By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie
Ashington manager Nick Gray wore a broad smile on Saturday tea time after his side had won their third consecutive game in the space of eight days.
Silsden were the latest outfit to taste defeat against a rejuvenated Colliers side following in the footsteps of Ossett United and Hallam – all three results by 2-1 margins – and Gray said afterwards: “It’s been a great week for us. Did we deserve nine points after winning all three games? Well I think we earned our luck a bit. Today first half I thought we looked a bit flat and lethargic but there was nothing much in the game. Second half we started slightly better to be fair and it was a killer punch when they (Silsden) scored. There was a lot of time left and you just think about freshening things up a bit which we did and also changing the shape and I always thought there was going to be a goal in it for us if I’m being honest.”
He continued: “We kept on plugging away and took risks to get back into the game and after we got the equaliser, I thought there was only going to be one team who were going to try and win it. It was an excellent ball in by Liam Noble for Liam Henderson who showed great technique for his goal which levelled things up and what a superb finish by Craig Spooner for the winner, after important flick ons by Ethan Bewley and Henderson. Listen do I feel for them (Silsden) a bit? Possibly – and when I say that it’s because they were ahead for a long time but there have been times when we’ve deserved more out of games and no-one feels sorry for us! There are still things to work on and which we can improve on, however nine points in a week is a fantastic return.”
Ashington moved into tenth spot after Saturday’s win but Gray added cautiously: “When every team has played ten games that’s when I judge. We are ahead of some teams on matches and we’ve got to do better in the next three quarters of the season. However we are going in the right direction and that’s all we can ask from the lads. It’s a long season and for me there’s not a lot of difference in the teams. Silsden have come to us today and they are a decent side – as were Hallam and Ossett United – and we know how tough the games will be in the reverse fixtures.”
Ashington make the journey to face Bradford Park Avenue on Tuesday and Gray added: “We’ve got a difficult period coming up where we play five out of the next six games away from home including the Northumberland Senior Cup match against Newcastle University. However, you’ve got to enjoy the moment and still be hungry to improve and move onto the next game and we’ll go in with confidence on Tuesday against the league leaders (Bradford Park Avenue). It has taken us a little while but the season starts now and we’ve got to keep improving, learn from things which we can do better but enjoy it. As I’ve mentioned before, a week is a long time in football.”