By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Marc Ellison thought Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw against local rivals Morpeth Town was ‘probably a fair result’ in the end.

The Colliers trailed to a goal just past the half hour mark from Morpeth skipper Jeff Henderson – who was sent off on the stroke of half time following an off-the-ball incident – but Ashington lynchpin Paddy Almond scored a fabulous equaliser in the 75^th minute.

Ellison said: “I think, in the end, a draw was probably a fair result. I was quite frustrated with the first half, if I’m being honest. I didn’t think we really got going at all. I thought Morpeth looked like they wanted to win the game a little bit more than we did, and that’s something we had to address at half-time. I didn’t see what happened with the sending-off, so I can’t really comment too much on that, but obviously it came right on the stroke of half-time and, when you’ve got that extra man for the second half, you’ve got to try and use it to your advantage.”

He continued: “The message at half-time was pretty simple really – we had to liven up, we had to show a bit more urgency, and we couldn’t come back in after 90 minutes without something to show for it. We knew we’d probably have the majority of the ball with the extra man, and that was the case. We kept knocking on the door and eventually got the equaliser. It was a great finish from Paddy (Almond), and then you think, with 15 minutes or so left, surely we can go again and maybe nick another one, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.”

He added: “So, yeah, I think a point is probably fair in the end. It’s a good point on the board in our first league game and we’ll celebrate every point we get this season. Every point is a point closer to where we want to be. It’s also another home game unbeaten, which I think takes us back to February when we lost to Emley, so that’s something we’re really pleased with. We’ve spoken about making this place a really difficult place for teams to come and pick points up, and that has to continue. We have to pick up as many points as we possibly can at home. And the supporters are a massive part of that. They were brilliant again tonight, and hopefully they’ll keep turning up, keep getting behind us and keep making plenty of noise.”

By Brian Bennett

The draw for the first round of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup has thrown up several fascinating ties – including a repeat clash between Newcastle University and Ashington.

Last season, the Colliers turned in a rock bottom performance against the Students who deservedly marched through after a 2-0 win at Essity Park in October.

Colliers boss Marc Ellison, speaking after his sides 2-0 win over Horden CW in the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday, said: “I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know the draw had been made! But it doesn’t really matter who we got drawn against. Obviously, last year wasn’t our greatest night when we went there, so we’ll be looking to make amends for that. It’s a competition I want us to do well in, so we’ll be really looking forward to it and hopefully we can put in a good performance and make sure we’re in the next round of that one as well.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s Tom McIntyre made a dream debut on Saturday when he scored the opening goal for the Colliers in their 2-0 victory over Horden Community Welfare at Woodhorn Lane in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup.

The 22 year-old revealed he was buzzing after being named in the side – and the midfielder put the cherry on the cake of his first performance early in the contest when he played a swift one-two with Scott Fenwick before slotting the ball past Marras ‘keeper Robert Dean.

“I’ve been in (at the club) since the start of pre season and I’ve enjoyed it – the training and the games,” said Newcastle-born McIntyre – a water operator for Northumbrian Water who is based in Prudhoe, “It was great to get off to a good start today both from a team point of view as well as from a personal angle.”

Of his goal, McIntyre said: “I’ve been playing a bit more attacking either in the ten role or out wide on the right so obviously with that you need to be scoring goals. The chance came quite quickly following a great ball through by Scott Fenwick and I saw the space to the ‘keeper’s right so I slotted it past him and thankfully it went it. I was delighted.”

McIntyre, who was previously with Blyth Town, added: “I had no idea that I was in the starting eleven until I saw my name on the team sheet but I was buzzing. The second goal helped us massively. I thought we were in control in the first period but that goal just on half time has proved to be crucial – especially the timing of it. It was a good press and obviously Gilly (Josh Gilchrist) has nicked it off the lad and put it past the ‘keeper. The second half was a bit more of a battle but getting through to the next round of the cup with the added bonus of a clean sheet is all that matters.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Marc Ellison wore a broad smile after the final whistle on Saturday after watching his side deliver a knockout blow against Horden Community Welfare in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup.

The Colliers will now entertain Thornaby on Saturday week (August 22) as goals from Tom McIntyre and Josh Gilchrist wrapped up a 2-0 win over their visitors from the Ebac Northern League’s first division.

Ellison said: “It’s always nice to start the season with a win, of course it is. It gives everyone a lift after the grind of pre-season, so to get through the first game 2-0 and into the next round of the FA Cup, we’re delighted. I thought we took control of the game fairly early in the first half and looked quite comfortable without really causing them too many problems across the half. We got the early goal and then the second one right on half-time which I thought was probably a little unfortunate for them because I think their lad has just fallen over the ball on a sticky pitch, but Gilly (Josh Gilchrist) has still had a lot to do and it was a really good finish.”

He continued: “I’m over the moon for Josh because he’s played out of position today to accommodate some other players and has put a real shift in defensively as well. He probably should’ve had another one (goal) in the second half too but it looked like he got caught in two minds and the ‘keeper (Robert Dean) read him well. Going in 2-0 up at half-time was great obviously but I still felt we had another gear or two in us and had more to offer if I’m being honest. I wanted us to be a bit more aggressive with the press in the second half, try and get them under some early pressure and ideally get another goal so we could enjoy the rest of the afternoon.”

He added: “It didn’t quite work out like that though. Horden went from back to front a lot quicker in the second half, which took away a lot of the opportunities for us to get pressure high up the pitch, and our passing became a bit loose at times. But, to be fair to the lads, we defended really well and never looked like we were in too much trouble. Then as the game went on, you could tell Horden have had three or four more games than us and it did look like if there was going to be another goal, they probably had a bit more in the tank than we did. But listen, it’s a 2-0 win in our first game of the season, we’re through to the next round of the cup, so there’s absolutely no complaints from us.”

He went on: “The fact that we know we’ve got more to offer is probably a good sign as well. Rossy (skipper Karl Ross) and young Jack (Jack Gibson) were brilliant for us in midfield again but Karl has come off with a knock. Hopefully that’s nothing too serious and he’ll be alright for Tuesday night’s local derby against Morpeth Town.”

By Brian Bennett

Horden Community Welfare manager Jonny Payne is looking forward to his sides’ clash against Ashington in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday (August 8).

And the long serving boss of the Ebac Northern League first division side reckons his outfit have got a free hit and will have nothing to lose when they line up for the 3pm kick off against the Colliers who operate in the NPL East Division – one league above.

Payne, who is in his tenth season as boss of ‘The Marras’ said: “We had a really good pre season winning all six friendlies including Stockton Town and we’ve secured a win and a draw from the two league games which we have played so far. We didn’t have a fixture at the weekend but face a hard match against Whitley Bay on Tuesday (August 4).” Payne will then focus on the Cup tie and added: “We’re looking forward to it. I played against Ashington at their former home of Portland Park and it was a lively place to go to – but I always enjoyed going up there. The set up at Woodhorn Lane looks tremendous and I’ve heard good things about the pitch. To be honest, it’s a free hit for us. It’s a stress-free situation and it’s an opportunity for my lads to play without much pressure on their shoulders. We are a close knit bunch and obviously want to progress and we’ll be giving it our best shot.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Marc Ellison says long standing friendships will be put on hold on Saturday (August 8) when the Colliers open their 2026-27 season with a home tie against Horden Community Welfare in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup.

Not only is Ellison a former player with the County Durham side but he’s also good mates with Horden manager Jonny Payne as well as several of their players.

The Woodhorn Lane boss says he will be pleased to catch up with Payne before the 3pm kick-off – but reckons it will be after the final whistle when the pair meet up again: “I couldn’t believe it when the draw came out,” said Ellison, “On a personal level, the game has that little bit extra because earlier in my playing career, I had a really enjoyable spell with Horden. On top of that their manager Jonny Payne, is one of my best mates and I’m still good friends with a few of the players. It’ll be good to see plenty of familiar faces but once the match starts, Jonny and myself will be in our own bubbles and our friendship will temporarily go on hold. Jonny will be wanting to beat me just as much as I want to beat him so hopefully it’s got all the makings of being an enjoyable game. They (Horden) have made a good start to the season in the first division of the Ebac Northern League and if I know Jonny and Horden as well as I think I do, they’ll turn up full of energy, aggressive and on the front foot, so it’ll be a really tough test for us.”

Ellison is delighted that his side will begin the campaign on home soil: “I think we’ve had away draws for the last couple of seasons, so it’ll be great to start in front of our own supporters,” he said, “Everyone knows how important a good FA Cup run can be for clubs at our level. The prize money can make a real difference and it’s a clash which we are all looking forward to.”

The winners will be at home to either Guisborough Town or Thornaby.

By Brian Bennett

Striker Josh Gilchrist is hoping to take his goalscoring exploits from Ashington’s warm up matches into the season proper which starts on Saturday week (August 8).

The curtain goes up on the Colliers’ campaign when they take on Ebac Northern League first division side Horden Colliery Welfare in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup at Woodhorn Lane – followed by a hectic opening programme in the East Division of the NPL.

Although the Wansbeck outfit only won two out of six friendlies, Gilchrist bagged five goals and says he cannot wait for the competitive action to get underway.

“This has probably been my best haul in pre season,” he said, “However, I think it’s important to get out of it what you need to both individually and as a collective. Looking to reach match fitness is obviously an important aspect but so to is building confidence and scoring goals – which I believe is more of a confidence thing and more of an instinct. If you can get off the mark nice and early which I’ve always strived to do, it relieves a bit of pressure and gives you a better opportunity going into the first game of the season.  At the back of my mind, I’m thinking ‘I’ve already scored five – so let’s kick on and score the sixth, seventh and eighth and keep going.”

The 23 year-old – ready to embark on his third season with the club – continued: “I feel good, fresh and fit and I’m excited as we approach the start. We’ve got a young group and we’re learning different things. It’s a blend of older lads and younger lads coming together and looking to create something good – and I’m more than confident that we will be able to do that.”

Newcastle-born Gilchrist went on: “Pre season has gone really well – not just for myself – but for the team. Things are not going to click instantly which we’ve seen in snippets.

Some bits have been good – some not so good but we’re beavering away behind the scenes in training and in matches and the lads have got all the confidence in the world that it’s going to work. In my opinion with pre season games, you obviously want to win but if you get beat it doesn’t really mean anything as long as we are getting fitness plus working on things like in and out of possession – that’s the most important.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington completed their programme of pre season warm up matches on Wednesday night when they went down to a goal against at the death against Hartlepool United Under 21s at Woodhorn Lane.

The Colliers – who played some decent football in spells  – gave both goals away in the first half after losing possession.

They trailed as early as the eighth minute to a header at the far post but got back on terms just past the quarter hour mark with a good finish from a trialist.

The Under 21s regained the lead in the 23^rd minute before Josh Gilchrist levelled with a left foot shot from the edge of the area.

Ashington missed some great opportunities to edge ahead and paid the penalty when the visitors netted a third with the last kick of the game when a corner was played to the far post.

Marc Ellison’s side now go into what is thought to be an unprecedented period of just over two weeks as they have no more friendlies ahead of their start to the season when they entertain Horden CW in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday August 8.

By Brian Bennett

The new fixtures were released by the Northern Premier League last week – and Ashington manager Marc Ellison has admitted that his side face a ‘really tough start’ to the campaign.

The curtain goes up for the Colliers with a home game against Horden Colliery Welfare in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday August 8 – with their league programme commencing three days later with a mouthwatering local derby contest against Morpeth Town who were relegated from the NPL Premier Division last term.

Ellison said: “I’m really excited now. I’ve mentioned before, and it’s probably the same for most players and managers, that pre-season is a bit of a ballache but everything we do is geared towards being ready for August. The opening fixtures are really tough, but that’s the case with every game in this league. Starting at home against Morpeth is a great test and should be a big night, with hopefully a good crowd coming along to support us. Then we’ve got Stocksbridge, who have just been relegated and will be determined to challenge at the top end of the table, followed by Guisborough, who have just been promoted and will be full of confidence and excitement. It makes for a really challenging first week of competitive football, but it’s something we’re all looking forward to. We know we’ll need to be at our best if we want to pick up some positive results but overall, I’m just pleased the season is getting closer. We’re looking forward to building on how we finished last season and hopefully continuing to improve over the course of this one.”

Meanwhile Ashington kept their first clean sheet in pre season when they defeated Horley Town 3-0 at Blyth’s Croft Park on Sunday in the Better Together Cup. Josh Gilchrist scored a brace with Paddy Almond also on target.

Ellison said afterwards: “There were plenty of positives to take from this afternoon’s performance. We looked at a different formation again, which looked fairly comfortable .It is only pre-season, and results can sometimes be misleading. Horley had also played the day before, so they were always likely to tire as the game went on, and our final two goals came late. That said, those goals came from situations the players had identified beforehand as areas where we felt we could hurt them, so it was pleasing to see that work pay off. We only had 12 available players today so the lads put in a good shift knowing it was unlikely to be any changes so I was really pleased with that.”

He continued: “Overall, it was another good workout as we continue building towards the start of the season but I have to give a special mention to 16-year-old Jack Gibson, who was outstanding from the first whistle to the last. I’m also delighted for Josh Gilchrist to get his two goals, while Paddy Almond put in a brilliant performance and deservedly got himself on the scoresheet as well.”

He added: “Skipper Karl Ross has come off injured which is a concern so close to season but we’ll monitor him and hopefully have him back in time. Overall there’s plenty to be positive about. There’s still lots to work on and improve, but it was a good afternoon and another positive step in the right direction.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Marc Ellison admitted that it was ‘a tough day at the office’ after he watched his side suffer a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Berwick Rangers at Shielfield Park on Saturday.

The ‘Gers were two-nil up at the interval with goals at the beginning and end of the half from Mikey Mbewe and Greg Binnie respectively.

Josh O’Connor netted a third before strikes from Binnie and Danny Handling made up the nap hand.

The scoreline was harsh on a Colliers outfit who certainly had good periods during the contest but backed by an excellent turn out of supporters who made the journey, they could not give them even a consolation effort.

A large chunk of the second period was played in torrential rain and a soaked Ellison said afterwards: “It was a tough day at the office today. I know it’s only pre-season and ultimately, results aren’t the be-all and end-all but nobody enjoys taking a hiding, regardless of the importance of the game. I’ve probably got to take responsibility for today’s result. I asked the lads to play a different formation to the one we’ve used over the last few games without really having enough time to work on it properly in training. It’s a shape we used last season, albeit with different personnel and to be honest I really enjoyed watching us play that way. We picked up some really positive results with it so I wanted to have another look at it. I just felt that, with the players we had available today, it probably didn’t suit us as well and we perhaps didn’t fully understand exactly how we wanted to play it. That’s no criticism of the lads whatsoever – that’s what pre-season is for. It’s about trying things, learning from them and finding out what works best for the group.”

He continued: “After we conceded a sloppy first goal, I actually thought we responded well. We had the better of the possession during the first half and created a few good half chances but didn’t really hurt them. On another day, if our final pass, finish or decision-making had been a little better, the scoreline might have looked different. When the league games start, those fine margins can be the difference between picking up points or coming away empty-handed, so it’s definitely an area we need to improve. Unfortunately, we then gave away another really sloppy goal just before half-time which is frustrating.”

He added: “The second half followed a similar pattern when we conceded an early goal which killed the game off for them and from that point we never really managed to get going or build any momentum. We lacked conviction in both boxes at times and gifted away goals, which always makes life difficult whoever you’re playing against but Berwick were decent, especially in the second half. We’ve spoken about that, along with a few other areas we know we can improve on, and that’s the important thing.”

With England’s World Cup semi final against Argentina taking place on Wednesday (July 15), Crook Town and Ashington have agreed to bring their friendly – which was scheduled to take place on the same night –  forward by 24 hours with the game now taking place on Tuesday evening.

Ellison said: “The good thing about pre-season is that you don’t have to wait long for the next opportunity. We’ve got another game on Tuesday, and it’s a chance for us to put things right, learn from today’s lessons and be better all over the pitch.”