By Brian Bennett
Ashington FC joint head coach Richie Hill deviated from his usual practice when he took a glance at the Northern Premier League East Division fixtures which were released last week.
The Colliers start the season proper with an Emirates FA Cup tie away to Shildon on August 3 but the following week on August 10, they will again be on their travels when the curtain goes up for the league programme which has pitched them against Ossett United.
Ashington’s home games begin the following midweek (Tuesday August 13), when league newcomers Bishop Auckland visit Woodhorn Lane then it’s a trip to Garforth Town.
Hill gave his reaction when he said: “There was a bit of a buzz about the place at training last week and a little bit of excitement as to who we are going to play. To be honest, I never read too much into fixtures – I never look too far away from the next one and I think this league is not going to be any different this season to what it was last term. It doesn’t really matter who you play because every match is potentially a tough one and if you’re not on your game, you’ll get beat.”
He continued: “We played Ossett towards the back end of last season when they had just changed their management team. We won 2-1 but their league position didn’t really mirror their actual performance because I thought they were very good on the day. They were a very hard team to play against and I’m not expecting anything different this term. We’ll naturally do what we need to do and do our homework by getting a couple of reports on them. It’s a tough place to go. I’ve been there three or four times in the last three seasons and every game is a tough one. They tend have a team full of hard working honest players and they make it very difficult for you to have your own way so I’m not expecting anything different. I’ve got one eye on our midweek friendly at Morpeth because that’s important but my main focus is on Shildon in the FA Cup because that’s not going to be an easy game and we need to make sure our lads are really prepared for that.”
He went on: “Beyond Ossett we have an exciting clash in prospect at home against Bishop Auckland on the Tuesday and then another away game at Garforth – a new team that have just recently been promoted. I don’t think there will be any easy games in the league home or away and its all about how we prepare and how we play on the day. What I do know is that we’ll be as thoroughly prepared as we possibly can be.”
On August Bank Holiday Monday, Ashington travel to face Dunston UTS whilst they visit Heaton Stannington on Boxing Day.
On New Year’s Day, the Colliers entertain Dunston UTS then host Heaton Stannington on Easter Monday.