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Manager Tommy Warrilow concedes Ashford are going through a tough time after their home loss to new leaders Chatham.
They suffered a second successive defeat on Saturday, their fourth loss in six matches, going down 4-1 to Kevin Hake’s men.
The Nuts & Bolts have also lost several players recently - the latest being forward Gil Carvalho who has moved to promotion rivals Ramsgate - with Ashford now seventh in Isthmian South East, two points behind fifth-placed Sheppey.
Warrilow also gave a late debut off the bench to Beau Cook-Bartholomew, much to the annoyance of one home fan, while ex-Harrow midfielder Michael Dome-Bemwin started on his bow.
“At the moment, it’s been a frustrating time,” said a defiant Warrilow, who saw on-loan Dover frontman George Nikaj score but also miss a great second-half chance.
“Obviously we lost to a last-minute goal at Sevenoaks and you have got to accept that.
“Today, I don’t think it was a 4-1 game. I was just speaking to Kev and it’s just about vital moments. They scored one bang on half-time when we’d scored a good goal to get back in it.
“We then came out, second half, and George really had to put that away to make it 2-2 and then they scored from another set-piece and a penalty. But Johan Ter Horst’s got in and I think he could have done better, and Gal [Gary Lockyer] had one pulled back to him.
“We’ve lost 4-1 - so it seems mad that I’m standing here, trying to defend - but I’m just saying what I see. People can say ‘That’s rubbish, we’ve lost 4-1’.
“But I put the young boy [Cook-Bartholomew] on at the end and someone shouts out ‘That’s going to do a lot of good’ and I just think it’s going to give the lad some experience. We hadn’t given up, but the boy went on and did all right for a few minutes.
“That’s the way it’s going at the moment.
“I’ve been here for what I’d call three full seasons and we were second, first season, and we’ve had two play-off finals. This year, we’re not giving up the ghost, but we’re having a bit of a tough time.
“Obviously, that’s when you need everyone wrapped around you and sometimes - especially in football - it’s not like that.
“But I’m a big boy, I’ll accept it all.
“I think the lads worked their socks off but we’ve lost 4-1. They’re a good team but I didn’t think it was a 4-1 game.”
Dome-Bemwin, 26, came through around 80 minutes on his debut.
Warrilow said: “He was in Sweden and he’s done his job. That’s what he’s about.
“Even at the start of the second half, he put a great cross in for George. We know he’s not had a lot of football lately, that’s why he’s here, so we took him on.
“We’ve introduced Lanre Azeez again who has been out for a little while. I was happy with Beau’s debut and he can be happy with his contribution.”
Nikaj’s strike was his 10th for Ashford of the campaign - but just his first of his second loan stint - and Warrilow is due to speak to recently-appointed Dover boss Mitch Brundle and coach Mike Sandmann about the next stages of his development next week.
He said: “I said to George before the game that his overall game has improved so much.
“First time he came in, he got loads of goals and he was playing well. He’s come back and, even though he’s not scored, his overall game has grown a lot. Hopefully it benefits him and Dover, moving forward.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of outgoings at Dover, so I’m not sure what the score is with George. I’m going to see Mitch and Mike on Monday morning and we’ll have a chat about a few things, moving forward.
“I’ve been busy in the last week, talking to players, and that’s all I can do.”
He confirmed experienced defender Liam Friend missed the Chatham match with a hamstring injury.
