By Luke Cawdell

Ashford boss Steve Lovell has spoken highly of the two Gillingham youth players he has signed to give his squad a much-needed boost as the club look to fight their way out of trouble.

The Nuts & Bolts suffered their 13th postponement of the season on Wednesday and with a backlog of fixtures building up, Lovell has been active in the transfer market.

Teenagers Tom Murphy, a striker, and midfielder Liam Geering have joined on work experience and Lovell is also in discussions about bringing another defender to the club.

Lovell (pictured) said: "They’re not coming in for the sake of it. They want to play and they’ll be given games, especially in the next couple of weeks. It’s an opportunity for them to shine.

"They’re fit and enthusiastic and are two nice lads who want to learn. They will bring a bit of quality."

Lovell’s side remain rooted to the foot of the Ryman League Division 1 South table and are due to face second from top Worthing on Saturday at Homelands.

However, after losing Wednesday's game against Chipstead, Lovell said: "Unless it thaws I can’t see the game going ahead on Saturday either."

The Town boss will now have keeper Scott Chalmers-Stevens to call upon as well as top scorer Joe Fuller after both recovered from injury.

Darren Ibrahim could keep his place in goal, though, as the Ashford boss has been impressed with the youngster’s progress.