Defender Joe Ellul has set his sights on another promotion after joining Ashford United.

Ellul arrives at Homelands fresh from helping Ramsgate win the Isthmian South East championship.

That was the sixth promotion of his career and the 36-year-old said: “I want to make it seven now.”

Ellul, whose decorated CV also includes a National League South title medal at Maidstone three years ago, was ready for a new challenge after his success with the Rams.

And he’s found it at Ashford, where manager Lloyd Hume is looking to mount a promotion push.

“They’re a club with big plans but they’re not overdoing it,” said Ellul.

“I went with my wife and we sat and looked at the infrastructure and it felt right, as in it felt normal and natural to be at the ground.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, because of how much I love Ramsgate, but it felt like the right time.

“The aim is to win promotion again and get another title.”

Ellul had a couple of telephone conversations with Hume before meeting in person.

The club’s co-owner and manager made quite an impression.

“Lloyd is probably up there as one of the most decent human beings I’ve ever met,” said Ellul.

“He’s very similar to me as a person in that he says it as it is.

“I get in trouble quite often about being like that but he’s straight as an arrow and just a genuine human being.

“I know Craig Stone (assistant manager) from Ramsgate and through non-league and he’s the same, another normal person that you like being around.

“It’s very much like a family club. I think it’s going to feel like it did at Ramsgate, as in that natural vibe.”

Ellul is the warrior-type figure Hume has been looking for in central defence.

He’ll be a big presence, on and off the pitch, and he knows what it takes to win promotion.

“It’s just the changing room, and you need a manager who’s going to let you express yourself and have fun with what you do,” said Ellul.

“You need to be good footballers, that’s a given, but having a good changing room goes a long, long way to getting something done.

“It’s also away from football, spending time together, doing things, it’s the only way you’re going to get success.

“Every team I’ve been at, where I’ve won something, it’s that closeness and brotherhood sort of feeling.

“It makes a massive, massive difference.”

Ellul held provisional talks with Ramsgate over a new deal around Christmas.

He felt the club were in no rush to get anything done and as the season reached its conclusion, he’d made up his mind to leave on a high with a title medal.

“I knew in my head going up would mean going into a higher league, with a little bit better players,” said Ellul.

“The team we had would be a match for anyone but it takes a bit more out of the body and I thought to myself I’ll go elsewhere and get another promotion under my belt, ideally.

“I get more of a kick out of giving something back to a whole club and getting a promotion than celebrating myself.

“In all honesty, I didn’t really celebrate this promotion.

“I think because we lost to Margate on the day we got the trophy, it tainted it for me, so I didn’t enjoy it as much.

“I was just buzzing for the club and the fans, for James (Lawson, chairman) and Ben (Smith, manager) to get over the line and be going into a better league.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they got back-to-back promotions.

“To be honest, I’d been speaking about a new deal for a while, as in Christmas.

“It’s just the way I like to do things.

“Towards the end of the season, I spoke to Ben and said, ‘What’s the plan? I like to know what I’m doing before I go away on holiday’, and he just said, ‘Listen, we’re going to throw something over to you’.

“I don’t know what it was, whether it was a better deal or a worse deal, but in those few days I made up my mind and that is nothing against the club.

“They weren’t in any rush to get me done, so maybe it was a case of do they really need me any more?

“That’s not in a bad way, it’s just they probably need younger players with a bit of experience and more legs in that league.

“I’ve had conversations with Ben and messages with James, and it’s all been amicable.

“Ben’s my friend, he wasn’t just a manager, so I’ll be rooting for them in the same way they’re rooting for me.

“There’s no burnt bridges and that’s the way I like to do it.”