Tommy Osborne has challenged Bradley Ryan to finish the season strongly after scoring his first Ashford goal. Former Chelsea youngster Ryan equalised early in the second half as United came from behind to beat Horndean 3-1 in Isthmian South East on Saturday.
The 21-year-old attacker caught the eye and has the talent to produce that sort of performance regularly. “Bradley had his best game since signing for us from Beckenham,” said Ashford assistant manager Osborne. “He got his goal and every time he got the ball he looked like he wanted to make something happen. “If he could play like that consistently, he can have a very good end to the season. “Technically, we see him in training and he’s very sharp.
He’s got lots of ability. “For Bradley, the challenge to him is to produce that in games. “I always think it’s easier for a defender to be consistent than it is for an attacking player. “It’s not always easy for these flair players to week in, week out, produce the goods. “So it’s not an easy challenge but if Bradley can find that sort of level of performance more often than not, he can do really well.” Ryan’s goal triggered a second-half turnaround with Tolulope Jonah and Harvey Brand meeting Max Walsh corners as Ashford extended their unbeaten run to four matches.
Osborne said: “I thought we looked tentative in the first half. “Horndean looked a lot more comfortable, getting on the ball and not being scared to make mistakes, whereas we looked very hesitant. “We scored within a minute of the second half and we grew in confidence from that. “That goal gave us a big lift and we went from being very average to playing very well in the second half. “It was really pleasing to dominate a half, score three goals and grow in