Ashford United’s final pre-season outing didn’t go as planned - but manager Danny Kedwell still feels nicely prepared for their opening fixture.

Kedwell had been hoping to play Walthamstow on their home grass pitch last weekend but the stadium was already being used when they arrived and so the teams, and spectators, had to divert to a 3G pitch around the back.

It wasn’t ideal for the Nuts & Bolts, who had called off their midweek game against Maidstone United because of player shortages.

Kedwell’s men still got some extra minutes under their belts before this weekend’s FA Cup extra preliminary round tie at home to Combined Counties League Egham Town - even if the manager had to pull off his key men due to the match “getting heated”.

Kedwell said: “I have got my starting XI in my mind from those who have done well over pre-season so that is what I wanted out of it, so I know I am strong everywhere I want to be for the first game on Saturday.

“We had wanted to play on a grass pitch, which is why we got the game, but we got there and the team they groundshare with had their first league game at home, which took priority.

“We had to go and play on a pitch around the back, on a 3G.

“There was a bit of misunderstanding from them and our lot. I asked the players if they wanted to play, we’d got there and so decided to play.

“Had it been played on a pitch with a stand and all of that it would have been a bit different but it ended up like a training game.

“It was a bit tough to try and get the boys up for a game that felt like that.

“I ended up taking off a lot of players when we were winning 2-1. It was getting heated both ways and I thought it was for the best and they did the same. I didn’t want injuries and neither did they.”

Knocks and holidays have made things trickier in pre-season for Kedwell, but he’s expecting plenty of options ahead of Saturday’s cup match.

He said: “We still had a few missing [on Saturday] and we have struggled since the Dartford game.

“We have had to play midfielders in defence but nobody has moaned, they have stuck together and we’ve still had good performances. They are all back now.

“This game’s a big one, it’s nice to be at home and we’ve got new owners here as well.”

It’s Kedwell’s first proper game in charge after he took over in the summer, leaving Chatham Town where he’d enjoyed great success as assistant manager.

He said: “I have gone into a season before as manager but before I didn’t have time to prepare.

“The last time was a big rush to get a full squad in. This time I haven’t had to do that.

“I have just had to build around what was already there and I have properly prepared.

“It has been a good pre-season, we’ve had some great performances and I am not too bothered about results.

“If we keep doing what we’re doing then the results will come.

“We have dominated in a lot of games and not won. We need to turn those dominations into wins.”