MANAGER Andy Hessenthaler and his assistant Ben Strevens have signed contracts for Eastleigh - and former boss Richard Hill has left the club by mutual consent.

Hessenthaler and Strevens have penned deals for the 2018/19 National League season while Hill is linking up again with ex-Spitfires owner/chairman Stewart Donald at Sunderland. 

It was Hill, then first-team manager, who brought Hessenthaler to Eastleigh as his assistant after the 2016/17 season with a view to the former Gillingham boss eventually taking over the first-team reins.

Hessenthaler was appointed manager in mid-December with Hill moving upstairs to concentrate on his other role as director of football.

Hill’s first reign as manager had proved hugely successful with the Spitfires earning promotion to the National League as champions of the Conference South.

He returned to the Silverlake in February 2017 to help dig Eastleigh out of a hole after a rollercoaster season had seen Chris Todd, Ronnie Moore and Martin Allen come and go and the team almost brought to its knees.

With much to sort out behind the scenes, Hill remained at the helm at the start of last season but, with Eastleigh labouring 18th in the table, the decision was made to hand Hessenthaler the job.

A nine-match unbeaten run proved enough to steer the Spitfires out of immediate danger and they eventually wound up 14th.

Hill's new role at Sunderland has yet to be defined but Donald, who has appointed St Mirren's Jack Ross as the Black Cats' new manager, stressed he would have "no first-team duties at all."

He said that reports that Hill would become Sunderland's director of football were "completely wrong."

In between his two spells managing Eastleigh, Hill worked as a regional scout for Aston Villa.