Former captain Ross Watson is ecstatic to be pulling on the King's Lynn Town shirt again – just seven months after leaving the club.

The versatile 26-year-old walked out on the Linnets after three years with the reformed outfit in September having made just two appearances following promotion to the Evo-Stik Premier Division. But last night he returned, after short spells with AFC Sudbury and Spalding United, and is hungry for more success at The Walks.

Watson, part of Gary Setchell's crop that enjoyed back-to-back promotions from 2012, said: 'I'm excited, I'm happy and I'm ready for a new challenge. I've always been in touch with Setch since I left. I want the club to do well. I was a bit disappointed how things went at the start of last season but I agree with Setch on certain things and we've drawn a line under it.

'It was a difficult decision to leave but I don't regret going away and trying new things. A player is always improving. Plus, it made me realise even more what a great club King's Lynn is. I've got a motto, sometimes you've got to take one step back to take two forward.

'I'm not coming back and saying I'm going to take this shirt or that shirt. Football's a squad game. Setch knows what I'm about. He wants me back, I want to come back and now I want to work hard and get fit.'

The right-sided defender, who can play at full-back or centre-half as well as in the middle of midfield, made 113 appearances for the Linnets following his arrival in December 2010. Last season he helped Spalding win the UCL title.

Setchell, whose men host Norwich City Under-21s this evening, said: 'Ross had a long break last summer and then never really broke into the team after that. I didn't want to lose him though. Lots of players leave King's Lynn and realise what they have left behind – Ross falls into that category.

'With a smaller squad I'm trying to make us have better quality. Ross can play in four or five different positions and he's never let anyone down. He captained us to promotion from the UCL too.

'Maybe I made a little bit of a mistake by dismantling the championship winning squad so quickly. We lost a bit of togetherness. But I learned as a young manager. Ross knows this club inside out. He's the type of guy who can help get the dressing room back like it was. That sort of close spirit can be enough to get you 10 extra points a season.'