Manager Kevin Watson has praised Jack King’s contribution to the Fleet dressing room after the captain announced his retirement following the conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign.

Watson inherited the skipper’s leadership qualities on his appointment as caretaker and then permanent boss in October and he was full of plaudits for the former Preston and Stevenage defender.

“Jack King has been an absolute gentleman, a leader and a responsible voice for the players,” Watson said of his captain. “He would do anything for the boys and did so on many occasions.

“He knew how to speak to them and for them, on their behalf. He was very bright, very loyal and what more can I say than he was a proper captain and a leader of men.”

And Watson revealed he’d tried to talk King round.

“I tried to convince him to do a U-turn, keep his options open but it’s the right time for him and I totally respect that.

“I’ve nothing but respect for what he did in my time here. He always gave 100% and you knew you were going to get that 100% out of him.

“I had one or two times when he was coming back from injury or suspension where I could have gone with other players but thought twice because I wanted a leader out there. Just for those qualities alone I knew Kingy was worth his place in the team and he was outstanding for us, those last few wins we got especially so, immense for the team and the club.

“So I’ve nothing but praise for him. You need a skipper who can represent you in the dressing room but also represent the boys as a player as well, to be on the same page as them. So he’ll be a big loss to his teammates in terms of his personality also and he’s been fantastic in good and bad times. I wish him the very best for the future.”