Finishing fourth-from-bottom isn’t good enough for a club the size of Ashford, says Gary Alexander

ASHFORD UNITED boss Gary Alexander says his players are working hard ahead of Saturday’s opening pre-season friendly against Bromley.

Neil Smith brings his full-time Vanarama National League side to Homelands Stadium as both clubs embark on the start of their new campaigns.

The Ravens finished in ninth-place in the top flight of non-league football, while Ashford United finished in the bottom four in the Bostik League South Division.

It will be Alexander’s first game in charge of Ashford United having taken over as manager at the end of last season.

“Looking forward to getting the games underway for pre-season,” said Alexander.

“Bromley is a club I spend a lot of time watching as I have good contacts there in Neil Smith, Mark Hammond and Alan Dunne so thanks for coming to us and allowing me to watch and learn throughout the season.

“It’s great to have them visit us as I’m sure they're in for another great season from what I’ve seen.

“The game itself will be about minutes for the lads preparing for the coming season and working on bits moving us forward.

“There has been a lot of change at the club with many new faces coming together so I need to get them to gel quickly, which is never easy but between myself and my team I’m confident we can do that because their all good characters so it shouldn’t be a problem.

“We’re working so hard on and off the pitch to change the clubs fortunes around and being more competitive than last season.”

Ashford United are expected to have a more enjoyable campaign in the months ahead with former Greenwich Borough boss Alexander at the helm.

“Finishing fourth-from-bottom isn’t good enough for a club the size of Ashford. It’s up to us to make that happen and hopefully grow the club and give it what it deserves – a team to be proud of!”

The game kick’s off at 11 o’clock in the morning to avoid clashing with the World Cup Quarter-Final between England and Sweden in Russia, which kicks off at 15:00 BST.

Visit Ashford United’s website:  www.ashfordunitedfc.com

Ashford United  v  Bromley
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 7^th July 2018
Kick Off 11:00am
at Homelands Stadium, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent TN26 1NJ