By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie
Ashington joint head coach Andy Coyles has asked for the Woodhorn Lane supporters to get behind their side on Saturday when the Colliers meet Bishop Auckland in the Emirates FA Cup preliminary round.
The match – selected by the BBC for live coverage via iplayer, red button and online – kicks off at 12.30pm and Coyles says the fans are always the 12th man.
Speaking within minutes of Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat – ironically against Bishop Auckland in their NPL East Division clash – Coyles commented: “After the result, the way the game went tonight makes for an exciting encounter on Saturday. We’ve just said that we know a little bit more about them (Bishop Auckland) than we did before the clash tonight and likewise they will probably be saying the same thing about us. I think we will be able to bring one or two more players back into the squad that were nursing little niggles tonight which will obviously be a plus but on the down side, we have lost Jordan Summerly and at this stage we don’t really know how serious his injury is. We’ll do our homework; we’ll train on Thursday and hopefully we’ll give a good showing on Saturday.”
Coyles has asked the home supporters to continue with their outstanding vocal backing: “Our supporters are always the 12th man for us and I’ve got nothing but plaudits and positive things to say about them,” he said, “Knowing that they will roar the lads on gives the players that extra ounce of energy and confidence. Everybody is looking forward to it. First and foremost the game is being broadcast live on the BBC which is great for the football club. It’s also great for the players and the community and hopefully we will get a good gathering of fans – but hopefully we will also get a good level of representation of people watching the game on the TV.”