Workington Town boss Chris Thorman is ‘excited’ about the future after signing a new three-year contract to stay as the club’s head coach.

The former Huddersfield Giants assistant had other opportunities in the sport which would have seen him leave Derwent Park at the end of the season but the 38-year-old admitted he had been drawn in by Town’s potential and the lure of being able to put his own stamp on the club.

On Sunday he will take his side to Hunslet for a play-off eliminator looking to record a fourth win over the Hawks in his short time at the club and take a big step towards promotion to the Championship.

He said: “There has been a lot of speculation and a lot of people make up what they don’t know.

“I’ve been linked with a number of jobs and haven’t hidden the fact that I’ve communicated with other people in rugby league.“There were some other opportunities but the appeal to me was being a head coach.

“I’ve been an assistant in Super League for a long time but as head coach you’re the one who is accountable and make the executive decisions.

“The appeal of being the head coach at this club going forward is something that I couldn’t refuse; if I left now it would have felt like unfinished business.”

Since his arrival in May, following the departure of Leon Pryce, Thorman has guided Town to the League 1 play-offs.

Club chairman Les Smallwood said: “Chris has demonstrated very quickly why he is held in such high regard in the rugby league game.

“He has shown over the last few months that his playing and coaching experience is extensive and he very quickly steadied the ship midway through the season.

“The players respect him and he respects the players.

“He is active in the community and spends time assessing players in the community game.

“We wanted to get the normal season out of the way and take a measured decision on future direction.

“The board believes that Chris can take us to where we want to be which is in the Championship and want to give him the time to build a squad and ethos of his own.

“The three-year deal gives both of us stability and we’ll work as one to deliver our club goals.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Chris over the last few months and me and the board look forward to working with Chris for the next few seasons.”