Booth: I will be back

Paul Booth is trying to shrug off a recurring back problem and hopes it doesn’t continue to hamper what maybe his last season as a player.

The Ashford United playercoach, who turns 40 in January, has been troubled by sciatica since the FA Cup defeat at Burgess Hill in September.

He came off the bench in the 3-2 Kent Senior Trophy win at Southern Counties East League Division 1 side Sutton Athletic last week and could start in the Premier Division trip to Rochester on Saturday with Shaun Welford suspended.

Booth said: “I said at the start of the season it will be my last, and I hope it doesn’t it end it early.”

“It’s being caused by a trapped nerve and has really been giving me grief.

“I hadn’t kicked a ball for six weeks before Saturday, but played 20 minutes and it felt all right, but it leaves me with pins and needles in my leg, so it’s not great. It’s very frustrating and has left me feeling a bit sorry for myself.”

He added: “Saying that I have been very lucky with injuries in 20 years in the game, while other team-mates have had their careers ended early by knee and ankle injuries.”

Booth has also taken his first steps in coaching, with junior side Kings Hill near Maidstone where his son plays, as he works towards his Level 1 qualification.

United will be in the hat for the first time this season on Monday when the draw for the second round of the Buildbase FA Vase takes place.

The club have been exempt until this stage due to their recent success in the competition, including reaching the quarter-finals last season.

Booth said: “I hadn’t played in the Vase before last season, and didn’t realise how important the competition was. It gave me a real buzz, playing some big games and the fans loved it.”

The club’s under-18s meet Folkestone Invicta in the third and final qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup at Homelands tonight (Thursday, 7.45pm).

The prize for the winners is a place in the first round proper when Football League clubs enter the competition for the first time.