Tonbridge Angels manager Jay Saunders says door is open for Doug Loft after ruptured Achilles

Doug Loft has been given the chance to prove his fitness by Tonbridge after missing almost all of last season.

The former Gillingham midfielder ruptured his Achilles in the early weeks of the campaign, robbing Angels’ young side of a vital experienced head.

He’s been invited along to pre-season, which started on Tuesday night, with manager Jay Saunders keen to see if the 36-year-old can play on.

Saunders said: “We spoke when the season ended and I said then, come in for pre-season, see how you’re feeling and that’s what he’s doing.

“Doug’s honest and he kind of said if I can’t offer what I want to be able to do on the pitch then I’ll have to call it a day.

“He doesn’t want to go out on an injury, he wants to stop in his own time and make the decision himself.

“He’ll be in and we’ll have a chat and see how he gets on.

“Doug’s a good player, an experienced player, and we missed him last season.

“If he’d been available, I think those four points we missed out on the play-offs by, there’s a good chance we’d have got them.

“His experience, sitting in midfield, would have been a big asset to us.

“The door’s open for him and we’ll see how he gets on.

“There’s no pressure on him. His body has got to feel right.

“He started joining in training towards the end of last season and then felt a little niggle.

“You’ve got to be careful with an Achilles, it’s got to be 100% right, so we spoke then and said is it worth it for a run-out in one or two games?

“When you’ve been out that long, there’s no point rushing back.

“We decided he should give himself that extra time.”