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Ashford owner Don Crosbie has told how they were offered a signed shirt as compensation for losing million-pound footballer Max Watters.
Watters, who joined Championship side Cardiff from League 2 Crawley on Saturday, secured his first Football League move in 2018 when he left Ashford for Doncaster.
With Watters a non-contract player, there was no fee involved but Rovers' manager at the time, Darren Ferguson, made a series of promises to the Nuts & Bolts, including a friendly.
When Ferguson left, Ashford owner Crosbie sought to find out where they stood - and it didn’t go well.
“Ferguson came in and promised us all sorts,” said Crosbie.
“Max wasn’t the new manager’s signing and didn’t get a look-in, which is normally what happens.
“When I rang them about what we’d been promised, they offered me a signed Doncaster shirt.
“I remember saying to them, ‘If you can find me anyone in Ashford who will pay a tenner for a signed Doncaster shirt I’ll give you £1,000.’
“They said, ‘There’s no need to be like that, whatever deal you had was agreed with Darren Ferguson so that’s null and void.’
“In the end I told them to forget the friendly and the signing-on fee and everything else, we just hope Max goes on and does well.
“It’s funny how things work out because they didn’t play him, they didn’t give him the opportunities, and now look at him.”
Crosbie says Ashford always knew Watters, who scored eight goals in 27 games for the club, would go on to big things.
He stood out in his season at Homelands and the Nuts & Bolts are delighted to see him get a Championship move.
“We knew he had talent,” said Crosbie.
“We knew he was probably the most talented player we’d had arrive at Ashford and I did try to put him on contract but he said he’d like to wait because he was obviously looking to play at a higher level.
“We knew after the first couple of games he was special.
“He scored some great goals but he was also a really nice lad and we can’t thank him enough for the time we had him.
“We just wish him all the best. Nothing would please me more if I saw him playing for a decent club like West Ham in the future!
“I believe he’s got it all there to play in the Premier League.
“We’ve had a lot of good players here but he was special.
“He had this excellent footballing brain, he could score from anywhere, his assists were brilliant and he knew exactly where to be on the pitch. He was just a different animal.
“We always knew he was going to go on to a high level, we just knew it.”
It’s crazy to think Watters could have been without a pro club this season, given his record of 16 goals in 19 games for Crawley.
But that was in his mind after Doncaster released him, with Crosbie revealing he would have come back to Ashford.
“He was going to come back if he couldn’t find a full-time contract, and then Crawley took him on,” said Crosbie.
“Crawley have done exceptionally well out of it but that doesn’t bother me.
“We’re used to boys going on to a higher level and getting nothing for them.
“My main concern is that Max is happy and he gets what he deserves which is a great career in football.”
