Hinckley AFC can confirm that Matt Dawson has joined fellow UCL South side Aylestone Park, with the management team moving quickly to fill the right-back berth with the addition of Perry Cotton.
Dawson re-joined in the summer after a season away and featured a further nine times, taking his overall tally at the club to 95 appearances. He scored his 20th goal at Staveley Miners Welfare last weekend but now re-joins his former club Aylestone.
But the management team have quickly sought a replacement by adding Cotton from Midland League Division One high-flyers Sutton United.
He worked under the management team at Atherstone, where he spent four seasons and was a regular in the side that won the Midland League Division One and established themselves at step five the following season.
A former Birmingham City academy youngster, his breakthrough in senior football came with Bolehall Swifts in Division One – for whom he scored twice against Hinckley from right-back as a teenager in 2016.
The move to Atherstone was where he made his name, though, and after a successful spell there, he earned a move to Nuneaton Borough under the now Barwell manager Jimmy Ginnelly.
He joined Sutton in the summer, and was part of their side who started the season with nine wins in 10 games before coming back to step five with Hinckley.
Joint boss Ross Innes said: “Naturally, we’re disappointed to lose Matt. He’s been a very good player here during both spells, but we understand his reasons for moving on and wish him the best.
“However, we’re incredibly excited have brought in Perry, who was a major part of our Atherstone league-winning team. He brings defensive quality, attack-mindedness and a winning mentality and we’re delighted to welcome him to Hinckley.”
