BRIGHTLINGSEA Regent manager Tom Rothery believes the best is yet to come from star striker Billy Hunt.

The frontman has signed a fresh two-year contract keeping him at the club until May 2021.

Rothery says Hunt, who has been the club's leading scorer for the last two seasons, is a "critical" component within his Regent squad.

And he is delighted the striker has agreed a fresh deal at the Taydal Stadium, following in the footsteps of both skipper Matt Cripps and midfielder Jake Turner.

“We have a real core at the club and they've proven they can perform at step three so it’s huge to secure a striker of Billy’s quality for the next two seasons," said the Regent boss.

"Since I joined I’ve had a good relationship with Billy, having not worked with him before.

"At 28, I’d like to think he's maturing now as a footballer and we'll see the best of him over the next two seasons.

"He’s vitally important to how we play and critical to us moving forward as a club so I’m delighted he’s happy to commit his future with us and help us build on what we did last season.

"It's a further demonstration of the club's efforts behind the scenes to secure the services of important players to our squad and hopefully the supporters will be excited about what we're trying to do as a club."

In total, Hunt total has 54 goals in his 110 appearances.