Kentish Express Ashford & District
Draw prompts mixed response
Ashford United took a step closer to the Bostik South East play-offs with a draw at promotion rivals Horsham on Saturday.
Manager Tommy Warrilow was left with mixed feelings after watching his side miss good chances to go ahead in the first half.
But this result keeps the Nuts & Bolts within a point of Horsham, who have played a game more.
Warrilow said: “We started really well and got in some good areas but our choice of pass and our finishing wasn’t up to standard.
“In games like that, when you have your purple patches, you’ve got to make them count and we didn’t.
“To be fair they got into it a little bit more in the second half and I think we missed our chance in the first half.
“To be honest, they had to come to beat us because we’ve got a game in hand on them.
“I expected more from them coming at us but a point away from home and a clean sheet isn’t bad on paper but I am disappointed because in the first half we should have scored one or two goals.”
This game could turn out to be a dress rehearsal for the play-offs which are now just over a month away.
Hastings, Horsham, Ashford and Haywards Heath look certain to contest those games with just three points covering them and the chasing pack nine adrift.
Warrilow said: “We’ve got Hastings and Haywards Heath still to play and we’ve had Horsham so all the teams we’ll be playing over the next month, hopefully we’ll be meeting again in the play-offs.
“I always look at our own house and not too much on other people but I don’t fear anyone because we play some good stuff.
“We’ve just got to learn that when you’re on top in games, you’ve got to be more ruthless and kill teams off because every team in games will have a little spell when they’re on top and get a second wind.
“All the time we have the pressure on the opposition, we’ve got to make it count because it does turn around and every team will have a little patch in a game.
“Because we started so well, the boys thought ‘we’ll get another chance in a minute’ but it’s not like that.
“We worked hard to create the chances, in really good areas. One was a shot that was parried and the lad only had to tap it in but he lost his footing.
“Another one, we’ve had a shot where a boy’s gone down by the side of him and he’s only got to slide him in but he didn’t, he had a shot.
“We’ve had shots where we should be hitting the target and we’re not.
“It was a great start but we didn’t make it count.”
Ashford: Mott, Aboagye, McIntyre, Prescott, Coker, Kamara, Corne, Anidugbe (Cox 85mins, Munyama 90mins), Parish (May 72mins), Williams, Ajala.