, has joined the Linnets from St Neots for a four-figure sum - ignoring overtures from other clubs but insisting the return to his home county was not an over-riding factor in his decision.

'The whole set-up here at King's Lynn is geared up to winning things,' he said. 'I had a plenty of offers on the table from teams in this league and also clubs from the Ryman Premier League, However, after speaking with Gary (Setchell) and the chairman they convinced me that King's Lynn was the club for me.

'This is a club looking to progress, a young team who look to play football and this is a huge part of my game so of course this offer was always going to interest me.

'There has been some mention of returning to Norfolk and that's why I chose King's Lynn – for me that is a bit unfair on King's Lynn. Setch tried to sign me before I went to St Neots and again when David Batch left last season. It's an easy game to play when you know you have the support of the manager and the club, The travelling to Cambridge was not ideal but not a deciding factor on which club I signed for.

'I have joined King's Lynn Town to improve and get better as a player and person which I think will happen under Setch, The icing on cake is that they are local to me so I will have some real home games to look forward to.

'I'm really looking forward to meeting up with the team this weekend and hopefully I'll be able to play a part in helping them maintain their winning streak they are on at the moment with another three points against Banbury.'

The Linnets face Banbury on the back of three wins on the trot, including a superb FA Trophy triumph at Buxton last weekend.

There is finally light at the end of the injury tunnel for Setchell who has on-loan midfielder Shaun McWilliams back after missing the last couple of games due to injury while Ryan Fryatt is also close to a return and will feature for the reserves at Holland FC.

'The injury list has been horrendous and it's not an excuse, it's a fact,' Setchell said. 'It's had a massive effect on results at the start of this quarter of the season, not just on my results but also the reserves. They have been a godsend – without them I'm not sure how we would have got through this difficult period we have had.

'There been times this season where I had seven or eight of the reserve lads with me which has given them great experience and some have grabbed the opportunity with both hands.'