Kentish Express Ashford & District
I haven’t played as well as I can
Ashford striker Johan ter Horst hopes his weekend goal has triggered a return to form.
Ter Horst says Tommy Warrilow was right to drop him after an indifferent start to the Isthmian South East season.
He scored just his second goal in the Nuts & Bolts’ 2-0 win over Whitstable and was rewarded with a start on Tuesday night as Warrilow’s men pulled off a 3-1 success at Hastings.
A pre-season hamstring injury hampered Ter Horst’s progress but he’s back in business.
“I came back from the hammy and I wasn’t playing particularly well, definitely not as well as I know I can,” said Ter Horst.
“Quite rightly, Tommy pulled me aside and said he was going to freshen things up, I was trying to do too much and not doing what I’m good at.
“I had a couple of games on the bench and then came on and scored on Saturday.
“Hopefully that will be the catalyst for me this season.
“You have to be honest with yourself when you’re not playing well.
“I can say I’ve been unlucky but I could say that for the last seven years!
“So maybe I’m not unlucky, it’s just I haven’t played as well as I can.
“I’m my own biggest critic. Some of these players, you see them and they think they’re better than they are and then they maybe drop down the levels.
“They think they’re the best player in the league and they’re just not, and you think, ‘Come on.’
“Hopefully I can kick on from here. It’s all set up for me playing up top with Jay May, I play off him and it should work well.
“It’s probably fair to say it hasn’t quite clicked yet, let’s see whether it does in the next couple of months.
“I like to think of me as Michael Owen and him as Peter Crouch - it should work well and let’s hope it does.
“There’s competition up there, which is a positive for the club because it means everyone is working hard in training to get in the side.
“It’s given the manager a headache but I’m sure he’d rather that than the team picking itself.”
Ter Horst shot to prominence as a teenager when he joined Hull City - then in the Premier League - from Folkestone on a three-year contract.
His progress was hit by a dislocated shoulder, suffered while scoring a goal for the under-23s, and he returned to non-league with Maidstone in 2017.
Chances were limited at National League level and Ter Horst found himself back at Folkestone before moving on to Ashford after finding himself out of Neil Cugley’s side.
Settled at Homelands, he’s in the first year of a physiotherapy degree and looking to the future.
“I’m quite happy at Ashford,” he said. “I’m 27 in a couple of months. Time seems to have passed me by - I’ve no idea where it’s gone.
“I’ve started a physiotherapy degree which is keeping me busy and it’s also a future career to look forward to.
“Lockdown gave me time to think and you realise you do need an actual profession.
“Playing football is brilliant but you drift down the leagues and you need a career after it.
“You see a lot in the press about young lads released at 18 and they’re cut adrift with no career path.
“I’m lucky to have supportive parents but if you don’t, it’s difficult.”
Ter Horst sees the potential at Ashford, who are up to third after three wins on the spin.
They visit fellow form side, league leaders Cray Valley, this Saturday in a battle of two teams who looked well-equipped to challenge for promotion.
Ter Horst said: “Ashford have been there or thereabouts for the last couple of seasons.
“I feel like we’ve got enough about us as a team to give it good go.
“Look at the size of the town, it’s growing and growing and I think it would be a good time to have a big team playing in a higher league than we are now and get more people down there.
“Look at Folkestone, they’re getting 900 for a normal Saturday, and obviously more for the FA Cup game last week.
“With the amount of houses going up, we could have 800 here each week.”
Tommie Fagg scored Ashford’s opener in the derby win over Whitstable, with Tariq Ossai, Tashi-Jay Kwayie and Roberto Ratti on target as the Nuts & Bolts came from behind to beat Hastings.