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Fleet's Abbey set for return?

ANDY FORD: "We were overloaded with midfield players..."
ANDY FORD: "We were overloaded with midfield players..."

FIT-AGAIN striker Ben Abbey could be in Gravesend & Northfleet's line-up for Saturday's visit of full-timers Chester. But midfielder Andrew Jury is two to three games away from full-fitness.

The Fleet finally got off to winning ways in the Conference with Monday's 2-1 win at fellow part-timers Farnborough. The manager described them as a massive three points.

"We needed all three rather than one," he admitted. "Everybody played their part in that win."

Meanwhile, Ford's patience with winger Tostao Kwashi has snapped and the Zimbabwean has been released by the Stonebridge Road club.

Ford, who said there had been off-the-field problems with Kwashi, would not elaborate. "There have been too many incidents," was all he would say.

The club had problems last season with Kwashi who was involved in a long, complex and unnecessary wrangle over international clearance after a move to the Republic of Ireland club St Patricks fell through.

The manner of student Kwashi's abrupt departure for Ireland stunned the club but Ford stood by him and worked overtime to extricate him from the mess he had got himself into.

But a parting of the ways was inevitable with Ford declaring at the weekend that enough was enough.

Also leaving the club is midfielder Scott Goodwin who arrived in the close-season from Kettering. He appeared as a substitute against Halifax and Telford on Saturday before leaving after the match.

"We were overloaded with midfield players and cuts needed to be made," said Ford. "It gives me room for manoeuvre on the wage bill though it remains to be seen how I'll invest.

"I thought we had plenty of cover in defence but now Robin Trott is likely to be out for six to eight weeks after breaking a bone in a foot. And Adrian Pennock has an Achilles problem which could be long-term. I would say that 20 is an ideal number for a squad."

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