STOURBRIDGE boss Gary Hackett says forward Karl Hawley will only get better as the season progresses.

The former Carlisle United and Preston North End striker, 33, bagged his first Glassboys’ goals in Monday night’s 4-3 success over Nantwich Town.

His double strike at the Memorial Ground as Stour bounced back from Saturday’s 4-0 opening day defeat at Whitby could be a sign of things to come, according to Hackett.

He said: “We signed him to be a big player for this club and it was great for him to get on the scoresheet so soon.

“He will only get better the more games he plays and the more his teammates start to understand his game.

“We were patient when trying to get the deal done over the summer and hopefully that will pay off for us now.

“He is a fit lad but it's important to remember he joined us late and missed pre-season.

“The more games he plays the sharper he will get.”

Meanwhile, Hackett was also pleased his Glassboys were able to chalk up their first success when banishing last weekend’s disappointing defeat.

A Kayelden Brown strike and a Matt Dodd penalty added to Hawley’s brace.

He added: The result against Whitby didn’t tell the whole story. People reading the scoreline would like we were played off the park, but that wasn’t the case.

“It was important we bounced back and got the win.

“We were hanging on a little at the start of the game against Nantwich but were excellent once we settled down and started playing our football. It’s a good sign of things to come.

“The goalkeeper and back four will have been disappointed to have conceded three, but it's important we know we're capable of getting one more when we have to.”

Stour will now welcome Workington this Saturday (3pm) looking for back-to-back wins.

“At this stage of the season it is all about getting points on the board,” said the boss. “Everyone knows I have made a lot of changes over the summer and only time will tell if I have got it right.

“We handed debuts to seven players at Whitby so hopefully we can get better the more games they play together.”

The Glassboys will check the fitness of Dodd (calf) and Tom Tonks (hip) closer to the weekend. They will be without Brown due to the forward's unavailability for Saturday games due to work commitments.