NEW signing Darren Bullock has been handed a clean slate to prove his discipline as he begins life as a Bromsgrove Rovers player.

Bullock, a former Football League player with Bury and Swindon Town, was snapped up by the Victoria Ground club last Friday and featured in Saturday's 2-1 victory at Atherstone United despite reports suggesting he had joined Malvern Town.

But the 33-year-old, who has had spells with Worcester City and Evesham United in the last year, has a less-than-perfect disciplinary track record.

In the last 15 months he has been sent off three times, once for fighting and once for the use of an elbow, and has been booked ELEVEN times since August.

But joint manager Gary Hackett is adamant Bullock's past behaviour does not come into the equation at Bromsgrove.

He said: "I don't give a damn about his past but I do give a damn about his future.

"Darren's got a real competitive streak and he showed that at Atherstone but we have got to be positive and he knows the situation. He said he will make a determined effort.

"He's got a clean slate with us and he will be good for us - I mean that 100 per cent.

"If he misbehaves with us we will address that quickly. The answer lies with Darren."

And Bullock's signing has baffled Malvern Town boss Richard Anson, who believed he had secured his services as late as Saturday morning.

Anson put in a seven-day approach for Bullock from Bromyard Town. He was waiting to finalise the deal last Saturday and was stunned to see his transfer target in a Rovers shirt the same afternoon.

Yet, although Bullock has found his way into the referee's notebook, he certainly knows the way to goal.

He scored six times, including a hat-trick, for Worcester and hit seven while with Evesham.

Bullock's arrival at Rovers also coincides with the departure of Fraser McHugh, due primarily to the logistics of the midfielder travelling from Nottingham.

Hackett said the distance had stopped him training twice a week, although McHugh was a first-team regular, and that was unfair on the other players.

But Hackett added: "He could have played a little bit better for us."

Bullock will be contention for this Saturday's visit of rivals Gloucester City but Steve Pope is suspended.

Pope is serving an automatic one-match ban after picking up five bookings.