Crosbie: The clock's ticking for Conference football

ASHFORD TOWN manager Steve Lovell has been told that he must win three promotions in four years as the wealthy club owners demand Blue Square Premier football, writes Stephen McCartney.

The club, currently in Ryman League Division One South, unveiled their ambitious plans to build an £8.5m sports village at The Homelands at a press conference at The Homelands yesterday.

And playing the likes of Ebbsfleet United (if the Kent club are still there) in the Blue Square Premier in four years time is the ultimate aim for owners Don Crosbie and Tony Betteridge.

“My goal when I got here, 9 months ago, a year ago now, Tony and myself said our minimum goal would be Conference,” Mr Crosbie told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“And I think the facilities (that we’re building here), the potential here, there’s not many football clubs that have the land and the facilities that we’ve got.

“We own this freehold here, we don’t own any money on it, we own it outright so we have the ability to take the club where ever we want it and Conference is minimum.

“We’ve got a five-year plan. We’ve got a two year plan on the planning (of the sports village) but we’ve got a five-year plan on the Conference and that’s been in place since nine months ago so the clock’s ticking.”

With manager Steve Lovell trying to sign a striker from an unnamed Ryman Premier League club, Mr Crosbie understands that transfer evaluations are sky high when Ashford Town come calling.

A £10,000 transfer fee has been slapped on the striker’s head.

“The thing is a lot of people behind the scenes have heard and seen what we’re doing,” explained Mr Crosbie.

“They’ve visited the ground and seen the transformation of the club over the last nine months.

“They know that we’re spending money and we’ve got a computerised watering system on our pitch - whose got that?

“We’ve now got a drainage system in place that cost nearly £60,000, again, whose got that?

“We’ve proved that we’re serious about what we’re doing so when clubs hear that all of a sudden as soon as you’re interested in one of their player suddenly they think “these people have got loads of money” but we’re sensible, we have been around a long time.

“We might have to go to a few tribunals to get players assessed cost wise but we will do that but these players will end up playing for Ashford Town, they want to play for Ashford Town.”

Visit Ashford Town’s website: www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk