By Malcolm Triggs

It started out as a sponsorship opportunity that ended with the co-chairmanship, but after the sale of Ashford United by Don Crosbie to Lloyd Hume and David Warr, Derek Pestridge says his time at Homelands has been “exciting to say the least”.

Pestridge, founder of Ashford-based D&D Autos, wanted to see the name of his business on the front of the first-team shirts of his local team. It was a simple enough idea, but it was the beginning of a roller-coaster ride that saw him not just chair the club through much of the next, often troubled, decade, but support it financially on a number of occasions.

“I just thought it would be good exposure for the business if we could sponsor the team,” Pestridge recalled.

“Shortly after that I was asked to stand in as chairman as the club was going through a tricky patch, and I’ve held that position ever since, in recent years serving as joint-chairman.”

That tricky patch involved significant legal wrangles over ownership that saw the future of the club in jeopardy, but despite the challenges Pestridge worked hard over the past 10 years or so “to make sure Ashford has a football club it can be proud of”.

Remarkably, Pestridge - originally a Brentford fan - only missed two or three matches once he stepped into the chairman’s role. “I’ve been there, home and away, at virtually every match,” he said.

“I’ve loved being involved with the club and I’m proud of what it has achieved.”

His favourite memory is the last game of the 2016/17 season, when the team sealed top spot in the Southern Counties East League by putting seven goals past Rochester to pip Crowborough to the title. Shaun Welford was the goal hero, as he had been throughout that season.

“I’ve also really enjoyed the social side of the game,” said Pestridge, whose wife Margaret also became a much-loved and vital part of the team at Homelands.

“Not just getting to know the players and supporters but meeting other owners, chairmen and club officials. It’s been a great life, despite the pressures.”

Those pressures have included a number of legal issues Pestridge has stepped in to solve using his own cash, a measure of his huge commitment to the Nuts & Bolts.

“My pride would not let me walk away while the future was in doubt, and that’s the same reason I put my hands in my pocket when the alternative would have been the club folding,” he said. “Ashford United wasn’t going to fail on my watch.”

Alongside his leadership and financial support, Pestridge played an active part in the day-to-day running of the club.

When the new artificial pitch was laid before the start of the 2023/24 season, he found himself behind the wheel of a dumper laying 140 tonnes of rubber crumb to make sure the project was finished in time.

“Fortunately, the chap who was on his way to inspect it was late because he got stuck in traffic on the M25,” he added.

When he arrived, the inspector found a faultless pitch, giving it a 100 per cent rating, a reflection on the work put in by Pestridge and fellow club supporters on the day.

“Ashford United has been an important part of my life and I have loved being involved with it,” he said.

“I’ve been proud to ensure the town has football at its heart and I’m excited about its future under its new owners.”

Pestridge’s ties with the club will continue, too, after confirming D&D Autos will sponsor the under-18s.