Ashford United add Dutch defender Jordy Luchies and Gillingham youngster Zac Whitelock to their squad, hot on the heels of signing Elliott Romain, Will Dempsey and De Niro Pinto

Ashford United have strengthened their squad before the opening match of the season.

The Nuts & Bolts announced the signings of defenders Will Dempsey and De Niro Pinto, along with midfielder/striker Elliott Romain at the end of last week.

And they’ve been followed through the door by young forward Zac Whitelock, who joins on loan from Gillingham, and Dutch defender Jordy Luchies, who’s been playing university football in America.

Ashford have suffered a few injuries during pre-season and didn’t want to be left short when the real action begins with an FA Cup extra preliminary round tie at Redhill on Saturday (3pm).

“This time last week I was thinking we’re a little light on the ground and looking to recruit, so I’m a lot more relaxed this week,” said manager Craig Stone.

“All of a sudden it looks like we’ve got a big squad but we’ve got a few injuries and we wanted to make sure we can cope with the first couple of months, which are always manic.

“What we don’t want to be doing is losing three or four players and maybe undercooking it and leaving ourselves short in terms of squad and bench.”

Romain, 34, is the most high-profile name among the new signings, having played for the likes of Torquay, Maidstone and Dagenham during his long career.

Having carved out a reputation as a relentless centre-forward, he’s operated in midfield in recent times.

“I know him as a No.9 but he’s also been playing for Broadbridge and Steyning in the last couple of years, closer to his home, and he’s been playing more central midfield,” said Stone, whose side ended pre-season with a 4-0 friendly loss at Dartford last weekend.

“He played for us in central midfield against Dartford and I liked him in there.

“He’s got energy, he’s got that bite