Winger Anthony Edgar is rediscovering his form at Ashford after battling back from a year on the sidelines.

Edgar, 32, suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Cray Valley at the start of last season.

He’s getting his career back on track after linking up with his old Millers bosses Kevin Watson and Tommy Osborne at Ashford.

He came off the bench on Saturday to score an 87th-minute equaliser in the FA Trophy as the Nuts & Bolts beat Met Police 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The former West Ham and Bournemouth man was also successful from the spot in the shoot-out.

Ashford assistant manager Osborne said: “Anthony’s worked ever so hard to get back to a level of fitness where he can start to join in full training.

“He played against Ramsgate in the Velocity Cup a couple of weeks ago and considering that was his first game for a year, he played really well.

“He got some minutes against Phoenix in the league and he came on against Met Police and influenced the game - he took his goal really well.

“People forget when he got injured at Cray he was absolutely flying.

“He had a great pre-season and was probably our best player in the first four or five league games that season.

“I dare say Anthony’s aim will be to get back to those levels but when you’ve had a bad injury, that doesn’t happen overnight.

“He’s doing everything he can to get back to full fitness and his attitude has been spot on.

“He’s come in and mixed with the lads well and his aim will be to play to those high standards he sets himself.”

Edgar adds to Ashford’s attacking options and knows he’s in good hands after being reunited with Watson and Osborne.

It’s a move that made sense all round.

“We’ve worked with him over two spells at Cray,” said Osborne.

“We’re probably talking four seasons, on and off, so we both know he’s a good lad, we both know his ability on the pitch and we’re hoping he can add value to the squad.

“He’s getting to that age where he might have to change his game slightly but he’s a fit lad who lives a healthy lifestyle outside football, so he’s really given himself an opportunity to have another few good years before he decides to call it a day.”

Ashford have been drawn away to higher-league Beaconsfield in final qualifying on October 7 after their Trophy victory over Met Police.

They fell behind in the second half but Edgar’s late strike forced penalties.

Alex Akrofi, Ben Gorham, Connor Dymond and Vance Bola joined Edgar in scoring from the spot.

“We actually started the game well,” said Osborne.

“We had lots of possession and got in good areas without working the keeper enough.

“That was the thing we spoke about at half-time.

“For all our effort and how much of the ball we had, the keeper didn’t have to make enough saves.

“When Met Police scored their goal it became an uphill task because they sat back and you’ve got to try and break them down, which isn’t always easy.

“Saying that, the boys didn’t give up the ghost and they got a deserved equaliser.

“To be honest, the penalties from both sides were fantastic but we managed to get the win.

“We’ve got a team from the league above in the next round, which we’re looking forward to.

“Kev’s been to watch them and they’re a good side, so it’s going to be a tall order but we’ll be up it.”

Ashford return to Isthmian South East action at East Grinstead on Saturday (3pm).

That’s followed by a rearranged game at Hythe on Tuesday (7.45pm), the original fixture having been abandoned after Adem Ramadan suffered a double leg break.

“I went to watch East Grinstead,” said Osborne.

“It’s a nice set-up and the pitch is spot on, so there can’t be any excuses for not being able to get the ball down and play.

“When I watched them against Sheppey (1-0 win for the Ites), it could have gone either way so we’ll need to be on our game. If we create chances we’ll have to take them otherwise we’ll end up dropping points.”