We can be the Greenwich of the league and go up next year, says Ashford United winger Ryan Palmer

ASHFORD UNITED winger Ryan Palmer says he’s had a mixed weekend.

 

The 24-year wing-wizard tied the knot yesterday but suffered Kent Reliance Senior Trophy Final heartbreak today after his side lost to Sheppey United on penalties, 7-6 after 20 spot kicks.

He said: “It was a great day yesterday obviously I didn’t want to get too hammered. I was fairly sensible in my approach to the game so I thought have a good day yesterday and see if I can top off the weekend with a win but obviously it didn’t go that way so mixed emotions really but we have to crack on really and do what we do.”

Palmer struck the foot of the left-hand post inside the opening seven minutes of an entertaining end-to-end goal-less draw.

“I mean the ball just dropped and to be fair I thought the player was literally going to block the shot so I was trying to go through it.  I went through it a bit late and obviously hit the post so that was early. If that had gone in, it could’ve been a different game.”

Palmer was the second Ashford player to step up to take penalties after Paul Booth cancelled out David Abe’s opener.

Palmer said: “You just have to do what you do. You can’t get nerves get the better of you and you have to have that right balance so you just have to step up take your penalty, know where you’re going and make sure you go there.

“If you have any doubts or anything like that that’s when the crowd can get on to you but you just have to stay in your own zone and focus on what you need to achieve.”

Unfortunately for Ashford United, central defender Luke Cuthbert stepped up and saw his penalty saved by Dean Warford, 28, who made four shoot-out saves to ensure Sheppey United on the Kent Reliance Senior Trophy for the first time.

“It’s very difficult. When you go earlier on taking penalties maybe the pressure is not as bad,” said Palmer.

“The longer it goes on the longer the tension builds up a lot longer, you have to fight those battels mentally in your own head.

“It was tough on Luke but we were confident he could score but it was one of those days that you can’t always do this right.”

Manager Danny Lye and his backroom staff must take credit for keeping their players focused especially with all the club’s off-the-field troubles, which included having 10 points deducted that killed off their title hopes.

Greenwich Borough claimed the Southern Counties East Football League title with a 2-0 win over AFC Croydon Athletic at Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium yesterday.

“I think it’s been a good season,” said Palmer.

“I think it’s more about building a foundation at Ashford. We’ve got a good core, a good squad and if we did gel a bit earlier in the season it would’ve been a different story.

“We’ve just got to bounce back really. We’ve got a winning mentality. We’ve had a great season. If we started off the way we have been recently and we had the same squad then we could’ve won the league.

“We’re building and building on what we’ve got and next year hopefully we’re going to be the people that everybody wants to beat and we can be the Greenwich of the league and go up.

“Obviously there’s things going on outside the club that we may have heard rumours but we don’t let that effect our game or what happens in the dressing room. We’re a tight unit, we’re a tight squad so we don’t let other teams get the better of us.

“We play football, we see the green pitch and we do the same routine week in week out so outside stuff doesn’t really affect us.”

Lye revealed today that he will make changes for their trip to fifth-placed Sevenoaks Town on Wednesday.

Ashford United then travel to relegated Holmesdale next Saturday, before welcoming champions Greenwich Borough to Homelands Stadium on the final day of the season on 23 April.

Visit Ashford United’s website:  www.ashfordunitedfc.com

Sevenoaks Town  v  Ashford United
Southern Counties East Football League
Wednesday 13^th April 2016
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Greatness Park, Mill Lane, Seal Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5BU