16th July 2019
Ashford United are still aiming for promotion glory this season according to manager Tommy Warrilow, despite having a troubled start off-the field ahead of next month’s season opener.
Warrilow’s preparations for the new season have been blighted by as many as eight players leaving Homelands, with currently just three arrivals joining his Nuts & Bolts side, yet the United boss remains optimistic.
He said: “It’s no secret that when the season finished in May we were a lot stronger. It’s been virtually a building process because we’re literally starting a new team.
“Transfers have been a slow process but we’ve got to make sure we’re getting the right players in, and that means we have to be patient.
“We’re looking to build security into the football club and take it forward long-term rather than looking for a quick fix.”
A host of United players have left the club since the end of last season
He continued: “Ideally, I would like a 15-16 man squad and we’ve only got a dozen at the moment, so as long as I’ve got three substitutes, I’ll always look to the development side.
“But we’ve still got nearly five weeks to go until the season starts, and realistically we can and want to get out of this league, so the play-offs is the minimum I know this Ashford United side are capable of achieving.”
Warrilow says that some of United’s departures were inevitable, whereas a few came as a bit of a surprise to the 55 year-old.
“I was frustrated because I thought we would have kept the majority of our players from last season, and some of them especially I don’t understand why they didn’t re-sign.
“But nothing surprises me in football anymore and I don’t take any of it personally.”
United begin their campaign away to Phoenix Sports next month
The United manager was speaking after his side’s 2-0 pre-season victory at home to Sheppey United on Saturday.
Warrilow believes there were a lot of positives to take out of the win, as his team slowly begins to take shape.
He added: “Overall I was delighted with both the result and the performance, but obviously we can’t go overboard because the team has only had three training sessions.
“Up front we’ve got three great strikers now, and in midfield we also look reasonably strong, despite perhaps needing a couple more signings for competition, as well as another defender too.
“The three players that we’ve brought in this summer have also come in at the right time with a few weeks still to go, and that can only bode well for the future, especially with David Smith already scoring goals.”
United continue their pre-season campaign away to Welling Town on Saturday.
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