Lye keen for more cup success

Danny Lye wants a good FA Cup run to help Ashford United maintain their early season momentum.

They face Ryman League, Division 1 South side Three Bridges in the preliminary round at Homelands on Saturday.

The winners will earn a cheque for £1,925 and a trip to Premier Division Burgess Hill next month.

He said: “The lads are disappointed we haven’t got another league game after our good start to the season but I want us to do well in the competition because it will attract more people to watch us and the revenue is good for the club. We have a lot of players who have played at that level, and want to be involved in these sorts of games every week.”

The tie pairs the two clubs together in the competition for the first time in 37 years, Ashford winning 2-0 away in a first qualifying round meeting, with goals by Sammy Sambrook and John Young.

Lye has handed the skipper’s armband to new signing Stuart West, believing it’s a good move to help him settle at the club.

He said: “Stuart was captain at Hollands & Blair and doing the job means he fits straight into a new side and gives him confidence.”

Assistant manager Shaun Welford was passed fit to face Canterbury in midweek after a collision with Beckenham goalkeeper Rilwan Anibaba last weekend.

Lye said: “He received a thud in the chest, so we had to take him off but he said he wanted to play.”

United have added former APM keeper Owen McCloud to the squad as cover for George Kamurasi.

‘We want to be involved in these sorts of games every week’