FIFTY days after quitting Gravesend & Northfleet, former manager Andy Ford has returned to football as assistant to Graham Westley at Nationwide Conference rivals Stevenage.

Ford had been strongly linked with Kent club Tonbridge Angels before his appointment at Stevenage was confirmed on Tuesday. He will remain on a short-term basis until the end of the season.

The 50-year-old former Gillingham skipper confessed his surprise at being approached by Westley, another ex-Gill, with the job offer.

"It never occurred to me that Graham Westley would be interested in employing me because I couldn’t say that we have been friends,” said Ford. “He was quick to approach me after I left Gravesend and the lure of working for a club as big as Stevenage was too good to turn down.

“There is a high demand for results and I’m relishing that along with the opportunity to work with players on a full-time basis. here are nine games left and I can’t wait to get started.”

Westley stressed: “I was impressed with the job Andy did at Gravesend. First he built a team that eventually won promotion to the Conference and then consolidated the club as a highly competitive part-time Conference outfit.”

* KM-fm will be following Gillingham in their fight for Championship survival in every game home and away until the end of the season.

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