Steve Lovell has laid the blame for Ashford’s poor form firmly at the door of the players as they find themselves adrift at the foot of the Ryman League Division 1 South.

The Nuts and Bolts boss has come in for criticism in some quarters for his side’s dismal start to the campaign – which has left them effectively five points from safety, although they have three games in hand.

And on the eve of the tough home clash with promotion-chasing Croydon Athletic, who beat Town 7-0 on the opening day of the season, Lovell insisted: "I’m not letting anybody down. The players are the only ones who are letting us down, they know it and I have told them so.

"You can have a go at the manager all you want but it is the players that get the results. You work hard all week and prepare them for the game but at any level of football, when the game starts it is not the manager’s fault if the players don’t perform.

"I’m a good manager and have proved it – and I will prove it again. I’m not going to change anything.

"I’ve always done it the same way, so if one group of players can be successful doing it, why can’t another group?

"At the end of the day you have to ask if the players are good enough. Can they roll up their sleeves and get us out of this?"

Ashford could have Joe Fuller and Nick Smith back against Croydon, although Paul Jones, Scott Chalmers-Stephens and Toby Ashmore remain sidelined.

Town are now winless in 12 away games this season after a 2-0 loss at Leatherhead last Saturday, during which keeper Darren Ibrahim conceded a calamitous goal.

Full story in this week's Kentish Express