Lloyd Hume says Alan Walker will always be welcome at Ashford after standing down as director of football.

Walker’s role has been filled by defender Barry Fuller under the new title of head of football development.

Ashford co-owner and manager Hume will never forget the role his great friend and mentor has played at Homelands.

Walker, 65, looked after the team as caretaker manager while Hume and Dave Warr’s takeover went through before overseeing operations as director of football.

“Walks has done a great job for us this year, helping us set things up,” said Hume.

“Alan being Alan, he said this is probably a good time to step down because we had a perfect replacement in Barry Fuller.

“Ultimately, Barry is Walks 20 years ago, a great league career behind him, a good coach and liked by everyone.

“They’re like peas in a pod, other than the size of them.

“Walks will be in and around the club, he’s welcome here forever.

“He’s personally a very close friend of mine, as everyone knows.

“It’s not a slur on Walks, it’s more a decision that he felt he probably hasn’t got the energy needed for the role and he clearly identified Barry as someone who has.

“It was all very amicable and we all did it with the best interests of the club, Walks more than anyone.”

Fuller, 41, is currently recovering from injury but remains an important player for the Nuts & Bolts, who lost 2-1 to Three Bridges in Isthmian South East on Tuesday night.

He’s welcomed the extra responsibility his new role brings.

“Barry being Barry, he wants to take on everything,” said Hume.

“He’s quite hyperactive and he doesn’t like sitting still, which is a good match for me because I’m like that.

“He’s 100mph, and it’s good that we’re both like that.

“Where Alan’s a little bit more cultured and will sit there and discuss things, me and Barry are already getting on with them.

“Ultimately, what we want to do is develop all the kids coming through our club and all the women coming through our club so there’s a much better structure, including the academy next year, and the soccer schools.

“We want it to be one really good pyramid that goes up to the men’s first team.”

Ashford beat Deal for the second time in a week last Saturday, following up a 2-1 home victory in the league by winning 3-2 away in the FA Trophy.

Jefferson Aibangbee and Gary Lockyer, who also scored in the midweek win, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Top scorer Louis Collins restored the two-goal cushion after Ben Chapman replied and while Deal added a second, Ashford were good value for their win.

They’ve been drawn at home to Biggleswade in the third qualifying round on October 4.

“We play three forwards most of the time and on Saturday we had three forwards that scored,” said Hume.

“On Tuesday (the league game against Deal last week), two of the three scored, so from three players we’ve got five goals over two games.

“You’re delighted with that as a manager.

“It’s funny because Louis came off last Tuesday and he looked dejected because it was a game he hadn’t scored in and he’s so used to scoring.

“It was almost bizarrely a bit of relief on his face when he scored a great goal on Saturday.”

Collins is on eight goals this season while Lockyer, the club’s record goalscorer, has seven after scoring the consolation against Three Bridges.

The pair drive each other on, while Aibangbee has plenty of goals in him from wide areas.

Hume said: “I don’t think they’ve got anything going but I know in Gary’s head he’ll want to be in front of Louis, and I’ve got to know Louis really well over the last 18 months and he’ll be determined to be right up there as well.

“Gary’s more of an out-and-out goalscorer who lives and breathes scoring goals.

“Louis is a bit more of a creator, as well as scoring goals, so it’s not all about scoring goals for him but I know he’ll be absolutely focused on scoring as many as he can.

“He said to me at the start of the season, I want to score 25 goals this season and I said to him if you work hard and do what you did in the second half of last season, I think that will be understating what you can achieve.

“If we can get him and Gary both getting around the 30-goal mark, that’ll stand us in really good stead.”

Ashford host Crowborough this Saturday (3pm) and visit Faversham in the League Cup on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Sign up to our Non-league Football newsletter and you can enjoy all the best bits from KentOnline every week direct to your inbox! To sign up, click here