MARK Jermyn has described striker Ben Watson as a “great character” he would like to build his team around after retaining the Avenue hot-shot for next season.

The 29-year-old frontman has agreed a new one-year contract with the club, while turning down a number of other potential suitors, according to the county town boss.

Watson, who originally left the Magpies in October 2013, returned to the Avenue in January last season under former boss Graham Kemp, following spells at Truro City and Bideford.

He helped fire the Magpies to safety in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division last term and now becomes another member of the current squad playermanager Jermyn has retained for the 2015/16 campaign.

“Ben is a great addition to the club and we are looking to build the club around characters, and he is a great character,” he told Echosport.

“We have spoken to a lot of people but Ben was always the one that we wanted to keep.

“He had to explore what other offers were out there because that’s the nature of the game at the end of the day. He wanted to do the best for himself but within that, when having a chat, I was able to talk him through where we wanted to get to.

“Ben never wanted to leave and there was an issue with the money side of it, but once we got through that, it fell into place straight away. There was no way that he wasn’t going to sign.

“He’s more than happy to be back and stay with us and we are more than happy to agree terms with him.

“Now we have agreed terms with him we are looking to get a couple more people in and the team is shaping up nicely.”

A member of the Dorchester squad Jermyn is keen to secure is a strike partner for Watson, and he insists he search has been extensive.

He added: “Now it’s a case of who we can get to play alongside Ben. We are speaking to a number of people but, now we have a lead striker, it gives us a little bit of breathing space.

“One thing we are looking to do is not rush in because I think I have spoken to about eight different strikers and it’s about getting the right ones.

“It’s important for people to understand that we are out there talking to people and Ben was always the best fit for us.

“Everyone knows that we are in a stage where we want to put a group together and build for the future.

“We are probably about four additions away from being a very competitive team.”