By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC’s vice captain Karl Ross said it was’ hard to put into words’ his reaction to the news that manager Ian Skinner will be stepping down from his role as manager at the end of the season.

The 25 year old said that the players were told of the decision by Skinner ahead of training on Tuesday night: “We were getting ready (for training) when Ian came in and got us together in a huddle – then he broke the news to us,” he said, “It was emotional and it’s hard to put things into words because I’ve been on this journey with the boss for over five years and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. We are a tight knit group and it was a bombshell because we just didn’t expect the news.”

Skinner took over the managerial reins in January 2019 when the club were going through a challenging period but three years later he guided the Colliers to silverware as they won both the Northern League Cup and Cleator Cup.

Last season the Wansbeck outfit reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup before gracefully bowing out against National League North outfit King’s Lynn.

However on the final day of the Ebac Northern League campaign, Skinner’s side clinched second place in the first division after securing a 1-1 draw at Bishop Auckland and only a week later were promoted to the Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division following an emphatic 3-0 victory over Glossop North End.

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC defender Gary Ormston said that the news which broke on Tuesday night of Ian Skinner’s departure as manager at the end of the current season came as a big shock to him.

And the 40 year old – who described himself as being ‘one of the senior people at the club’ – added that he will be ‘forever grateful’ to the outgoing boss who will step aside with his head held high after more than five incredible and successful years in the post.

“It was a big shock because there had been no word – sometimes you hear rumours but in this case there was nothing,” he said, “Consequently it was a first for me because I’ve never been to a club where the manager has announced during the season that he is leaving at the end of it. I was with North Shields when Ian (Skinner) took over at Woodhorn Lane in 2019. Ashington have always been a good club with a good fan base but as an outsider looking in, they were languishing a little bit. To have to play them at that time wasn’t a game which you would pick out as them being a championship rival or a FA Vase rival. However Ian brought together a real group of good young lads and he has nurtured them. A lot of them are on the cusp – being around the 25/26 years of age mark – and as the cycle of football goes, they need to step up now and become the experienced heads for the youngsters.”

He continued: “I’m equally as gutted as everyone else that Ian is leaving because he took a punt on me. As a 40 year old, I came in just to help out for one game here and there. But Ian has given me an opportunity to prove to myself and others than I’m still actually fit enough and good enough to play at this level so for that I’ll be forever grateful to him.”

Ashington have six league games remaining which begin with an away trip to face Carlton Town on Saturday. Then on Tuesday night (April 9), the Colliers face a semi final clash at home to Newcastle United U21’s in the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup – with Ormston adding that there will be no let up: “You want to win every game you go into so there’ll be no foot taken off the gas from us,” he said.

Ashington AFC regrets to announce the forthcoming departure of Ian Skinner from his position as manager, effective at the conclusion of the current season. This decision arises from a shift in Ian’s professional circumstances, making the demands of managing a Northern Premier League East side exceedingly challenging.

Nonetheless, while Ian will be stepping down from his managerial role, he will continue to serve the club as a director, transitioning into an administrative capacity.

Skinner’s association with the club dates back to 2006 when he initially served as a joint manager before returning as an assistant in the 2015 season. In January 2019, amidst a challenging period for the Colliers, Skinner assumed the role of manager. Under his leadership, the club has witnessed an extraordinary period of success at Woodhorn Lane. Notably, he guided the team to its first silverware in a decade, clinching the Northern League Cup and Cleator Cup.

The 2022/23 season saw the Colliers reach the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup and through playoffs, he steered the club back to the Northern Premier League after an absence of more than five decades.

In addition to his managerial responsibilities, Ian has been actively involved in various facets of the club’s operations, from bar work to serving food when needed. He will continue his association with the club as a director, providing support to the new management team in any capacity required.

Reflecting on his tenure, Ian Skinner remarked, “It has been my privilege to manage my hometown club over the past five years and to witness the progress we have made both on and off the field. When I first returned to the club it was a period of struggle but with hard work we built a team that would go on to challenge for silverware and achieve promotion. I want to thank everyone who has helped me as part of that journey, the playing and coaching staff, volunteers and supporters, your dedication to this club has meant the world to me.”

Chairman Brian Shotton expressed his admiration for Skinner; “When I first spoke to Ian about the job, I was honest about the scale of the challenge facing the club at the time, he accepted without hesitation and never complained. Together we drafted a vision for the next few years and despite the challenges presented by Covid, we went on to achieve them all. I cannot speak highly enough of Ian’s commitment to this club and the fact he has never taken a penny in payment since returning is testament to that.”

The club will be making a further announcement in due course.

By Gav Perry | Photo: Ian Brodie

A jubilant Ian Skinner spoke just after the final whistle of Saturday’s win against Bridlington Town saying “It was good to get a win at home where our form has been indifferent to say the least. Not often I publicly challenge the players but we did after last week’s performance and I thought in the first half today we started the game really well. We went 1-0 up following a really bright start but then conceded a really poor goal from an individual error. The reaction after that was good which saw us score another three goals in the half and overall all four goals in were very well worked and taken.”

Going into the interval with a three-goal advantage Skinner commented that “4-1 at half time is a difficult scoreline because you try and tell people that they need to come out second half and still work as hard and put as much energy and effort into it whilst knowing that we also play again in less than 48 hours’ time.”

When looking at the performance after the interval, Ian continued “We started the second half really bright again and scored another really good goal with a fantastic finish from Wilson to go 5-1 up. I’m disappointed with the second goal we conceded and that’s now seven games in a row where we have conceded two or more goals. We keep talking about making it difficult for the opposition to score against us, but we haven’t quite done it again today, but we’ll have to do it on Monday against a very good Hebburn side. The second half did get a bit scrappy, but when you win you win 5-2 at home, you’ve still got to be pleased overall and it’s now about how we recover and rest ahead of what will be a very tough game on Monday.”

Ian concluded by acknowledging that with Hebburn’s match being postponed today (Saturday), “you can only control the controllables and whilst they may be pleased to be going into their home game on Monday after a longer rest than us, we will also potentially look to freshen things up a little bit and utilise the squad”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC announced the loan signing of James McGeorge from South Shields towards the end of last week.

Woodhorn Lane boss Ian Skinner said: “James is a technically gifted player and he offers us a little bit of something that we haven’t got at the moment in terms of that final pass and the ability to take somebody on. He’s been on loan at Whitey Bay where he’s done particularly well. South Shields wanted him to make the next step up so it is a similar to the situation we had with Oli Thompson. Oli came to us from Gateshead and did really well but they (Gateshead) wanted him to make the next step and he joined Blyth Spartans. South Shields paid us nice compliments in terms of the environment we create and that the way we try and play would benefit James. It’s another player to help us in an area of the pitch where it’s the most difficult – finding that final pass to create and score a goal.”

He continued: “He’s a young lad and we could have put him in against Grimsby Borough today but I thought after how well we played at Belper it was really unfair on him to come into a dressing room where he’s never met anybody before and go into a squad. Now he can train twice this week with us ahead of our home game against Bridlington Town on Saturday.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner was seething and pulled no punches when delivering his postmatch thoughts following the Colliers’ 2-1 home defeat against Grimsby Borough at a windswept Woodhorn Lane ground on Saturday.

Striker Dan Maguire had fired the hosts ahead but as the performance from the Wansbeck outfit deteriorated, goals from Lewis Collins and Adam Drury secured all three points for ‘The Wilderness Boys.’

Skinner stormed: “I think it’s even gone beyond frustration now because I think I would struggle to give any one of our players more than five out of ten for today’s performance. It was on non league day where 700 people have turned up and we have served up ‘that’. I’m actually angry – and it’s not often that I use that word – with that performance because people hear about this team (Ashington) that showed unbelievable fighting spirit away at Pontefract to get a draw when really we possibly should have won. We’ve then gone to Consett and played really well and won then onto Belper where we played unbelievably well and should have won the game but a little bit of individual brilliance got Belper a point. People hear all these things and have come here today and they see ‘that’ performance and they probably think ‘are they spinning us a yarn?’ because that was anything but what we’ve had in the last three games. Listen – I don’t make any bones about it – the players know (about the performance) because we’ve told them. I’m a pretty honest straight talking person and I didn’t lose my temper today – because I take no pleasure in shouting and screaming at grown people but I’ve told them honestly what I thought about their performance today – that it was unacceptable.”

He continued: “It was always going to be difficult conditions with the pitch starting to dry out and being a little bit bobbly. Scott Robson our groundsman has done unbelievable work on it given what condition it has been in over the last few weeks. You say to people (the players) its going to be a difficult day so whatever we do, we make sure we don’t lose the game. Yes we want to go and win it and this is the way we are going to play to try and win it but whatever happens we don’t lose the game. We were kicking against the wind in the first half and I thought some of our play out was really good. The lads showed composure to get on the ball and try and play out from the back. We played out down our left hand side particularly well albeit we actually had a great move down the right hand side which saw us take the lead where we got Wilson Kneeshaw in behind and he’s cut it back to Dan Maguire who has finished the move off.”

Skinner then mentioned a turning point: “A massive moment in the game happens not long after that when we get Wilson (Kneeshaw) clean through again one on one with the goalkeeper and he blasts it high and wide. That is a huge chance because if we go 2-0 up I think we would have gone on and won comfortably. If we are 2-0 up against the wind and we are being able to play out, I’m not sure where Grimsby come back from. Then the frustration and the anger comes in – in the two goals we have conceded. Another message before the game was ‘let’s defend our goal really well; let’s put bodies on the line and let’s do whatever it takes to keep the ball out of our net. If Grimsby are going to score today, they are going to have to be really good and if it’s clever play or it’s a great strike then so be it. The first goal was a catalogue of errors where the ball has trickled in the net and from dominating the game it’s 1-1 and obviously Grimsby’s tails are up and I thought they finished the half the stronger.”

He added: “Second half we come out but we are just nowhere near where we need to be in terms of our play. We talked about being patient amongst others things – but none of that happened. For the second goal we conceded, I was actually writing something down and as I looked up, I saw the ball being played in behind for their striker against Gary Ormston. Obviously he’s gone through and finished it and the two goals we’ve conceded are not acceptable. It’s not like me to speak like this but people need to hear the truth. It’s becoming too often. Fair play to Grimsby – I thought they were the better side in the second half. We just looked abject and devoid of anything that we’ve done really well in the last three games. We changed our goalkeeper today but I gave the other ten lads who did really well at Belper the opportunity to do it again – and they haven’t done it.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC’s Paul Van-Zandvliet admitted that his goal after only 24 seconds against Consett recently is the quickest in his footballing career.

Van-Zandvliet pounced to score the rebound after Wilson Kneeshaw’s initial effort had been parried by Consett ‘keeper James Anderson.

For any player who scores in the first minute of a match it is surely a unique experience – only Van-Zandvliet has experienced it all before!

“Without a doubt it is the quickest I’ve ever scored,” said the North Shields born midfielder, “The ball got played over the top and Wilson Kneeshaw is like lightening with his pace. I knew what he was going to do because we had worked on it in training with the management team and I just wanted to be in and around the six yards box. The ball came to me and I just wanted to make sure that I concentrated and hit a clean strike with my left foot and when it hit the back of the net, it was a great feeling. Two years ago, I scored for North Shields against Newcastle Benfield at Sam Smiths Park which was around 43 seconds and that was a fantastic moment as well.”

For the 23 year old – who is an electrical engineer – it was his second goal in consecutive games and his aim is to bag more: “I’m buzzing after scoring two games in a row,” he added, “It’s something which the management team want me to do more – to arrive late in the box and add that bit extra to the team. Even from a personal point of view I want to score more goals to help the lads and everyone who supports the club.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC striker Wilson Kneeshaw expressed having mixed feelings on Saturday – after he had notched his 15^th goal of the season in the Colliers 2-2 draw against Belper Town.

The 29 year old put the Wansbeck outfit 2-1 ahead 12 minutes into the second half with a fabulous finish but later missed out on another opportunity as he hit the woodwork.

Sidik Atcha then left the visitors shell shocked after he scored a sensational equaliser for The Nailers in time added on.

Kneeshaw commented: “I said to the lads in the dressing room afterwards that as a striker you play football for the moments – so obviously the first moment went really well when I netted the goal and I was happy because it helped the team. For the second moment I’ve gone through again and I feel I should have done better and scored, even though the ‘keeper got a nudge on the ball and it’s hit the post. Then another moment for me was getting back in from tracking the centre half who has eventually gone on and scored the goal right at the death. I’m just disappointed in myself – not with the team – that in some of those moments I wasn’t better.”

Darlington-born Kneeshaw was adamant that Ashington should have taken all three points from the contest: “I thought we were fantastic to be honest,” he said, “We managed the game perfectly and limited their chances and our ‘keeper Karl Dryden has had nothing to do in the second half. We played really, really well but for me it definitely feels like two points dropped.”

By Brian Bennett

Cam Gascoigne netted his second goal of the season at Belper Town on Saturday in the 2-2 draw down in Derbyshire.

And afterwards the 22 year old outlined his target for the remainder of the campaign.

Gascoigne scored as the Colliers swept local rivals North Shields aside with a 4-0 victory in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup on the opening day back in August but has been forced to miss parts of the season due to injury.

After returning to the starting line up on Saturday, the Dunston-born midfielder spoke about his plan: “Today was my first start for quite a while,” he said, “I’ve been in and out of the team with injuries and the target for me now is to finish the season strongly. I thought I put in a decent performance today and I want to stay in the team and keep the shirt. Obviously I was a little bit disappointed when Belper equalised at the end but we grafted away from home against a side that are pushing for the play offs.”

Gascoigne’s rasping right foot strike – his first goal for Ashington in the Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division – levelled the scores at 1-1 at the Raygar Stadium and he said: “The ball came out to me and it was a little bit like slow motion to be honest. I took a touch and there were loads of players on the goal-line so I tried to put the ball as close to the top corner as I could. It paid off and I was delighted. We only had two substitutes and it was tough but we stuck together and dug in and I was proud of all the boys today because I thought they were fantastic.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC boss Ian Skinner – preparing for Saturday’s tussle against Grimsby Borough at Woodhorn Lane (March 23) – will emphasise to his squad of players the need to improve their form on home soil.

Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Belper Town – where there was a sting in the tail when the Derbyshire-based outfit scored a stoppage time equaliser – was the Colliers’ fourth consecutive away game and the boss said: “We are pleased to have a free week. We looked a touch leggy towards the end of what has been a busy period in terms of having travels to Stockton, Pontefract, Consett and Belper. I don’t want to use the terms being down to the bare bones but obviously we only had two substitutes at Belper today and if we had had a couple more to be able to freshen things up a bit towards the end, who knows what might have happened.”

He continued: “I think the good thing for us is we have got two or three ways of playing now and that’s credit to the lads. We work hard on it in training about being adaptable and being able to switch in terms of how we play and that’s vital for us. Not only does it mean we can play in different ways from game to game but it also means in-game we can change in terms of the system and the shape that we play. That causes opposition sides problems and I thought it was evident at Belper today. I don’t want to sound disrespectful but I don’t think they (Belper) ever got to grips with us and it will be interesting to see the possession stats and the passes completed. I’ll not be surprised if I see that we had more of the ball than them and made far more passes than them – but our performance deserved a little bit more than it got.”

He added: “We’ll dust ourselves down and train this week as we prepare for what will be a tough game against Grimsby Borough. We just need to look at our home form a little bit because we’ve picked up more points on the road. It probably suits us being away because teams have to come at us and when teams do that and leave space, we are a really difficult outfit to play against. At home, teams come and sit in a little bit more and expect us to break them down so that presents a different challenge – but its one we look forward too.”