Kentish Express Ashford & District
Call for ruthless edge
Ashford United manager Tommy Warrilow has called for more discipline from his side, insisting they need to be more ruthless in matches this campaign.
United, who triumphed 4-2 in the league at home to Ramsgate on Tuesday evening, currently lie sixth in Isthmian South East and are only outside the play-off places on goal difference.
Warrilow says the past seven days, which also included a lastminute home defeat to Whitehawk on Saturday, have nonetheless been another positive week for the Nuts & Bolts.
“We lost on Saturday but the performance was alright, and I was happy with it again on Tuesday, so the two games in the past week I would sum up positively,” he said.
“The second-half on Tuesday was a little bit disappointing, but I’m not going to let that overshadow what I think has been a good couple of performances.
“Both of them showed how well we can play; we just need to ramp it up a little bit, be more clinical and be more ruthless, especially at the back.”
He added: “Apart from VCD where we deserved nothing, all the other games we’ve played we’ve had chances to go in front and win games, so we’ve not been a million miles out.
“We were 2-0 down at Herne Bay and went for it, rode our luck with some breakaways and got a draw, so I’d say overall we’re sitting nicely.”
Warrilow, who this week celebrated one year in charge of the Homelands club, has also reiterated his intentions to shore up what has often been a fragile defence for United this campaign, ahead of Saturday’s trip to rivals Hythe.
The team have kept just five clean sheets in 23 games so far in all competitions, and have also conceded at least twice in nine of their last 10 matches.
“We want to play football, we want to attack and we want to create chances.
“We’ve just got to get a little more disciplined,” Warrilow added.
“I felt a bit flat with how we ended the game on Tuesday. We were going a little bit gung-ho and sometimes leaving ourselves vulnerable – that’s a part of our game we have to work on.”
He continued: “Hythe on Saturday is a local derby. We’ve got to make sure we do the right things and if we do that we’ll be fine.
“If we don’t, we’re going to make hard work of it again.”
After Saturday’s trip to the Kent coast, United face another tricky fixture against seventh-placed Guernsey in the league on Tuesday at Homelands.
■ Ramsgate and Whitehawk match reports, page 42.