Welling United v Chatham Town

FORMER Gillingham central defender Barry Ashby is set to make his comeback for Welling in Wednesday's Kent Senior Cup home tie against Chatham Town.

Ashby, 35, has not played since breaking down in a pre-season friendly while playing on trial for Brighton at Bournemouth. He was released by Gillingham at the end of last season.

If he proves his fitness on Wednesday, he looks likely to make his league debut for Conference South Welling at Bishops Stortford on Saturday.

Welling manager Adrian Pennock, who played alongside Ashby at the heart of the Gillingham defence, said: "We wanted to make absolutely sure that Barry was 100 per cent fit before putting him into the team.

"He trained twice last week and reported no adverse reaction. Besides being a good talker, he is a good character to have around the dressing room and reads the game well."

Pennock stressed: "In short, he could be a huge asset to this club."