Ashford United boss Craig Stone will have all of last season’s players back for the 2026/27 campaign after the entire squad committed for another campaign

Ashford United are ahead of the game with their recruitment - their manager admitting he’s already happy with what he’s got.

Boss Craig Stone indicated at the end of last season that he wanted to keep the players together, and that’s what he’s done, with the entirety of the squad that finished the past campaign agreeing to stick together for 2026/27.

It means Stone can concentrate on the finer details while other managers are spending the summer putting their squads together.

Stone said: “Players were performing for the club and for us as a management team. It was made clear that they were all welcome back. They're all going to be back and part of next season's squad.

“This time last year, me and Lloyd [Hume, the chairman] were having to recruit a fair amount of players. So this season, it's a bit of a strange one. People are saying to me, ‘Who are you going to sign? Are you bringing anyone else in? Have you seen what other teams are bringing in?

“I'm happy with what I've got. I look at players who are available and I look at them alongside the players I've got in my squad and it doesn't interest me.”

Left-back Archie Johnson is a new addition - one of just a few expected at The Green Box Stadium this summer.

With a solid season behind him at Sheppey United and making a impression at Beckenham Town before that, Stone is confident he’s landed a player who will settle in nicely.

Stone said: “I made contact with him once, I spoke to him about our interest and what we were looking to do and in the next conversation, the very next day, he was just making sure that he was going to get game-time, which I liked. That was it done.

“I've seen him play a handful of times, so I know what he's about. He’s a really good guy, works