Tommy Warrilow says Ashford must scrap for everything as the games start to run out in their promotion quest.

The Nuts & Bolts are two points outside the Isthmian South East play-offs in seventh place with 12 games remaining after drawing 0-0 at home to Sittingbourne last weekend.

They visit third-placed Beckenham on Saturday (3pm) and host second-bottom Corinthian on Tuesday (7.45pm) as the scramble for a top-five finish continues.

“We’ve got 12 games left and, before you know it, the season will be finished,” said boss Warrilow.

“I wouldn’t like to predict who’s going to win the league or who the four teams in the play-offs will be.

“You have to respect every team in this league - the league table doesn’t mean anything.

“If anyone looks at the league table and thinks they’re in for an easy three points, they’re in for a shock.

“People probably looked at us getting a 0-0 with Sittingbourne as a disappointing result because they’re third-from-bottom, but there’s no way they’re a third-from-bottom team - and that’s what I mean.

“Ryan (Maxwell, new boss) has gone in there and changed things around and they will upset a few teams. They’re a good side.

“Win, lose or draw, we’ve just got to get our heads down and scrap for everything. That’s what Saturday was about. If you can’t win the game, it’s important not to lose it.

“It was a scrappy affair but we’ve come out of it with a point and a clean sheet at the end of a hard week with lots of travelling.

“We’ve won at Haywards Heath, got a good point at Whitehawk and drawn with Sittingbourne. OK, we’d have more points if we’d won two and lost one but it’s not been a bad week for us.”

Ashford handed a debut to midfielder Kie Douglas as a second-half substitute and Warrilow was hopeful of one more signing before the Beckenham game.

Douglas played for Crystal Palace under-21s before spells in non-league with Eastbourne Borough, Bromley and East Grinstead.

“Everyone knows we’re down to bare bones with the players who’ve left,” said Warrilow.

“Kie was trying to get some time at Dover and I got sent his number, so we got him in.

“Don (Crosbie, owner) was saying it’s the first time in eight weeks we haven’t had a seven-dayer in for one of our players, which tells you what sort of season it’s been.

"We don’t want to hide behind anything but that has been our biggest test this year, with so many players coming and going.

"A lot of people might have given up on us but there’s still plenty of football in us.

“We’ll be hit-and-miss at times, and we’ll address that, but it’s not like we’re in every day.

“I named the same team against Sittingbourne that played down at Whitehawk and I’ve not been able to do that many times this season.

“Ideally, at this stage of the season, you’re going into games, bang, bang, bang, with a settled side, but it’s not been like that. We’ve just got to get on with it.

“I am looking at players but they’ve got to be right.

“I’m not going to sign a centre-half for the sake of it when everyone knows it’s midfield where we’re short.”