What the Butler saw

Ashford Town (Middx) only moved into senior football 16 years ago when they joined the Combined Counties League. The club are currently enjoying their first season at Ryman League Premier Division level and travel to Maidstone United in the FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Round Qualifying on Sunday, November 5. Manager Mark Butler looks forward to that tie.

Mark, you face Maidstone on Sunday in the Trophy. What are your thoughts ahead of the fixture?

It will be tricky. We played Maidstone in the FA Cup at our place this season and we managed to beat them 4-0. But they didn’t deserve to lose the match by that scoreline. They have since had a fantastic result in the FA Trophy First Round Qualifying, winning 2-1 at Chelmsford.

We’ve got to go down to Kent on a Sunday, so it is an unusual routine for us. We certainly won’t be taking anything for granted. But with the greatest respect to Maidstone, we do see it as an opportunity to progress and maybe draw one of the big boys from the Conference.

You beat visitors Brackley Town 2-1 in the Trophy First Round Qualifying. How pleased were you with that result?

I felt it was an excellent victory. We’ve done quite well in the cups this season but it was a tough fixture for us when we drew Brackley out.

They are doing very well in their league (the British Gas Business Midlands Division) and are probably favourites to go up. It proved to be a hard game against them and I am delighted to have got through.

What was that match like then?

A reasonably even game. Either side could argue that they were slightly on top. But I felt that we just shaded it. We went 1-0 up through a good goal from our point of view (Palmer 11 minutes) but conceded quite quickly (Appleton 13 minutes). So it was 1-1 at half-time.

Then in the second half, a wonder goal got us on top (Todd 52 minutes). After that, Brackley had some pressure towards the end so it wasn’t comfortable. But I believe it was a deserved win.

Looking at the league position now, you are situated in the lower half of the Ryman Premier table. Is it fair to say that you have had a mixed start to the season?

I think you are being kind! In fact, we have dropped away a little bit over the last few games. But the Ryman Premier is new for us. The club has never played at this level before. So it is all a learning curve for everyone. And I think we are suffering from being a bit over-awed.

I am a firm believer that my team are actually a lot better than our league position suggests. We are not quite producing the goods in terms of results at the moment though. We seem to be winning most cup games, but the league form is shoddy. There is no excuse for that. So we want to get some points on the board and climb that league table.

Ashford Town have progressed a long way in recent years haven’t they?

Yes and I just hope to bring them some more success along the way. It is quite remarkable how the team have leapt forward. And it is a lovely little club. We’re together and we are all pulling in the same direction.

The side have moved from very minor level football to the Ryman Premier in 16 years and I think that is a fantastic achievement.