After scoring four goals in nine matches,[20] early the following year, Godsmark died of disease on army service at the Second Boer War – with Ashford reportedly serving a writ for the remaining £20.

The team reached the semi-finals of the Kent Senior Cup in 1922–1923 but were beaten in a replay to the eventual trophy winners Maidstone (the 'Nuts and Bolts' equalised through a penalty in the last minute of the original tie).

[36] The 'Nuts and Bolts' Reserve side tasted success in the 1931–32 season by winning the Kent Amateur League Eastern section with an equally impressive goalscoring record of 84 goals over 21 matches played.

[38] In March 1934 then record Tottenham Hotspur goal-scorer, and scorer of the only goal in the 1921 FA Cup Final, Jimmy Dimmock made his debut for the 'Nuts and Bolts', he scored twice and provided an assist in a 3–1 Kent League victory over Aylesford Paper Mills.

Harry Todd formerly of Margate (via their nursery deal with Arsenal) and former Tunbridge Wells Rangers captain joined the club for the 1938–1939 season as player-coach of the team[7] and continued post-war.

The 'Town' started the season in style with a 9–3 home victory over Aylesford Paper Mills, a game in which Charlie Barnard[53] scored 5 goals – a then post-war club single match record.

[67] Four days later playing the other newly recruited club Romford at Essella Park Ashford notched their first points courtesy of a 1–0 victory (scorer: Don Murfet).

England forward and football legend Jimmy Greaves scored four goals in a 7–2 victory for the Londoners, with Ron Vigar and Gordon Burden netting for the home side.

In the Second Round the 'Nuts and Bolts' lost 0–3 on home turf to Football League Division 3 Queens Park Rangers – playing for the visitors was Keith Rutter who would subsequently return to Ashford three years later to captain the team.

In the Kent Senior Cup final 'the Nuts and Bolts' were eventually beaten 1–4 by Dover – after an aggregate 2–2 draw over two ties the decider for the 1961–62 competition was unusually contested at the start of the following 1962–63 season by a much changed Ashford team, watched by a little over three thousand spectators on neutral territory at Folkestone.

They put the poor league form behind them in the last match of the season and lifted the Kent Senior Cup for a third time by beating Margate 1–0 in the final played at Gillingham, with former England Youth player Brian Dellar[69] notching the decider.

Sibley's tenure ended after the final match of the 1964–65 season; it had been announced (prematurely) that Allan Sanders was to take over as manager[71] however Ashford were unwilling to pay the £3,000 fee demanded from his current club Brighton & Hove Albion.

[72] Subsequently, prior to the start of the 1965–66 season the club appointed ex-England and Chelsea full back and First Division championship medal holder Peter Sillett as player-manager.

Notable during the campaign were the players who appeared between the posts: the previous season's ‘keeper David Hills ceased playing early in the season; for one match former 1950s Chelsea goalie, Bill Robertson appeared; new custodian Brian Gambrill signed-on for £300 from Canterbury City[1] and conceded seven goals on his home debut in a 7–1 loss to Worcester City – Ashford's lone marker was scored by David Gillingwater, a former Chelsea FA Youth Cup winner and England Youth international;[74][1] mid-season Gambrill was injured and for three matches local amateur 'keeper Reg Gorham stepped in (echoing the make-up of the original Ashford United club he worked for a local newspaper).

After battling through seven ties (including three qualifying rounds), the last of which was a 3–2 away win at Bangor City of the Northern Premier League,[75] the 'Nuts and Bolts' reached the semi-finals – just one match from a Wembley final.

Alas the dream was not to be: in a match played on neutral turf at Peterborough they lost 1–0 to a disputed second half penalty to Northern Premier League club Scarborough (who would themselves go on to win the trophy).

Around the early seventies the club began looking for a new home stadium[2] and favoured relocation to a site adjacent to the local authority's leisure complex close to Ashford town centre.

The seventy acre plot was undeveloped at the time of the final fixture at Essella Park; planning permission for the new 'Homelands' stadium was yet to be granted – the chairman of the directors was critical of "constant delays" by an "unhelpful" Ashford Council.

In the Kent League Division 2 they were runners-up for four seasons: in 1984–85 to Sheppey United; in 1987–88 to Fisher Athletic; in 1988–89 to Hythe Town; and in 1990–91 to Canterbury City (courtesy of third ranked Dover having three points deducted).

This precipitated the end of Neil Cugley's seven year managerial reign (he moved on to Folkestone Invicta) and he was replaced by Nigel Donn who had joined the playing staff the previous season from Dover Athletic.

[93] Despite a respectable record over his 12 league game matches in charge (W5; D4; L3) Walker didn't last long and he was replaced as manager at the end of October[94] by former Wales International Steve Lovell.

[97] The split in the boardroom affected the on-field performances in the 2009–10 campaign – under the continued managership of Steve Lovell the club barely clung to their Division One status finishing 20th of 22 teams.

At the end of the season there was an impasse at boardroom level and the club were in debt to Ebbsfleet United[98] Under Football Association rules whilst this remained unpaid they were suspended from competition.

United topped their league around Christmas, however fixture congestion owing to their cup exploits – with the team playing 12 matches in one three week period – led to a slight dip in form and they finished in second position.

[106] Additionally Zanone had notched 28 goals in 11 consecutive away games between 18 October 2014 and in March 2015 and at the end of the season collected the league top scorer's Golden Boot award.

It began inauspiciously when on 15 August 2015, after just two games of the campaign and following a heavy 1–5 loss in the FA Cup to fellow SCEFL side Cray Valley PM, the manager Paul Chambers was relieved of his duties after a stay of four years and 171 mostly won matches.

[116] Off-pitch matters continued to concern the supporters: there was an administrative dispute, ultimately resolved, with the FA over registration for acceptance for promotion;[117] then a scare over the suitability for matches of the 3G pitch at the Homelands.

Any thoughts of a successful season were quickly extinguished with defeats in the first two games which led to the club parting company with manager Danny Lye[121] and the subsequent departure of experienced players.

The subsequent promotion play-off semi-final was a tight 1–0 victory over Cray Valley; the final itself was an anti-climactic 0–2 loss to Herne Bay in front of a record home crowd for Ashford United of 1,865 (the 4th highest all-time competitive match Homelands attendance to date).

[129] Two weeks later new manager Kevin Watson was appointed;[130] he had recently left Herne Bay (whom he joined mid-season) following their relegation from the Isthmian Premier Division – previously he had enjoyed a fruitful five-year spell at Cray Valley (the 2018–19 Southern Counties East Football League champions and FA Vase finalists).