Forward Ashley Nzala is the first signing under Paul Barnes following his release from Welling United.

We are delighted to welcome striker Ashley Nzala to the club following his release from Welling United last week.

The 24-year-old will wear the vacated number 22 shirt left by Michael Timlin, and will be available to make his debut in Saturday's home clash with Dartford.

Nzala made six appearances for the Wings, with his final appearance coming on Bank Holiday Monday in August when he came off the bench for the final few minutes in Welling's 2-1 victory at Champion Hill.

Ashley is a local lad, living in Camberwell, and has previously played for Brentwood Town, scoring 14 times in 31 appearances last season, including bagging a playoff semi-final winner, as well as Barnet, Hayes & Yeading United, Cheshunt and Great Wakering Rovers.

On Ashley's arrival, Paul Barnes had this to say:

"Ashley Nzala is a direct replacement for Ibby Akanbi, and fits our favoured formation, he can play anywhere across the front three, whether that be a central focal point or off either side, bringing pace and power, along with similarities to us as a management team, as he is a young player with a desire to prove himself and show that he has the qualities to not just perform consistently at our level, but the attributes to push on and achieve his dream of playing professionally."

"Ashley ticks all of our boxes in terms of recruitment as he’s a local lad, living within walking distance to Champion Hill, a great age in terms of his development and maturity, along with being a player that wants to learn, be coached and gain access to various forms of learning, and we know we can provide that at DHFC with such tools within our analysis dept, dedicated staff, and experienced players within the squad at the club."

From everyone at DHFC, welcome Ashley, we hope you enjoy playing in the Pink and Blue shirt!