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Ashford United manager Tommy Warrilow not disheartened by first Isthmian South East defeat

By Joe Harbert

Ashford United manager Tommy Warrilow insists his side’s first league defeat to Cray Valley on Saturday shouldn’t detract from the club’s impressive start to the campaign.

Five wins from their opening six games in Isthmian South East mean the Nuts & Bolts begin October firmly in title contention, despite losing a host of star players throughout the summer.

“We’ve had a great start to the season and I’m happy with how it’s gone so far. We’ve played six games and won five of them and that’s the most important stat,” Warrilow said.

Ashford manager Tommy Warrilow Picture: Matt Bristow
Ashford manager Tommy Warrilow Picture: Matt Bristow

“We never got carried away with how well we started, and we always knew that even after winning games there were a lot of things we could have done better.

“Losing our first game this week, we don’t want to put a bomb underneath it.

“If somebody has a bad game, you don’t just throw them under the bus – the most important thing is looking at why we lost.”

After defeat in last season’s play-off final, United were tipped to again be one of the sides fighting at the top end of the table come the season’s climax in May.

Yet Warrilow believes the competitive nature of the league means nothing can be taken for granted.

He added: “Teams like us, Hastings and Sevenoaks, who we play next, should be up there come the end of the season.

“But until you get to around 16-17 games, there’s no point really looking at the table because it will change weekly.

“There’s also no easy games in this league, and with the amount of fixtures we’re playing lately we need to make sure we’re prioritising certain games and giving all the players minutes.

“I want competition everywhere, and there’s still work to do in every position.

“When it comes to game-time, a lot of players’ minutes have been evened-out lately, so no-one is really rusty either.”

The 55-year-old says that Saturday’s defeat leaves a lot for him to think about, as his team look to fight on three fronts going forward.

“There’s a lot of things to strip back from the performance,” Warrilow said.

“We played well for a third of the game, Cray played better for the other two-thirds, and that means you’re going to lose.

“The boys have got to take it on the chin, and so will I.”

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent

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