Rome wasn't built in a day, warns Ashford United boss Tony Reynolds

ASHFORD UNITED boss Tony Reynolds says he is building the foundations by giving local players a chance to shine in the Kent Invicta League next season – but admitted he is under no pressure to clinch promotion into the Safety Net Associates Kent League at the first attempt, writes Stephen McCartney.


Reynolds, 49, who lives and works in Ashford, has brought back some legendary figures back to the club as Paul Chambers, Jeff Ross, Scott McRobert and Maurice Munden will form his management team.

Ashford United are the biggest of the sixteen club’s that have been invited to join the new Step Six league, following the sad demise of Ashford Town last summer, and there is an expectation placed on Reynolds to deliver promotion at the first attempt.

“We were hoping that we may get put into the Kent League Premier, but I always felt at the back of my mind the obvious one was to be the Step Six League because of the fact so many sides have ended up in the same situation as us in the past and have to rebuild – i.e Canterbury and even Maidstone all had to start rock bottom,” said Reynolds.

“Fortunately they’ve got this new League, which will give us a great opportunity to get into the Kent League.  I think it’s a great thing that the Kent FA have set this League up.  The sides that have got adequate facilities can automatically go up into the Kent League Premier, which is something new as sides had to be elected to go up.  It’s only a good thing and a positive thing for local football.”

Ashford United will have the best stadium in the Kent Invicta League and the club will be the big fish in the pond.

“There’s no pressure at all,” said Reynolds, who played for Ashford Town in the Southern League, before signing for Barry Fry’s Maidstone United, Welling United, Dagenham and Gravesend & Nortfhfleet.

“We’re running on a nil budget and we want to bring local talent through and there’s no pressure.  The club has to rebuild.

“I know how difficult this new league will be because no-one is familiar with the type of sides we’ll be up against.

“I’ve got no pressure.  I’ve been asked by (chairman) Ernie Warren to help re-build the football club because of my passion for the football club and that’s what I’m here to do really.

“I’m confident in the players that we’ve got locally and I’m just pleased that we’re giving the local talent to step up to the plate and represent their town.

“We want a squad of around 20 playing staff and we’re well on the way of getting that.”

But Reynolds has called upon the likes of Jimmy Strouts, 39, Matt Bower, Lee McRobert and Paul O’Brien, who have all played at a much higher level, to bring experience to the team.

He said: “The thing is we’ve got experienced players involved, people with bags of experience.  We’ve got the emphasis of four or five experienced players with what we’ve got locally, some real good talent and I’m really excited about giving these lads a chance.

Reynolds spoke about a couple of players that he expects to step up to the plate in the Kent Invicta League next season.

“People like Paul Burt, who was at Gillingham as a young lad and he didn’t get the breaks,” he said.

“He played for different clubs at Kent League level and it hasn’t worked out for him and he’s been playing for Bromley Green for the last couple of years.

“He played for me against Charlton and he was absolutely superb, knocked two (goals) in and never looked out of place.

“We’ve picked up some lads from the trials we’ve run three weeks ago, which is great.

“There’s one lad, Richard Quigley, he’s exactly what we’re looking to pick up.  He’s a lad that hasn’t really taken his football seriously.  He’s 22 now but he felt he needed to step up to the plate and he didn’t want to waste his time anymore playing local football with his mates.  He’s a full-back but he’s six foot plus, he’s good with both feet, comfortable on the ball and he’s the type of player I’ve been looking for.

“I know there out there and we’ve been looking endlessly at games at Premier level but I knew there were some lads that we’re good enough but we’re playing football on a Saturday and a Sunday and did not take their football seriously and hopefully we’ve captured a few of those as well.

“As long as they’re serious for their training and what it means being a semi-professional footballer, I’m sure there’s going to be two or three of them who can better their careers, if not playing professionally but having a real, exciting time at the highest standard of non-league football they possibly can.”

Reynolds has to pick up the pieces of broken dreams as the club overspent on ambitious stadium plans that didn’t materialise and luxury players that failed to get the club out of Ryman League Division One South.

“Unfortunately the club is where it is because we were playing in the Ryman League but paying out too much money to contain the club,” he said.

“Unfortunately just paying out wages doesn’t automatically get you success.  You have to build on success.  Everywhere has to have a foundation and we’re trying to build a foundation.  Rome wasn’t built in a day and Ashford Football Club is not going to be built in a day.

“We want to get the club back up and running and let’s see where it takes us.  We’ll put a good side together from local talent. 

“Yes, Paul Bowden-Brown may make funds available, but is it fair to pay individual players and not pay others?

“I’m hoping that the fact that the emphasis is on local players there’s going to be more interest in Ashford.  We want to get results and we expect to get results playing in this Step Six but it will be a difficult one. 

“You need to get different personnel for different league’s you’re going to play in.  You will have to be big and strong at this standard as there will be a lot of ex non-league players playing in this who are just too old enough to play in the Kent League, they will still be going to be putting themselves about in this league.

“It’s going to be difficult but we’ll be looking forward to and one we would hope to get out of next year and get into the Kent League.

“Hopefully through the season we’ll have enough finances behind us to be able to start paying out wages, but only wages we can afford.  Again, I keep saying it, there’s too many clubs, you can see it in the Premier League, club’s like Chelsea, who throw money and money and money at it.  It doesn’t bring you success and hopefully we can build on it and hopefully we will be playing where I feel we should be playing – the Ryman League.”

Reynolds added: “Let’s make no mistakes, we only lease the ground now, so Ashford Football Club have not realistically got a ground.  We play at the Homelands, we’ve got a lease of eleven years to play there.  We don’t own the ground, we used to own the ground, that’s why we need to build foundations.  

“I’m adamant all the time I’m involved with Ashford Football Club, I want to try and build foundations.  It ain’t about chucking money, that’s why I keep saying, I don’t feel under pressure.  I’m not under pressure.  I’m not getting paid to do this job, nor is my management team.  I’m doing it because I was involved with Ashford when I was a sixteen-year-old. 

“There’s a lot of people I remember at the football club when I came back, such nice people who put so much work into the football club, keeping their heads above water for the football club who would be turning in their graves if they saw Ashford get wound up. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m on board and that’s why I’m doing it voluntary because of what we feel for Ashford Football Club.”

Visit Ashford United’s website:  www.ashfordunited.co.uk