"Perfectionist" legendary striker will not play for Ashford Town, claims Cumberbatch - EXCLUSIVE

Thursday 29th March 2007

Ashford Town are not expected to call upon the services of Ian Wright, their director of football strategy, to secure the club’s Ryman League status, writes Stephen McCartney.

Ten-man Ashford fell to a 2-1 defeat at Horsham YMCA on Tuesday night to remain in the bottom three and just one point clear off the division one south drop zone.

But goalscoring Legend Wright is not expected to sign for the Homelands club on Ryman League forms before Saturday’s transfer deadline.

“I think Ian is too much of a Legend for him to come in and sign for us -unless he was in top condition,” manager John Cumberbatch said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk following their defeat at Gorings Mead.

”He’s a perfectionist from the point of view of his football.

“He doesn’t want to lose, he doesn’t like to things in half measures and I don’t think he’ll sign for us if he’s not in top condition.

“If he turns round to me in the next few days and says “John, I’m super fit at the moment, I want to sign” then I’ll bite his hand off.”

Cumberbatch was impressed by Wright’s attitude when the pair were players at Dulwich Hamlet earlier in their careers – and Cumberbatch knew Wright would make it to the very top.

“He is somebody I’ve known for a while,” he said. “I knew him years ago when he joined Dulwich Hamlet when I was there and we used to talk around that time but he’s not someone who I’ve kept in regular touch with.

“But what I do know about him is that despite some of the bad press he gets he’s very committed to what he does.

“I’ve always felt he was a very good professional and the reason he made it so big in football was because he focused on the lot of things that I wish some of the semi-pro players would focus on – he just worked on his craft.”

Kent rivals Sittingbourne, a side that have won their last three games, visit The Homelands on Saturday and Cumberbatch needs his squad in its prime.

He said: “As long as I can get more or less the same side out, I might be forced to make one change, then I’ll be confident that we can get a result.

“What we haven’t been able to do is get any continuity in our play.

“We’ve not been able to get the same team out from one week to the next and that does make a big difference.”

Steve Rowles’ long-awaited first “appearance” for the club came as an un-used substitute at Horsham YMCA on Tuesday night.

“Steve has been training with us for the best part of three months,” revealed Cumberbatch.

“I just wished all my players had his attitude. If all my players had his attitude and his commitment then we would be near the top of the league.

“He’s a centre midfielder and that’s the unfortunate thing for him because we do have a good amount of centre midfielders and he’s very much like Gary Clarke.

“They’re such similar players, that’s why it’s been difficult.

“Steve has played at a lower standard of football. He came along to help out in a practice game we had three months ago and I was quite impressed with him from there.

“I’ve allowed him to train with us and he’s just progressed from there.”

Visit club websites:

www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk

www.sittingbournefc.co.uk

Ashford Town v Sittingbourne
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 31^st March 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The Homelands, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent TN26 1NJ