You don't have to start well to win this league, says Walker

Clive Walker has reminded fans that you don’t have to enjoy a good start to the season to win promotion from the Ryman League Division One South, writes Stephen McCartney.

Walker saw his Ashford Town side win their first league game of the season, Charlie Glyde, whose on loan from Folkestone Invicta, scoring the only goal to win a hard fought battle at Kentish rivals, Chatham Town.

With a win and a defeat from their first two outings, Walker is happy with his side’s progress.

“You’d like to win every game but it aint going to happen,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk following tonight’s win at Maidstone Road.

“We’ve got a lot of hard matches coming up, you just have to keep plugging away, it’s a long season.”

Walker takes his side to Whyteleafe on Saturday before welcoming a Sittingbourne side that’s won both their opening matches, to The Homelands, on Bank Holiday Monday.

And Walker, who guided Dover Athletic to the Ryman One South play-offs for the past two seasons, reminded fans that promoted sides, Maidstone United and Hastings United were well behind the chasing pack last season.

“Teams in the last few years have come from nowhere and won it,” he recalled.

“I mean Hastings, I think, lost the first five out of six games last season and ended up winning the league, well getting out the league (via the play-off’s), the same with Maidstone, they were in the bottom half at Christmas and they’ve gone through and won the league, so you just don’t know with this league.

“Just have to keep plugging away, you just have to get the right characters in there.

“It’s a great league, it keeps you on your toes, there’s no doubt about that!

Walker admitted teams lack consistency during the course of last season.

He said: “You could go and play against a team and think “Good God, these look a good side” and play them later in the season and they’re not the same side and it seems to be like that all over the league.

“That’s why it’s a very hard league to win, it’s so inconsistent, even the top teams tend to run away with it sometimes - teams will catch you.”

After his side’s win at one of his former clubs, Chatham Town, Walker is expecting “tough” fixtures against Whytleafe and Sittingbourne over the holiday weekend.

“Whyteleafe will be like this, it will be a hard game,” he said. “We’ve got Sittingbourne on Monday, will be another tough game, local derby.”

Nick Barnes, a combative central midfield player, whose signed from Tonbridge Angels, could make his Ashford Town debut against Steve Lovell’s side on Monday following suspension.

Walker has also added goalkeeper, Sam Moore to his squad, following his capture from Bromley.

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

Whyteleafe v Ashford Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 25^th August 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At 15 Church Road, Whyteleafe, Surrey CR3 0AR