By Brian Bennett
Ashington manager Nick Gray says he is hoping his squad of players will rise to the occasion when they meet Blyth Spartans in the local derby at Woodhorn Lane on Boxing Day.
Substitute Sam Davison scored a stoppage time equaliser for the Colliers in the clash at Croft Park which ended 1-1 on August Bank Holiday Monday after Patrick McClafferty had nudged the green and whites ahead just before the hour mark.
Ashington will go into the contest on the back of four consecutive victories which has seen them climb out of the relegation drop zone up to 14th in the Pitching In Northern Premier League’s East Division whilst Spartans – following their 2-1 home defeat against Consett last Friday night – are on the bottom of the table.
However, it’s a well worn cliché that in derby matches, the form book goes out of the window and is all about which side turns up on the day.
Colliers boss Gray said: “Whenever we’ve played in front of a big crowd at home, our performances have been a little bit disappointing and we haven’t really showed what we can do. Now I’m hoping the players will take the confidence which they’ve got into the game against Blyth Spartans and rise to the occasion. To be honest, the match earlier in the season wasn’t a great spectacle but on the day you go into the game looking forward to it – and this one will be no different. We’ve got four wins under our belts in our last four outings and I’m obviously hoping my players can keep this run going in what is a big game for both clubs.”
He continued: “You want to be in football to relish these types of games. At Croft Park, the attendance was in excess of 1200 and there will be a big crowd on Boxing Day – hopefully into four figures again.”
The match has a 1pm kick-off and Ashington are encouraging supporters to buy tickets online and to arrive early to minimise congestion at the turnstiles.
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