By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie
Andrew Cartwright – drafted into the Ashington side for their Pitching In Northern Premier League clash against North Ferriby on Saturday – was on the score sheet as the Colliers chalked up a 2-0 victory as well as completing a seasons double over their opponents.
The win – Ashington’s first in six matches – was deserved against a good North Ferriby side whom the Wansbeck outfit had thumped 5-0 back in mid November.
However when Cartwright netted the opener in the 13th minute, some supporters wondered if it was an intentional effort at goal or if it was a cross – only the Newcastle-born defender was emphatic with his answer when he said afterwards: “It was 100 per cent a shot! Anyone who views the footage of the highlights will see that the Ferriby ‘keeper (Tom Jackson) is miles off his line. I spotted that and I thought ‘why not?’ Wilson Kneeshaw did well to draw the ‘keeper to him who stays out of his net to try and block Wilson’s shot. Wilson just sets it back to me and I did the rest. After the ball had hit the back of the net, I was a little bit more than delighted!”
Meanwhile on a day which was Ian Skinner’s final league game in charge of Ashington, Cartwright said that what the boss has achieved in his five years at the club alongside chairman Brian Shotton will go down as being ‘really special.’
The 29 year old commented: “I think the work which Ian (Skinner) and Brian (Shotton) have done with this club is something really special. Ian is someone who is going to be remembered for a long time as the one who started the whole thing off as hopefully the club go through the leagues. He will be a massive miss – but it’s also a fantastic opportunity for him to go onto bigger and better things. I just think we have all been fortunate to be able to play under a good manager – but first and foremost, Ian is a lovely man.”