Return for Jay not ruled out

Co-owner Oliver Ash has opened the door for Jay Saunders to return as Maidstone boss.

Ash, speaking on the KM Football Podcast, described Saunders as a “great manager”. He won three promotions in four seasons during a seven-year reign and twice kept United in the National League.

It’s almost a year since Saunders left by mutual consent but Ash isn’t ruling out a return.

He said: “People have commented on whether Jay could come back as manager. “I would have no problem in seeing Jay back at the club. “I would hope he wouldn’t, whether it’s a time when I’m there or not.

“Football is full of histories of managers coming back and managing more than once. “There’s no better example than Bill Williams, who managed the club three times.

“I’m a Jay fan and he’s a great manager.

“The fact we parted company with him takes nothing away from that.”

Ash also spoke about the decision to let Saunders go. He said: “There are a number of reasons – some of which I can’t go into and won’t go into – as to why that decision was taken.

“It was a complicated summer, I guess we felt that to some degree Jay was distracted, there were things that were going on that were distracting him and when the season started badly we obviously thought about it a lot. “The rest is history but it doesn’t diminish my appreciation of Jay as a manager and as a person.”

To listen to the full podcast, including

Ash’s views on former chairman Paul Bowden Brown, visit kentonline. co.uk/sport/sportpodcasts/ or scan in the QR code on your smartphone.