Kristan Bennett has spoken to Telegraph Sport after leaving his position as manager of Hakin United.

Bennett, a distinguished former player with the Vikings, took over the first team at the end of the 2015/16 season following the departure of Gary Dawes.

At that point it appeared he had a rebuilding job on his hands and yet, with assistant Stuart MacDonald, led the club to back to back Division One titles. They also won the Senior Cup in the 2017/18 season to complete the ‘double’ and whilst the side failed to add any silverware in the last campaign – they still reached a West Wales Cup semi-final.

But at a club committee meeting this week, he confirmed he will not take the reigns again next season.

"Originally I did intend to do another year but have decided the time is right now," he told Telegraph Sport.

"I've really enjoyed the past three years.

"The club has been a big part of my life since I was 10 and I was humbled just to be able to manage the side - but then to win the league in my first two seasons, and a Senior Cup, was a bit of a dream.

"I'll stay on the committee and will still be watching games. I'll keep involved."

A job well done:

When Bennett took over the Vikings at the end of that 2015/16 campaign, Goodwick United had just done the treble and many envisaged an end of an era at The Obs.

Key players in Ashley Bevan and Matthew Broome left for Haverfordwest County and others also departed, and while new faces came in Hakin looked very much like a team in transition.

So what Bennett and MacDonald did from there shouldn’t be understated. They bled youngsters, ironically to their own detriment with Ben Fawcett, Jack Wilson and Jake Merry all later picked up by the Bluebirds, and molded a group determined to recapture the title.

Hakin did just that with room to spare - and retained the trophy the following season after another epic battle with the Phoenix Boys that went to the wire.

After that Bennett told Telegraph Sport “When I took over people were talking about one of the worst Hakin sides for years and yet here we are with back to back titles.”

It was a fair point.

A vintage display on the Meadow also secured the Senior Cup as they hammered Clarbie Road, but things got harder this season with the afore mentioned youngsters leaving plus long term injuries for Adam John and Daniel Armstrong.

However, Hakin still competed, and were only a penalty shoot-out away from a West Wales Cup final at the Liberty Stadium after an agonising loss to eventual winners Merlins Bridge.

That defeat would have hurt Bennett, he won the trophy with the club as a player and made no secret of his desire to do it as a manager too.

But overall, he can be proud of what he did in his three seasons in charge and the Hakin committee now have another important decision to make.