Manager Kevin Watson can see the progress at Ashford - despite some difficult times.

The Nuts & Bolts are 11th in Isthmian South East having gone through a five-match losing streak before beating Beckenham.

In terms of the playing style and additions to the squad, however, Watson feels they’re heading in the right direction.

And they have a League Cup semi-final to look forward to after beating Hastings 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night.

It’s been a challenging first season in charge for the former Cray Valley and Herne Bay manager but it’s rarely straightforward going into a new environment.

“I think my expectations are quite levelled,” said Watson, whose side visit Merstham on Saturday (3pm).

“That doesn’t mean we’re not aspirational as a management team, we just recognise the steps it takes to get somewhere.

“There’s not enough success for everybody.

“You get two teams promoted, which is 10% of the league, and 90% of the league are disappointed.

“Plus a percentage end up getting relegated, so it’s double disappointment for them.

“Whenever you go to a new club, there’s the challenge of getting to know the climate and the environment.

“But now we’re based back at the ground, with the new pitch, we can see the way forward.

“Some management teams go straight into a club and do get immediate success but, like I said, there isn’t enough success for everybody.

“Of the players that started the season, I think Connor Dymond was the only one we’d worked with before, so there’s that element where they have to get used to us and what we’re asking them to do.

“We’re a long way down the road in terms of the season so I think there’s a better understanding of all parties.

“Even with the management team, that’s different.

“I’ve worked with Adam (Flanagan) and Tommy (Osborne) before but it’s the first time the three of us have worked together.

“I think the expectation was to do better but that’s probably the expectation we set ourselves.

“The club’s had success in the past in terms of getting to the play-offs but they didn’t last season and we’re shuffling around in a similar position.

“We’re 11th and they finished ninth last season so it’s not as though we’ve come into a club who were performing extremely well.

“But we’ve been brought in to make improvements and changes and we’re trying to have a style and a way of playing, and I think we’ve made some progress towards achieving that.

“But we need to produce results because it’s a results-driven industry.

“I always say long-term that results are a by-product of performances and understanding, so we need to tick those boxes.

“At this moment in time, results haven’t been where we expected them to be or where the fans or the committee expected them to be.

“But I do believe there’s some recognition in how we’re trying to get to this stage.”

Ashford, whose game at Burgess Hill last Saturday, was postponed, have made a new signing.

Midfielder Max Walsh has joined from East Grinstead, having scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 win against the Nuts & Bolts in September.

“He was on our radar before that, although he impressed in that game,” said Watson.

“He takes his football seriously and I think a change will be good for him.

“He’ll thrive on the artificial surface and there’s no real difference for him in terms of travel.

“I enquired about him some time ago and we ended up having another conversation.”

Walsh’s signing follows the recent loan arrivals of Folkestone duo Will Moses and Jordan Ababio, with Danny Parish, Kymani Thomas and now Anthony Edgar leaving Homelands.

Watson said: “The squad’s not quite where we want it to be - results have shown that - but you can’t blame that on the players.

“It’s down to a combination of things.

“It’s having the right personnel, the right climate and us getting our points across as a management team.

“We don’t like to have a high turnover of players.

“We remain patient before making changes but we have made a few of late and we’re working towards where we want to be.”