Ashington AFC is pleased to confirm that Brian Shotton has re-joined the football board.
Known to many as a lifelong supporter of the club, Brian previously served as Chairman from 2018 to 2024 during a period of recovery and one of the most successful spells in the club’s recent history.
He returns determined to play his part again, offering experience, stability and a strong belief in the club’s future both on and off the pitch.
By Brian Bennett
Ashington lynchpin Scott Lowery has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The tall defender has been sidelined since the middle of October with a knee problem but has now received the diagnosis: “The injury happened in the first half of the home game against North Ferriby,” said Lowery who will celebrate his 30th birthday next week, “I felt a pop in my knee and the initial pain was pretty bad. However I played the rest of the match and was okay – until I woke up the following morning and couldn’t move! I thought it was something which I had twisted or jolted and I tried to return to training after a month but the knee popped again. I’ve had an MRI scan and I’ve torn the posterior cruciate ligament in the back of my right knee.”
Ashington-born Lowery continued: “It’s not a full rupture or fully severed but is a grade two tear. I think surgery was an option but it can basically heal by itself with rest and restrengthening. Kev Chapman, the club’s physiotherapist has given me some workout plans to do and I could probably catch the last couple of games of the campaign. However for the long run it’s better off maybes strengthening it a bit more and not forcing things and looking to come back next season.”
Cramlington-based Lowery added: “I’m devastated. It’s a lonely place being injured because you forget just how much you see the lads which is twice a week at training – unless we have a midweek match – plus a Saturday. I do try to support the lads as much as I can but when I watch the games, I’m kicking every ball and jumping for every header.”
He went on: “It’s so tough watching because all I want to do is to be playing and helping the lads as much as I can and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than back out on the pitch to be honest.”
By Brian Bennett
Jeremy Perera says he has two primary targets after signing for Ashington following his release from neighbours Blyth Spartans.
The Gibraltar international is hoping to become a leading light in the Colliers’ squad as well as looking to help steer the club away from the clutches of the relegation drop zone.
Whilst the Colliers were idle on Saturday, Lincoln United’s 2-0 victory over Ossett United saw them leapfrog from the basement in the table above Ashington on goal difference and push the Wansbeck outfit into the bottom four.
Perera – who trained with his team mates after the Colliers’ match away to Blyth Town had been called off – said about his move: “Obviously it’s a big step to take but I had no hesitation in putting pen to paper. I wasn’t playing at Blyth but I want to be a key player here at Ashington – that’s my aim – and hopefully to help the club to stay in this league.”
The 20 year old, who plays in a defensive midfield role, is raring to go: “The club look as if they have got a good fanbase and I’m itching to get going,” he added, “The game at Blyth Town was called off which was sad news but hopefully we can get going against Consett on Tuesday night.”
By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie
Marc Ellison and Karl Ross have agreed to take over team affairs during the interim at Ashington Football Club.
The move comes after manager Nick Gray and his assistant Liam McIvor left the club by mutual agreement last week.
Unfortunately the duo’s first game in charge turned out to be an anti climax as the Colliers’ away fixture at Blyth Town was called off on Saturday morning due to a waterlogged pitch.
Now the pair turn their attentions to Tuesday night’s home clash against Consett – a fixture which has already been postponed on two previous occasions.
Ellison and Ross are both members of the current playing staff – and both spoke at the weekend about having ‘no hesitation’ in taking on additional duties at Woodhorn Lane.
In Ellison’s case, a move into management had already crossed his mind: “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t something I hadn’t thought about anyway as age wise I’m 35,” he said, “I had no hesitation. My body doesn’t feel great so was it something I’d be looking at? Yes. Did I think it was going to happen now – no. I probably was going to be thinking about it at the end of the season anyway so from a selfish point of view I can get to dip my toes in and see if I like it. Will I be needed to play again this year? I don’t know.”
Apart from being skipper, Ross is the longest serving player in the squad. He is in his eighth season playing for his home town club after signing in November 2018 and making his debut in a 1-1 draw at Shildon.
The 27 year old said: “We had a little conversation about it and I had no hesitation in saying ‘yes’. It was a no brainer for me because I’ll do anything I can just to try and help the club which will give them a bit of time to get things into place.”
Hartlepool-born Ellison added: “Did anyone expect Nick (Gray) to leave the club on Tuesday? No – but quite simply, we haven’t been good enough from the start of the season to where we are now. It was disappointing that the match at Blyth Town was off because you always want to play on a Saturday. We’ve got a couple of games coming up where we play teams around us so it would have been ideal to have played today (Saturday) to try and get some points on board. On the flip side it gave us a chance to have a training session and work on things.”
Tuesday’s game against Consett has a 7.45pm kick-off.
We are pleased to announce the signing of Gibraltar international midfielder Jeremy Perera, who joins the squad following his release from Blyth Spartans. Perera, known for his technical ability and game intelligence, will be available for selection in tomorrow’s matchday squad.
The decision to bring Perera on board comes as the club’s Interim Management Team has been granted full autonomy to strengthen the team during this transitional period. As the search for a new permanent manager continues, the management team remains committed to enhancing the squad’s capabilities to ensure competitive performance on the field.
Ashington Football Club would like to provide a further update regarding the vacant manager’s position.
Following a meeting with players last night, the club can confirm that Marc Ellison and Karl Ross will take charge of the team on an interim basis while the club considers its options moving forward.
The club would like to thank both Marc and Karl for stepping up and appreciates the continued support of players, staff, and supporters during this period.
Following discussions between Nick Gray and Ashington Football Club, all parties have mutually agreed that, in the best interests of the club and its future progression, now is the right time for a change in management.
The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Nick and Liam McIvor who will also leave his role, for all their efforts and commitment during their time at the club and wishes them every success in the future.
On his departure, Nick provided the following statement.
“In life, some things don’t go how you would like them to. Believe me, there is no one more gutted than me at how the season has gone. I’ve had sleepless nights and I’ve done my best, but simply my best hasn’t been good enough.
I would like to thank Liam and Tom for their 100 per cent loyalty and support, and the players for their efforts. Ashington is a fantastic club with some unbelievable people behind the scenes – there aren’t many people I’ve met in football like Scoop and Alan Brown.
I would like to thank Ian Skinner and Drew Tinsley for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club, and lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to thank the supporters who have been fantastic to me and the players, even when I’ve openly said at times we certainly didn’t merit it.
You deserve the best, and I sincerely hope you have many successes in the seasons ahead.”
Nick joined the club in October 2024, in particularly difficult period, and was required to be very proactive in putting a squad together to keep us in the league against tough financial constraints. This is something that we will be forever grateful for.
Both Nick and Liam will always be welcome back at the club. The club will provide further updates in due course.
By Brian Bennett
Liam McIvor’s top priority in his post match press conference was to apologise unreservedly to the Ashington fans in the wake of the Colliers 4-1 defeat against Silsden in West Yorkshire on Saturday.
It was a fourth consecutive defeat for the Woodhorn Lane based outfit and assistant manager McIvor said: “Before I make any comment about the game, I just want to apologise to the travelling fans who came down to witness that display and what they went through today. They still backed us and I’d like to thank them for their continued support in the face of what was a poor defensive performance as a team in the first half. You can’t concede goals the way we are doing. It’s the same thing – and there are no excuses.”
In what was termed as a ‘six pointer’ Ashington looked sound before goals from Kayle Price, Jake Cassidy and Luke Brooksbank inside a period of 12 minutes completely changed the course of the game and sent the Wansbeck side in at the break 3-0 down.
McIvor said some ‘harsh truths’ were exchanged during the interval: “You always have belief,” he added, “We were hoping to get back into the game in the second period but at this level of football when you are 3-0 down at half time the game is effectively over. However, there were some conversations which took place in the dressing room which will stay in the dressing room – but some harsh truths were said.”
He continued: “We had a better second half and forced their ‘keeper (Tommy Brown) to make three great saves to be fair. We scored with a penalty but also conceded on the break and they’ve hit the post as well which we knew could happen as we were ‘going for it’.
Ashington head to Gateway Park on Saturday in what is another crucial clash against Blyth Town and McIvor said: “It’s a cup final for us. There are no bigger games because we need points otherwise we are going to go into the mix.”
By Brian Bennett
Ashington’s Liam McIvor said the Colliers have got to have a ‘bit more belief’ in themselves when they go down to West Yorkshire on Saturday to face Silsden.
The assistant manager was speaking minutes after watching the Wansbeck outfit go down to a 1-0 defeat against Heaton Stannington on Tuesday night – which was their third defeat on the spin.
McIvor said: “It was always going to be a mistake which led to the opener and after a 25 yarder had taken a huge deflection, our ‘keeper Matty Alexander was going one way but has unfortunately slipped. It proved to be the deciding goal but we didn’t have that cutting edge in the final third.”
Three minutes into the second half, Ashington had Marc Ellison red carded and McIvor said: “It’s the third game in a row where we have had a player sent off and we cannot afford to keep going down to ten men. They (Heaton Stannington) missed a lot of chances with the extra man but the longer the game went on at 1-0, I knew we would have a moment – and we had a massive opportunity just before the final whistle. From Liam Noble’s corner, we got the first header and Harry Powell’s effort was cleared when the ball was half over the line.”
He continued: “Since Christmas, we’ve had three hard games but we’ll go down to Silsden on Saturday and put a performance in. We’ve got to have a bit more belief in ourselves and go on and try and get that win – then to go on a run. In November, a 2-1 victory over Lincoln United was the start of a four match winning sequence for us – and we’ve got to look to do it again.”
By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie
Ashington manager Nick Gray cut a forlorn figure on Saturday night after his side had been comprehensively defeated 4-0 by Bradford Park Avenue at Woodhorn Lane.
On a day to forget, the boss looked on as the promotion chasers cruised into a three goals lead just after the half hour mark before they added a fourth within a minute of the start of the second half.
Gray said: “It was a tough day at the office and I’m not only gutted for the supporters but for everyone at the club. We hadn’t had a game for three weeks but I’m not making that as an excuse because you should be chomping at the bit to go out on the park today and within ten minutes we are 2-0 down. Credit to Bradford Park Avenue who were far better than us in every department. They played a 4-4-2 system and people say these days that you cannot play that formation – but they made it work today and we couldn’t cope with it.”
He continued: “The first half was probably one of the worst I’ve seen to be honest. We didn’t talk to each other or look to get on the ball and when we did, we gave poor passes or made poor decisions. They (Bradford) are a decent side but with no disrespect they are not Real Madrid and I just thought we made it easy for them. If you are playing against good sides you’ve got to make it difficult; you’ve got to work harder than them; you’ve got to make sure that you’re passing is on the button and you certainly can’t give them easy goals.”
He added: “At half time I brought Marc Ellison off. I thought he was one of our better performers if I’m being honest but he was on a yellow card and I know how much the game means to him and I didn’t want him to become frustrated. We asked the players for a reaction but within a minute we were another goal down and we couldn’t have asked for a worse start to the second half. All of us have got to look at ourselves in the mirror and be better and how do we do that? Well we have got to learn from it but I feel as if I am on a repeat record sometimes because we go two steps forward and one step back.”
He went on: “One thing I will say about this league is if you are not prepared to work hard and stop giving teams goals, it’s going to be difficult to win games of football. Today I didn’t think we gave ourselves a chance (to win a game of football) and that’s really disappointing. Although I don’t like getting beat, I can accept it but it’s the mannerism of how you get beat – and we were second best in every department. We have played at home today and I think we have had one, maybes two crosses into the box and we haven’t had one shot at goal the whole of the game – so how can you win games of football? Second half you could see how they (Bradford) didn’t want to concede a goal – they kept going and were determined and from one to 11 they were better than us. It was up to us to change the mechanism of the game as they (Bradford) didn’t need to but you can’t give sides an easy ride – and we certainly did that today.”
Ashington now start a run of three consecutive away games when they travel to face Heaton Stannington on Tuesday (January 20) with Gray looking for a reaction from his players: “The hardest thing for me to take is that I’m not on the pitch – and I wish I could be,” he said, “You can do as much or as little training or as much talking as you want but if you haven’t got it when you go out onto the pitch its always going to be difficult. We had very few set pieces today but even when we got one, people were doing the wrong things and that was also disappointing. That’s why we got the result we did today because it was a simple case where it was too acceptable from to many players. I’ve said that we need to box on this half of the season and today was the first of six games in 17 days for us so everyone is going to get an opportunity and people have got to grasp their chance.”
