Match Preview

Match In the Memory of Dave Telfer
Match Ball Sponsor : Terry Smith

Preview by Steve Barton
This season the Velocity Trophy (the Isthmian League Cup) has a new look. It starts with group stages, featuring the Step Four sides. In the event of a drawn match - each club picks up one point and progress straight to a penalty shootout, the winners of that then picking up a second point. Each club can name five substitutes - and use them all. Premier Division sides will enter after the initial group stages. Each side in a group will play the other sides once, either home or away with the group winners going through to the knockout stages. Herne Bay’s first match in the new format sees the visit of Ashford United who have played once so far in this competition losing 2-3 on penalties to Ramsgate after a 0-0 draw.

In 1891 the original Ashford United was formed when the South Eastern Rangers amalgamated with Kentish Express FC. The club became more commonly known as ‘Ashford’ upon the post-war resumption of the Kent League competition. However, once more fate took a hand and in 1928 the club folded leaving the Town with no senior club. The decision to found Ashford Town was taken at a meeting in April 1930. The club earned promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League in the 1986/87 season, at a time when the new ground at The Homelands was being constructed. In 2004/05 they moved over to the Isthmian League but following a major falling out at Boardroom level, which reached the courts, and the club went into administration. A successful purchase came too late for them to compete in 2010/11 and the summer of 2010 therefore marked the end of Ashford Town FC after a history of 80 years. The club was reformed as Ashford United.

Under FA rules the 'new' Ashford United were not permitted to re-join the league where their predecessors had left-off; for their inaugural season of 2011/12 they were placed into the newly formed Kent Invicta League. After an indifferent start to their first season results improved over the second half and the team finished in fifth position. Their finishing position improved two places in the 2012/13 season to third. Although only the teams finishing in the top two positions were eligible for automatic promotion to the Kent League, Ashford United were awarded promotion instead of the second placed club Hollands & Blair, as Ashford had the facilities and ground grading in place in order to take the promotion. During the close season the Kent League renamed itself as the Southern Counties East Football League. There were two successive runners-up places and as the 2014/15 season ended the club announced that the natural grass pitch at the Homelands was to be replaced during the close season with a synthetic 3G playing surface. In 2015/16 they were again runners-up, but a ten-point deduction dropped them down to third. In 2016/17 the Nuts and Bolts won the Southern Counties East Football League two points ahead of second place Crowborough Athletic and in their first season in the Isthmian League South they finished 21st from 24.

Of the five times that the clubs have met since Ashford were promoted from the Southern Counties East Football League Herne Bay have won four and Ashford one. Three home wins for Bay, two in the League and one in the Kent Senior Cup has seen an aggregate of 7-1, although at Homelands in two games it is a high scoring 6-7.

Following Herne Bay’s 1-4 defeat at Ashford last season, 2018/19, bizarrely Nuts and Bolts manager Gary Alexander was sacked and within three days Ashford unveiled former Tonbridge Angels, Cray Wanderers and Thamesmead Town boss Tommy Warrilow as their new boss. Bay won the home return 2-1. Ashford went on to reach the play-off final after finishing 4th and beating Hastings United in the semis but lost out 1-2 to Horsham who were promoted to the Isthmian Premier. This campaign Ashford have a 100% record following wins over Phoenix Sports, Three Bridges, Burgess Hill Town, Sittingbourne and East Grinstead Town which sees them in second place, one point behind leaders Sevenoaks Town but the Nuts and Bolts have two games in hand. Striker David Smith has scored nine times in eight outings and they could include in their squad ex-Bay players Danny Walder, Josh Wisson and Mo Kamara.

Ashford will visit Winch’s Field in the league on 16/11/2019 with the return being at Homelands on 14/03/2020.