Lovell unveils triple signings

Ashford Town have today bolstered their squad with three signings in a bid to turn their season around, writes Jack Wilson and Justin Allen.

Ryan Briggs, 26, Mark Lovell, 24, and Mitchell Sherwood, 21, join from Folkestone Invicta , Dover Athletic and Sittingbourne respectively, and have all signed contracts to join The Homelands club for the remainder of the season.

On the new signings’ qualities, manager Steve Lovell told www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk : “Mark will hopefully bring goals. He brings other people into play and works very hard up front. He’s an honest, hardworking player.

“He always has been and that’s the same as Mitchell [Sherwood], Sean [Ray] and the rest of the players I’ll be bringing in.

“Mitchell is a provider who plays wide right. I like to play with width and pace, and now we’ve got Jimmy [Bottle] on the left so hopefully Mitchell can do the same as him on the right.

“Ryan’s a midfield player we’ve signed from Folkestone who’s a very good passer of the ball.

“He’s played at a high level and will bring us a little bit of quality that we’ve been lacking.

“Hopefully he’ll be someone who can make us play a little bit.”

All three of the new signings go into the squad for Saturday, although Lovell will be without Barry Gardner and Joby Thorogood, who have left the club.

He said: “They felt that they weren’t going to be in my plans and I don’t want to stand in people’s way who want to play football.

“They can either stay and fight for their place or go, and they want to go and play somewhere else. I have respect for that and wish them all the best.”

Darren Hare, Dover Athletic’s assistant manager, meanwhile, feels Mark Lovell will benefit from playing for his dad at Ashford Town - just like he did at Sittingbourne last season.

“Andy (Hessenthaler) thinks so much of the kid but doesn’t see him being a regular starter for us, as we have a lot of strikers,” Hare told www.doverathletic.com.

“Mark wants to play regular first-team football and this is a perfect opportunity for him.”

“Andy didn’t want to lose him but, at the same time, is not an ogre who will keep a player at the club, sitting on the bench.”

The striker has left the Sea France Crabble Stadium club on a free-transfer.

Both clubs are at home on Saturday, Ashford Town welcoming Burgess Hill Town, and Dover Athletic playing Corinthian Casuals.

Articles courtesy of www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk & www.doverathletic.com