A football club has paid tribute to a much-loved matchday steward following his death aged 54.

Tributes have flooded in for Ashford United fan Mark Reed who died after a short illness.

The father-of-two, of Park Farm, gave up his time for free at Homelands Stadium in Kingsnorth and was a familiar face at the turnstiles.

A club spokesman said: “Ashford United are saddened to announce the passing of long-serving steward and fan Mark Reed.

“Our thoughts are with his wife Jess and his children, George and Emily, who have also been long-term supporters of the Nuts and Bolts.

“This was Mark’s sixth season of stewarding for the club and he was well known for being the first face to greet home and away fans arriving at Homelands from his regular pre-match position outside the turnstiles.

“He was a great friend to his fellow stewards, the players, club management team, the board and the fans and he always enjoyed staying on in the bar after a game to chat about the result.

“Mark volunteered many hours of his time to ensure supporters had a positive matchday experience and was a much-valued member of the stewarding team and wider club.”

Before his tragic death on October 16, Mr Reed had previously spoken about his love of non-league football and following his club as they won the Kent Senior Trophy in 2017, and beat Hastings away in the 2019 play off semi-final.

He was part of the stewarding team at the 2022 play-off final defeat to Herne Bay at Homelands.

David Chalmers, head steward at Ashford United, said: “Mark loved being a steward and was my right-hand man, deployed at the turnstiles as the welcoming face of Ashford United.

“We often spoke about how we felt really passionate about what we did as stewards and why we did it – the closeness you get with the fans, players, staff and management.

“Mark was in his element after the game, discussing the game with the players and fans, and his devotion to his wife Jess and children, George and Emily, was second to none.

“Mark was a genuine, lovely, generous guy who would do anything for anyone and will be sadly missed by us all.”

Mr Reed’s funeral will take place at Charing Crematorium on Wednesday, November 8, at 11.30am.

There will also be a minute’s silence at Ashford United’s home fixture against Burgess Hill Town this Saturday ahead of kick-off at 3pm.

A fundraiser has been set up to support Mr Reed’s family, and has so far collected more than £1,700.

To donate, click here