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With Ashford Victoria without a fixture this weekend due to the recent wet and windy weather, most players will be disappointed not to be able to carry on where they left off from last weeks thrashing of Brabourne, and none more than midfielder Darren Patterson. The 27-year-old playmaker was instrumental in the build up to Victoria's assault on the Brabourne goal last Sunday, playing a major part in no less than five of the goals.

Patterson has had to wait patiently for his chance to impress this season after finding himself fall down the pecking order since the summer arrivals of Joey Mort and Dan Bushell, and has also missed out on appearances due to the excellent form of left-back Josh Hatcher. But after eight consecutive games starting from the substitutes bench, the former Ashford Eagles and Highfield left sided player was handed his first 90 minutes of action last time out, his first start since May 2009.

"It was nice to get man of the match (against Brabourne), I really enjoyed it and I'm starting to get back in the swing of things again" said Patterson.

"I know I don't score a lot of goals, but I love making them and playing as a team. Also with the likes of Jack Bundock making runs into the box all the time then that makes it easier for me because I love to play the killer ball" added Patterson.

Patterson was due to make his 50th career appearance for the Vics against Mote Park Rangers before the weather intervened, and Victoria manager Ryan Mills has promised to reward the midfielder with an extended run in the team after his performance last weekend.

"Darren was brilliant last week in my opinion, and I think we've missed what he brings to the team at times this season in his ability to make something happen from nothing" said Mills.

"Over the last couple of weeks he has come on off the bench to create match winning goals against both Burton Grove and Ashford Cavaliers, and grabbed another two assists in the 7-1 win over Brabourne too and it's no coincidence that we scored that many goals with Darren on the pitch. He has a great understanding with Jack Bundock too, and they have always seemed to click when they play together".

Mills admits though that he has been right to make Patterson wait for his chance to return to the starting line up, and says he will stay true to his word that Darren will stay in the side for as long as the performances continue.

"Darren has a terrific left foot, and probably has the best cross in the whole squad, and it's his distribution and passing that stands him out from the rest. But he knows I want him to work on the physical side of his game and that's cost him appearances this season".

"He's a big lad and needs the confidence to get stuck in at times, and we need him to become a warrior and a battler as well as a playmaker. It's kind of like David Beckham's situation with England, he's quality with the killer ball and set pieces, but with the likes of Lennon, Wright-Phillips and Milner about who have pace and can track back, he's restricted to late cameos to try and change games when he comes on" added Mills.

"He would have started tomorrow had the game gone ahead, and we'll have to see how things go over the next seven days before the next match now, but if he carries on playing like that he'll keep his place. I've been fair with other squad players this season too if they're playing well, the likes of Ryan Martin have come in and played well to keep their place in the team on current form".

"But Darren should be rewarded for his commitment this season, as I don't think many other players here would have shown the patience and would have stuck around being stuck on the bench for the last eight games, so I hope his team mates give him respect for that in that sense".

With Patterson back in contention, Mills has further cause for one or two more selection headaches with the return from injury of defender Mark Rutland. The former Hamstreet stopper has been out injured since July and has today confirmed that he is fit enough to return to the team after a nasty ankle injury.

"Having Marco back is a massive boost for the team, but I have decided not to throw him straight back in at the deep end" said Mills.

"He needs to take his time now and gain some confidence again to mentally recover from the injury, and he needs two or three substitute appearances before he should think about winning back a first team place. There won't be many games left this side of Christmas, so he needs to target getting back in the team in the New Year".

Victoria may have brought in several new faces over the close season, but manager Ryan Mills cannot wait to bring another player into the team, injured forward Darryl George. The 22-year-old has been out of the side since early April after getting injured in the 1-1 Good Friday draw at Aldington Reserves last season, and Mills has made sure that he has saved a space in his team for the clubs 2008 Players Player of the Year.

Darryl suffered a serious injury to his exterior knee cruciate ligament and could be sidelined for most of the 2009/10 season. He is due to go under the knife to help cure the problem next month and hopefully return to the side in the New Year.

George scored 14 goals from 22 appearances last season, the majority of them coming from playing out wide on the left of midfield, just beating his previous seasons tally of 11 goals in as many games. And although that Mills admits that his side will miss his individual goal contribution, the Vics boss also said the team will miss his overall presence on the pitch too.

“Darryl has been a terrific player for us over the past two seasons, his scoring and assists record speaks for itself and his absence is a major blow for the team” said Mills on the 2009 Captains Player of the Year.

“But we are also a much better team with him on the pitch, as he has so many times before stood out and got the team going again when we’ve had a quiet spell in a game. He may not realise it, but he has a huge influence on his team mates, and his work rate and commitment is second to none”.

“I would go as far as saying he is one of the most important players at the club, if not the best player in the team if you look at his all round game overall”.

The Vics have brought in three forwards over the summer, including Darren Banks, Matt Deeble and Joe Mort, but Mills insists that seeing George back out on the pitch in a green shirt could be better than making a new signing.

“Darryl in my opinion is irreplaceable, for what he brings to the team, and hopefully we can manage without him while he recovers. If we can get him back to full match fitness then it’ll be like bringing in a new star signing halfway through the season” added Mills.

“Some of his team mates refer to him as the horse of the team, and they are quite right as he often carries the team and does all the hard work, often without the acknowledgement he deserves. He is a massive player for us and I can’t wait to have him back playing again as soon as possible”.

Another player who seems to have fully recovered from injury is club record goal scorer Jack Bundock, who returned to the side with a goal in Sunday’s 3-3 friendly draw with Ashford Spartans on Sunday. The 20-year-old returned after missing the last four months with a bad ankle injury, and showed no signs of the injury after a decent 50 minute run out.

“It’s great to see young Jack back in action, he’s had a frustrating pre-season this summer seeing all the new players come in, some of them direct competition for his starting place”.

“He looked very sharp this morning and full of enthusiasm and obviously enjoyed his return. Scoring a goal on his long awaited comeback will also boost his confidence too so I’m pleased with how things are going with him” added Mills.

“He’s got to work on his match fitness now while also making sure he does not over do it, and then it’s up to him to win and earn a place in the team” said Mills.

Ashford Victoria manager Ryan Mills has today announced the signing of influential midfielder Danny Bushell from Canterbury League side Adisham Nomads. The 22-year-old did feature in two league fixtures for the Vics at the end of last season, but can now look forward to a full season in Victoria's colours.

Bushell teams up again with former Adisham team mates Wayne Cleave and Matthew Deeble at Victoria and ends a three and a half year chase by manager Ryan Mills in finally committing to the club. Mills first approached Bushell back in 2006 with the intention of making him the clubs first team captain, aged then just 18, and is over the moon to have finally landed his man after so long.

"Signing Danny is great news for this club, and I'm delighted that he has chosen to come here to play his football this season. It's been a long chase for his signature, but my persistance has finally paid off and it's nice to finally get him here" said Mills.

"I think everyone who has seen him play both at the end of last season and over the summer has seen what he can offer the team, and this is just the final piece of the jigsaw in my opinion in terms of building a competitive team capable of challenging for some silverware this coming season".

Bushell's two competitive appearances for Victoria last season came in the 3-3 home draw with Aldington and the 4-0 away win at Locomotive Inn, and he also scored both goals in the 2-1 friendly win over neighbours William Harvey Inn back in May. And the industrious utility player has also started in all three of the Vics pre-season friendles this summer and has already shown signs of forming a mouth watering midfield partnership with both Gary Foreman and skipper Andy Jones.

He becomes the fifth new arrival this summer joining Matthew Deeble and Joey Mort, while both Mark Bennett and Darren Banks have both returned to the club after spells away. Having previously planned not to bring in any new players, and only choosing to let two of last seasons squad to leave this summer, Mills now has a large panel of players at his disposal and hopes that the added competition for places will only improve the clubs fortunes on the pitch.

"We got a lot of very good players at the club now, and there really are no so called 'weak links' anymore. It's up the boys now to show me they deserve to play every week, and there will be no hiding places out there anymore with someone else waiting in the wings to take their place" said Mills.

"I only planned to replace Benn and Nasser who left last season, but when the opportunity to bring in Bushell, Deeble and Mort came along you don't turn away players like that. We already had a good squad without them three, but now we have the chance to progress having strengthened the squad considerably over the close season".

"You'll never win anything with kids" must be one of the most regretted quotes in recent football history, just ask BBC Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen who wrote off Alex Ferguson's young Manchester United side in the 1996/97 season. United had just sold experienced trio Andrei Kanchelskis, Paul Ince and Mark Hughes and replaced them with Fergie's new fledgling batch of Beckham, Neville, Scholes and Butt, and Hansen thought that United would struggle to retain their Premiership title. Twelve months later and United landed the league championship and Hansen was made to eat his words.

Hopefully the same is about to happen at Ashford Victoria this season as youngsters Josh Hatcher, Luke Stafford and Joe Mort prepare to kick off the new campaign with a bang. The young trio have looked very good in pre-season so far, linking up well in training and all putting in very good performances in Victoria's opening friendly win over Ashford Spartans two-weeks ago.

Hatcher goes into the new season already having a full years experience under his belt and will be in confident mood after landing the 2009 Young Player of the year award. The 18-year-old only missed one game on his way to making 27 appearances last term, scoring one goal in the 5-1 rout of runners-up Shadoxhurst back in September 2008.

"Josh had a great season last year, he practically came from nowhere to become a first team regular and that was a great achievement" said Vics manager Ryan Mills.

"He fully deserved his young player award and I expect great things of him this coming season, hopefully we can find him a more consistent position of his own, but we shouldn't forget his versatility as it was a great benefit to the team last term when covering for injuries. He's just got to work on his confidence a little, he seems to beat himself up too much if he makes a small mistake, but that aside he's a quality player and I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses this season"

Midfielder Luke Stafford joined the club in January 2009 and made 13 appearances in all competitions last season. The 19-year-old also was asked to play a variety of different positions last term, including right and left-midfield, up front and even left-back, and Mills again wants to find a more regular role for Stafford.

"I brought Luke in after Christmas, but really we should have signed him at the start of the season, but there were too many players around at the club back then. I knew he would be a good player the first time I saw him play in the 8-2 friendly win against Wateringbury a year ago, and he has got better and better with every game he has played for the Vics" said Mills.

"He did really well at full-back last week against Spartans, and can also operate wide in midfield, but I'd like to see him play a more central role, alongside Andy Jones. He is a very intelligent player, who doesn't mind playing the ball back to retain possession, and has a good first touch too. With so many players in the squad at the moment, maybe it is best that he works on more than one position in his first full season to get a good run of games under his belt, but I think we'll see a lot of him this year" added Mills.

Finally, new signing Joe Mort could be the missing piece from last seasons puzzled campaign, a speedy and very skillful forward who looks like he could form a real dangerous strike partnership with Wayne Cleave. The 19-year-old former Chartham Sports and Chilham player was brought in this summer to replace Nasser Sulaiman who has joined Shadoxhurst, and he has already showed glimpses of what to expect this season.

"Joe will be like a trick up our sleeve this season, he is unknown to the league and we can play that to our advantage" said Mills.

"He is a very exciting and skillful player to watch, and I think he'll get amongst the goals this season. He can play up front or out wide on the left, which comes in handy with both Darryl George and Jack Bundock out injured at the moment, and it's up to him now to take his chance and win a place in the team".

"All three have a massive part to play this season, bigger than they probably realise, and I can't wait for the new season to start now" added Mills.

Hatcher, Stafford and Mort are all expected to start in Sunday's pre-season friendly against Man of Kent, as Victoria look to make it two wins out of two after their recent 5-2 win over Ashford Spartans. Mark Rutland misses out due to an ankle injury, while Shane Jupp (foot) is doubtful and may only play 30 minutes at best. Jack Bundock (ankle) and Darryl George (knee) are also out.

Squad to play Man of Kent...

1 Mark Bennett, 2 Luke Hendry, 3 Tony Mason, 4 Luke Stafford, 5 Ryan Martin, 6 James Carter, 7 Shane Jupp, 8 Gary Foreman, 9 Matthew Deeble, 10 Wayne Cleave, 11 Joe Mort, 12 Sam Burgess, 14 Josh Hatcher, 15 Danny Bushell, 16 Andy Jones, 17 Chris Kemp, 18 Darren Banks.

For a player more used to stopping goals than scoring them, this season has been a complete turn around for Ashford Victoria's Wayne Cleave. The former Highfield and Aldington big man has taken the chance of being the Vics main goal threat with both hands this season and repaid his managers faith in him by grabbing his 25th goal of the campaign in Sunday's 4-0 victory at Locomotive Inn. The 22-year-old spent the majority of  his first two seasons with Victoria as a centre-back before getting the chance to convert to a forward last summer following the departure of last seasons strike quartet Stuart Prior, Jack Bundock, Aaren Carlton and Karl Quigley.

"Wayne has done brilliantly over the last nine months and I'm glad he has hit the 25-goal milestone this season" said Vics manager Ryan Mills. "It was a late decision to move him from defence to attack, but he seemed to hit the ground running and has regularly been amongst the goals. He is big, strong and more importantly knows where the goal is and is always a real handful to play against".

"I'm pleased for the lad because he missed a large chunk of our promotion winning campaign last year due to suspension, something I know he deeply regrets, but he has bounced back this term and proved that he is an important part of this team. Hopefully now he can build on this season and get an even better goal tally next year, as goals win games and the more the merrier" added Mills.

Cleave's 25 goals this season include two hat-tricks and four doubles, netting trebles in the league fixture at Newchurch back in October and in the 8-0 home win over Troggs Reserves in February. But Mills still regards Cleave's performance in November's 2-1 win over First Division Highfield United in the Charity Trophy as the former Kennington youth player's best of the year.

"Wayne played a massive part in pulling off one of the biggest cup upsets of the Ashford Sunday League season, not only did he score the two goals that went on to win the game, but his overall team performance was faultless that morning" said Mills on his young forward. "His second goal that game will surely be a contender for goal of the season".

"To score 25 goals in a very tough and competitive division is an achievement to be proud of, and although I know he needs the support of his team mates to set him up and assist the goals, you still need the composure to finish the chances and put the ball in the back of the net".

Cleave may be set to end the season as the clubs golden boot winner, but Victoria's most recent goal scorer and new signing Danny Bushell has got his new team mates buzzing again after the 22-year-old midfielder inspired the Vics in last weeks 4-0 win at Locomotive Inn. Bushell has been a player that Vics boss Mills has been chasing for the past three years and after finally getting his man, Mills believes that he is the player that his side has been crying out for all season.

"Danny is a very good player and someone I have always rated highly since I first saw him play five or six years ago. He can play virtually anywhere on the park and you always get a 100% dedicated and committed performance everytime from him, something we have already seen in the short space of time he has been here" said Mills.

"He has settled in extremely quickly and everyone I have spoken to about him have been full of praise and admiration, and I know the feeling is mutual too as Danny is enjoying himself at the moment. He hasn't promised me or the club anything in terms of signing beyond this season as he is already part of two very successful sides elsewhere in Chilham and Adesham Nomads, but hopefully we can convince him that his future belongs to Ashford Victoria and that he has the chance to win some silverware with us next season".

Bushell won the man of the man award in only his second competitive appearance for the club on Sunday, and seems to have inspired his new team mates after a poor recent spell that has proved costly in Victoria's failure to win promotion or reach any major finals this season.

"Danny has had a similar effect on the team that Mark Wallis had back at the start of the season, and I strongly believe that if we had managed to sign him earlier we would be going into our last two games of the season still with a good chance of going up. It's not just his individual contribution on the pitch that we have been missing, but his communication and work rate which is clearly rubbing off on his new team mates" added Mills.

"I don't bring many players straight in and put them in the starting line up, but Danny is one of those players you don't ease in gently and you just throw him straight in at the deep end so to say. He may have jumped straight in and relegated one or two players to the bench already, but there has been no sign of unrest in the camp and everyone has both welcomed him and realised what he has already brought to the team".

Victoria take a well earned break from league action this weekend, as they entertain neighbours William Harvey Inn in a friendly fixture at Hythe Road Rec on Sunday. Then follows the final two league fixtures of the season, both taking place in the space of four days as the Vics travel to Brewmaster Reserves next Thursday evening before finishing the 2008-09 season at Burton Grove on the 17th May.

The Vics may include several triallist and guest players in the clash with Harvey as Mills looks to bolster his squad for next season. Although Mills doesn't want to reveal the names of those he hopes to involve on Sunday, he has revealed that they include a goalkeeper as he continues to search for a reliable stopper to replace himself between the posts next season. Darryl George, Benn Phillips and Richard Mills will still be missing at the weekend due to long-term injuries, but Mills does hope to include both Mark Rutland and Mark Wallis after the pair have missed recent fixtures for various reasons.

Squad to face William Harvey Inn...

1 Ryan Mills, 2 Luke Hendry, 3 Tony Mason, 4 Luke Stafford, 5 Ryan Martin, 6 Mark Rutland, 7 Shane Jupp, 8 Gary Foreman, 9 Jack Bundock, 10 Wayne Cleave, 11 Triallist(a), 12 Sam Burgess, 13 Triallist(b), 14 Josh Hatcher, 15 Darren Patterson, 16 Andy Jones, 17 Sam Burgess, 18 Triallist(c), 19 Triallist(d).

Ashford Victoria may have Wayne Cleave to thank for scoring the goal that sent the Vics into the semi-finals of the Division Three League Cup, but Victoria manager Ryan Mills thinks that his defence and especially his goalkeeper should get some of the credit too for keeping a second clean-sheet of the season and ensuring the clubs safe passage to the last four of the competition. The Vics saw off Burton Grove with a comfortable 1-0 victory in the quarter finals at the weekend but only thanks to some excellent defending from the back-four and one incredible save from ‘keeper Benn Phillips.

“I thought we played very well despite the poor conditions on Sunday, and even though we were a little rusty for the first 20-minutes or so and a little slow getting up and running, I was more than pleased with the team performance overall. Going forward we always looked a threat and how we didn’t add to Wayne’s goal is beyond me, and we almost rode our luck at times as Burton Grove had a few chances of their own to send the tie in extra-time and grab a goal for themselves” said Mills.

“But I thought our defence were awesome yet again, especially Tony Mason who is playing on top form at the moment and has hardly put a foot wrong all season. With Luke Hendry, Mark Rutland and the likes of Darren Patterson and Ryan Martin alongside Mason, we have potentially the best back-four in the division and the boys at the back did what they needed to do once again to secure the win and they deserve a bit of credit too”.

But Mills was also very impressed with the performance of young goalkeeper Benn Phillips, who when he was actually called upon on Sunday, continued to show why he is still the clubs number one ‘keeper and pulled off arguably the save of the season to protect the 1-0 win.

“Benn, like all goalkeepers, has made one or two mistakes this season, but his form over the last four or five games has been magnificent” said Mills. “How he managed to keep the ball out of the net halfway through the second-half on Sunday was pure class, and as a goalkeeper myself, that save should be thought of as in the same way as scoring a goal at the other end it was that important”.

“He probably had a spell on Sunday when he didn’t see the ball for up to ten minutes, but he was very alert to mop up any over-hit passes rushing off of his line to punch away or collect when needed. But the save when he managed to trap the ball between the crossbar and his outstretched fingers, and keeping the ball their whilst falling back to the ground was brilliant”.

Phillips has started the last four games in goal since the Vics were thrashed 7-0 by Brewmaster Reserves in the Kent Cup back in November, and has impressed in all four fixtures conceding just five goals in the process, one of which being a penalty. And even though Mills himself started the season as Victoria’s first-choice goalkeeper, the Vics boss is more than confident keeping faith with Phillips between the sticks ahead of himself.

“He deserves to be playing at the moment ahead of me, and I hope he keeps up this good vein of form for the rest of the season even if it means I don’t get another look in. I’ve even turned down the chance of signing a new goalkeeper recently, someone with several years of experience in higher divisions to stick with Benn, that’s how well he is playing at the moment”.

“Whether the lad can play in Division Two or any higher should we win promotion this season can only be answered by Benn himself, and he shouldn’t become too comfortable as that can lead to complacency. But he is doing what we want him to be doing at the moment and that’s making sure we concede less goals than we score ourselves and winning games”.

Victoria host neighbours William Harvey Inn this weekend in what will be the two sides third meeting of the season. The Vics won 2-0 in the reverse league fixture in October before knocking the Willesborough-based side out of the League Cup back in November with a 3-2 victory, but Jason Sterling’s young side will be looking for some revenge and can overtake Victoria in the league table with a win of their own on Sunday.

Victoria will have to do without Shane Jupp for the local derby due to work commitments while forward Richard Mills misses out due to injury and Jack Bundock is unavailable. But new signing Sam Burgess returns to the squad after missing last weeks win over Burton Grove and 16-year-old Samuel Mills could earn a recall to the squad for only the second time this season.

Benn Phillips, Ryan Mills, Luke Hendry, Mark Rutland, Tony Mason, Darren Patterson, Ryan Martin, Sam Burgess, Andy Jones, Luke Stafford, Josh Hatcher, Samuel Mills, Gary Foreman, Darryl George, Nasser Sulaiman, Wayne Cleave.