Former Ashford United co-chairman and D&D Autos founder Derek Pestridge looks back upon his roller-coaster time at the club

By Malcolm Triggs

It started out as a sponsorship opportunity that ended with the co-chairmanship, but after the sale of Ashford United by Don Crosbie to Lloyd Hume and David Warr, Derek Pestridge says his time at Homelands has been “exciting to say the least”.

Pestridge, founder of Ashford-based D&D Autos, wanted to see the name of his business on the front of the first-team shirts of his local team. It was a simple enough idea, but it was the beginning of a roller-coaster ride that saw him not just chair the club through much of the next, often troubled, decade, but support it financially on a number of occasions.

“I just thought it would be good exposure for the business if we could sponsor the team,” Pestridge recalled.

“Shortly after that I was asked to stand in as chairman as the club was going through a tricky patch, and I’ve held that position ever since, in recent years serving as joint-chairman.”

That tricky patch involved significant legal wrangles over ownership that saw the future of the club in jeopardy, but despite the challenges Pestridge worked hard over the past 10 years or so “to make sure Ashford has a football club it can be proud of”.

Remarkably, Pestridge - originally a Brentford fan - only missed two or three matches once he stepped into the chairman’s role. “I’ve been there, home and away, at virtually every match,” he said.

“I’ve loved being involved with the club and I’m proud of what it has achieved.”

His favourite memory is the last game of the 2016/17 season, when the team sealed top spot in the Southern Counties East League by putting seven goals past Rochester to pip Crowborough to the title. Shaun Welford was the goal hero, as he had been throughout that season.

“I’ve also really