Jail bird Stan given the boot

9:45am Thursday 27th July 2006

WOULD-BE Grays Athletic star Ashley Sestanovich is languishing in jail having been sacked from the club and facing charges of conspiracy to rob.

The offence is alleged to have taken place in Streatham on June 24 just days after Grays manager Frank Gray made him his first signing since joining the Conference club in May.

Much travelled Sestanovich, of Streatham Road, London, appeared alongside former Farnborough Town team mate Carl Gibbs, 26, at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday July 19 - the day Grays faced Leyton Orient in a pre-season friendly - 24 hours after being formally charged.

Grays announced they had sacked the 24-year-old in a statement on their website saying: "The club were unaware of any problems prior to signing Ashley Sestanovich and this has come as a shock to the club.

"Due to the seriousness of the incident the club has terminated his contract."

Sestanovich, who once acted as Thierry Henry's body double in a Nike advert, includes Sheffield United, Grimsby and Scarborough among his former clubs.

He is best remembered for helping Scarborough to a glamorous FA Cup Third Round tie with Chelsea in 2004, knocking Southend United out on the way.

Of Croatian and Grenadian descent, Sestanovich joined Grays in June but played only two friendly games before getting the boot.

Sestanovich and Gibbs will appear at the Old Bailey next Tuesday <1 August>.

The news is the second blow for Blues boss Gray in little over a week after skipper Stuart Thurgood broke his fibula in the friendly with Orient.

Depending on whether Thurgood gets the thumbs up from doctors this week he hopes to be back in training in six weeks and playing again by October.

On the field the signs are much more positive for Blues who, following a trio of pre-season defeats, have now won two in a row against Welling United and Ipswich Town.

The lean-looking Jamie Slabber has netted in both games and is pushing hard for a starting berth come the opening day of the season while triallists John Turner, Jerome Sobers and Mark Ricketts have also impressed.

Ex-Charlton man Ricketts was joined by former Addicks team-mate Danny Phillips against Ipswich and the diminuitive midfielder put in a lively second-half display that caught the eye.

Grays next face AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.