By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

After Friday’s match against Heaton Stannington was called off due to a frozen pitch, Ashington’s assistant manager Liam McIvor took time out to give a half term report.

The Colliers currently occupy 16^th place in the East Division of the Pitching In Northern Premier League, only four points from safety. They recently went on a four match winning run which was ended on Boxing Day when they went down 1-0 against Blyth Spartans.

Now McIvor says the squad ‘must do better’ in the second half of the campaign: “We’ve signed a few players, kept loan deals on and we’ve got a very strong squad now but it’s about being consistent across every game,” he said, “We’ve had two spells in the season where we’ve been consistent – the three games in a week – then four recently where we took points. Obviously it was a massive disappointment with the result on Boxing Day against Blyth Spartans because that is a game which we obviously would have liked to have won with a big crowd here. The reality is we must do better.”

After being in the relegation drop zone, the Colliers strung wins together to move up the table and McIvor added: “Probably the biggest plus in the first half of the campaign was getting out of the bottom four. It was always a monkey to get off our back but I look at Blyth Spartans who are nine points adrift of us. They have just beaten us and have taken four points off us this season but I know what position I would rather be in. Looking at the league, if the lads keep their consistency and we were to go on another three game unbeaten run we would be in the play offs. That’s how tight it is – there is nothing in the league.”

He continued: “I do wish we were a bit higher up in the league because I think the position where we have been for most of the season doesn’t give credit to how good some of these players are. I think we are gelling more as a team; we look more of a man’s team if I’m honest because we’ve had to juggle things around for a long time and we’ve eventually brought a couple of signings in that we were after in pre season.”

McIvor believes there is plenty ahead for the Woodhorn Lane supporters – who gave the team a jolt at the end of October following a 3-0 loss at home to Newton Aycliffe: “I think it was the lowest point of the season when we were booed off – and rightly so if I’m honest – after that result and performance,” he added, “The fans have stuck by us through thick and thin and that had never happened before – but it was probably a wake up call that we needed as a team. Since then we’ve come out and given things a go and I think the fans have got plenty to look forward to in the second half of the season.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray strengthened his squad last week when Charlie Aitken put pen to paper on a loan deal from Ebac Northern League side Whickham.

The newcomer came on for the final quarter hour of Ashington’s one goal defeat against Blyth Spartans on Boxing Day and Gray said: “Charlie is a lad who I’ve known since he was a junior. He has good energy and quality and he’ll give us legs. He’s new to the group and has only trained once with us and when he came on today it was in difficult circumstances.”

He continued: “I think the squad is getting really strong now – probably the strongest it’s been all season – but paper doesn’t win games of football – players do and we’ve had some of our better results when things have been down. Now we’ve got to have people who are leaders.”

Ashington go first footing to Heaton Stannington on Friday (January 2) and Gray added: “It’ll be a tough game because they are flying and are having a great season. However,  we’ve got nothing to fear. When you think you have turned a corner, football has this great habit of kicking you and for all we dug in to get a great result at Bishop Auckland, the defeat against Blyth Spartans is one of those days – but we’ve got to move on and look to start another good run.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington manager Nick Gray said he was ‘hurting’ after the 1-0 defeat against Blyth Spartans in the local derby on Boxing Day.

It was a game which in front of a record attendance at Woodhorn Lane – 1,488 – never scaled any heights to excite the fans and was decided by a goal in first half stoppage time by Jack Foalle.

However, a big turning point arrived only four minutes into the contest when Colliers newcomer Chris Reid was shown a red card by referee Tyler Dutton for a needless challenge near the touchline on Paul Van-Zandvliet with Gray suggesting afterwards that had the incident not occurred, the outcome of the game would have been different.

“It was a disappointing result and I’m hurting,” said a furious Gray, “As we had hoped, there was a big crowd and we spoke about us rising to the occasion but if I’m honest, the occasion was a dour contest where there wasn’t a lot of football played. They (Blyth) get a goal just before half time and then in the second half, they haven’t really hurt us and we haven’t hurt them but in hindsight if we had kept 11 players on the pitch – and if I’m being brutally honest – I don’t think that would have been the result (1-0 to Blyth) that’s for sure.”

He continued: “I thought the lads gave their all. Subs wise it was one of those where we changed the shape so we brought Liam Noble off and altered the midfield. Liam Wotherspoon hasn’t played a lot and Josh Gilchrist had an injury last time out so we put some fresh legs on for them. Then putting Ryan Wombwell and Jay Hornsby on, we hoped to get the full backs joining in as much as they could – but that didn’t happen. I cannot fault the lads’ effort but I can certainly question our quality today – even though in my opinion there wasn’t a lot of quality by either team.”

He added: “We played 90 plus minutes with ten men and it was credit to our lads that none of them went down with cramp in the second half. However, we didn’t test their goalkeeper and when you go down to ten men, you’re mindset and mentality has got to change. You have to have a lot of belief in yourself and I’m not sure that at times we had enough belief to get back into the game.”

Were Ashington worthy of a draw? Ashington’s assistant manager Liam McIvor said: “I thought we were because what did Blyth create?” whilst Gray continued: “You can say we deserved a draw however, when teams have got something to hold onto, the game changes a little bit.”

Gray was also miffed when the board went up to indicate a minimum of four minutes at the end of the second half: “I don’t know how many substitutions there were and I don’t know how many times they (Blyth) went down but four minutes of time added on?”

On Reid’s red card Gray commented “Obviously it was only four minutes into the game and was disappointing because he (Chris Reid) didn’t have to make the challenge. Chris has apologised in the dressing room but what I would say is that I thought he was being held in the box from the free-kick and it was a penalty. I asked the referee about it but he said both players were holding each other.”

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 14^th 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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By Brian Bennett

Liam Wotherspoon made his debut for Ashington on Saturday after coming on as a first half substitute in the away game against Bishop Auckland which the Colliers won 1-0.

After putting pen to paper, the 29 year old said: “One of the big reasons I signed was because there are a good few lads at the club who I know really well – and I’ve also known manager Nick Gray and his assistant Liam McIvor for a while. It’s a good club. It looks like there is a good side here and hopefully we can go on a decent run between now and the end of the season.”

Speaking half an hour after the clash at the Vest Construction Stadium, Newcastle-born Wotherspoon – who is a branch sales manager – said it was a ‘great result:’ “I’ve been following Ashington’s results and they’ve been doing really well,” he added, “The second half today we just dug in, fought for every first and second ball and looked after each other whilst staying tight and compact. I thought we were brilliant and it was a great result.”

West Denton-based Wotherspoon – who revealed that his favourite position is playing behind the striker as a number ten – said he was happy with his contribution after he had  replaced the injured Josh Gilchrist ten minutes before the end of the first half: “I was trying to get off as many second balls as I could when I went up to join Hendo (Liam Henderson). Then it was trying to make sure that we defended really well because pretty much for the whole of the second half it was a case of ‘holding in’ and making sure that we hung onto the lead. We had a couple of chances at the end as well if only we had been a bit cleaner with our passing but we won the game. I was happy with my contribution and it was good to get the first game under my belt.”

By Brian Bennett

Goalkeeper Matty Alexander was the ‘hero of the hour’ after he saved a late spot kick which preserved his side three points from their match against Bishop Auckland on Saturday.

The Colliers had led courtesy of a Craig Spooner volley after quarter of an hour but they missed chances to add a second – and would literally have paid the penalty had Alexander  not come to the fore.

Other than an early save in the third minute, the 23 year old was never seriously tested until the 82^nd minute after referee Sam Packer had pointed to the spot. Dean Thexton stepped forward to take the kick for the home side but looked on as Alexander magnificently repelled the effort.

Afterwards, the Newcastle-born stopper – who only recently returned to the side after being ruled out with a broken finger sustained in training – said: “I had a feeling that he (Thexton) was going to go to my left so I just threw myself to that side and it paid off. Naturally I was pleased with the save.”

Alexander added: “The save was massively important – not just for myself but for the backline as well. It breeds confidence throughout the team knowing that you can win games by scoring early and holding onto the lead. At half time, the gaffer (Nick Gray) said that keeping a clean sheet in the second half would win us the game and we’ve gone out and done that as a team.”

He continued: “I thought it was a good game and the lads were brilliant yet again. We created a lot of chances and we could and should have scored more than the one goal whilst their ‘keeper (Harrison Bond) pulled off some decent saves. At the moment, it just seems that with our confidence building, we are starting to put performances together and hopefully that will continue.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington provided their manager Nick Gray with the perfect pre Christmas pick-me-up tonic when they won 1-0 against Bishop Auckland on Saturday.

A solitary goal by Craig Spooner – his sixth of the season – was all that separated the two sides with his early strike bringing the Colliers a fourth victory on the bounce.

And Gray – who had been feeling a bit under the weather during the week – got a much needed boost after an encouraging display from his side.

“I thought we started the game well,” said Gray afterwards, “We got into some good areas and scored a great goal. The first one (goal) is always important and we got it after a good move. After Liam Noble had pressed the ball, it was a great delivery from Louis Burns and finished off well by Craig Spooner. I thought we would take things on from there and for the next 10-15 minutes we were good – but the last quarter of an hour we let them (Bishop Auckland) into the game although they never hurt us and I thought they played quite a bit in front of us.”

He continued: “Second half, although it wasn’t the greatest game of football I still thought we were likely to score at times and we had a couple of great opportunities. Then they’ve got a penalty when Josh Cairns has showed a bit of naivety. He was too tight trying to win the ball and defending is sometimes about seeing the ball out of play – but he’s only young and he’s done really well in training. However goalkeeper Matty Alexander stepped up to the challenge, made himself big and made a great save.”

Gray added: “Overall I thought we deserved to win the game and it was also nice to keep a clean sheet. I keep on saying that you earn your luck in football and we deserved that little bit of luck because we were the better side today and winning breeds confidence.”

The Woodhorn Lane boss was delighted with the debut performances from the vastly experienced Chris Reid and Liam Wotherspoon. Reid lined up at the heart of the defence whilst Wotherspoon came on as a substitute and played just behind striker Liam Henderson: “I knew Harry Powell was unavailable this weekend so I asked Chris Reid – who I’ve known for a long time – if he would do us a favour,” said Gray, “Chris is a leader and a winner and you could see that on the pitch. We’ve got some young players in the squad and Chris (Reid) added know-how to the team. He gave other players a lift and we looked more like a team of experienced men today.”

Gray went on: “After Josh Gilchrist had been forced off with an injury, Liam Wotherspoon replaced him and gave us plenty of energy. Liam was hungry to go on and I thought he did really well. You could see he was trying to get into the box and make things happen and he worked hard. I just thought the other players bounced off both Chris (Reid) and Liam (Wotherspoon) and it was a great team effort today.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington manager Nick Gray has hailed Karl Ross after the skipper turned in an ‘outstanding’ display in the Colliers 3-2 win over Ossett United on Saturday.

Although Ryan Donaldson got the nod as the supporters Player of the match, Gray said afterwards: “I thought Karl (Ross) was outstanding. He emphasised what playing for Ashington is all about. He’s played in a couple of roles today (right back and left back) which were unusual for him but he gave everything. He led from the front and you could visibly see he had taken a couple of knocks but he didn’t want to come off.”

The long serving Ross said: “Obviously we’ve got a couple of injuries and the gaffer (Nick Gray) said he thought I could do a job in those positions. I started at right back today but over the years I’ve played in several positions for the club.”

On the victory – Ashington’s third on the trot – Ross said: “It was a great win. We said before the game that three points would get us out of the bottom four where we have been for a while so it was an incentive for us. However we’ve created a mentality where we are winning matches and are on a run of form and we’ve made Woodhorn Lane a hard place for visiting teams to come. Today wasn’t the best of games – it was scrappy. We know we can do a lot better but at the end of the day we won and that’s all that counts.”

The 27 year old continued: “Ossett are a good side and they posed a threat from set pieces and long throw-ins. We are not one of the biggest teams in the league but I thought we dealt with things well. It was disappointing that after they (Ossett) went down to ten men, we conceded an equaliser and it was a case of regrouping and going again. We knew another chance would come our way because we were playing some good attacking football at times and after going 3-2 up, we rode it out in the end.”

Cramlington-based Ross concluded: “We’ve got a busy period ahead of us over Christmas and have got games against local sides. We want the local bragging rights and are going into the matches full of confidence off the back of three good wins and our aim is to continue to keep moving up the table.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington manager Nick Gray said he was relieved as well as delighted after his side had won their third game in a row when they defeated Ossett United 3-2 at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday.

Gray commented: “My assistant Liam (McIvor) has jokingly said that I’ve got more chance of having a heart attack watching us play than if I smoked 50 cigarettes a day – and he’s right! It wasn’t a pretty watch today and we have played better this season and lost but it was an important win for us. We talked before the game that a victory was the incentive we needed to get out of the bottom four – and we got it.”

Gray continued: “First half I thought they (Ossett) were the better side. We scored at the beginning of the game but just seemed to sit back, relax and didn’t replicate what we had done to get the goal. We had opportunities to do it – but didn’t – then we got a second (goal) right on half time. I told the lads in the dressing room that the positive was that we were 2-0 up but the negative was that we needed to do better in the next 45 minutes. I also emphasised that we needed to keep 11 players on the pitch and had to work harder than them (Ossett). We gave away a disappointing free kick and they scored from it which gave them a lift. Then after that we dug in for five to ten minutes before they had their defender sent off. I don’t know what happened but the assistant has obviously seen something on the far side.”

He added: “Credit to Ossett because with ten men they still gave it a go and then they’ve equalised after a mishap between Andrew Anderson and goalkeeper Matty Alexander. However, I’ve got to give praise to my lads who came back and went ahead again – albeit with an own goal – but the biggest positive of the afternoon is that we won the game 3-2. We were down in numbers and consequently there wasn’t a lot we could change – I think we would have done if we could – but the key thing today was getting three points. I did feel for the opposition a little bit because I thought they played well but at the same time we have played well in games and haven’t picked up any points and over the season it evens itself out.”

The result saw the Colliers move out of the bottom four up to 15^th in the East Division table of the Pitching In Northern Premier League and Gray said: “The bottom of the table is so congested. You can drop into the bottom four or come out of it but when you’re in it, it’s for a reason. I suppose it’s the old cliché that you’ve got to concentrate on yourselves and we have had some important wins – if we hadn’t we would have been right in the mire. We had 14 players today and the lads have dug in and got the points. Before the game with our numbers being down I would have simply taken any type of a win – and that’s exactly what it was. You’re in football to win and credit to the lads.”

He concluded: “I want our standards to be high and although there is still a lot to work on, winning breeds confidence so we’ll dust ourselves down and prepare to face Bishop Auckland on Saturday.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington are taking time to adjust to life in the Pitching In Northern Premier League’s East Division.

After winning promotion via an inter step play off final against Glossop North End, the Colliers are now in their third season in the league and after narrowly escaping the drop back into the Ebac Northern League last season, the Wansbeck side are currently fourth from bottom and in the drop zone this term.

However Woodhorn Lane boss Nick Gray reckons that in all his 17 years of management, he has never known a league to be so congested: “It’s ironic that at the time of me saying this, we are in the bottom four – yet the team who are fifth top are only nine points ahead of us,” he commented, “I have never known a league table to be so tight and I hope no-one will take this the wrong way but I think the Ebac Northern League was stronger ten years ago (than this league). It’s quite an open but crazy league and shows that generally, every team has a run of indifferent results. Consett for instance started the season flying but they’ve had some challenging times over the last six weeks until they had a good result against Bradford Park Avenue. The league is wide open – there are two or three teams like Redcar Athletic, Matlock Town and Dunston but that apart, there is very little between the others.”

He continued: “For me, it’s about gaining confidence and being consistent. We’ve had a couple of false dawns but that’s what we are striving for at Ashington. We’ve had back to back wins and if we hadn’t got them, we could have been right in the mire. This month is important because we are playing teams around us so we need to get positive results in those games because what we don’t want is for those other sides to gain ground on us.”

Gray admitted that bringing new players to the club is not a straight forward scenario: “I have tried (to get players in) but we cannot compete financially with teams in our area and that’s being realistic,” he said, “We are where we are and we have a good group (of players) at the club who will fight tooth and nail and give everything and I’m confident we’ve got a squad who will get us away from the relegation zone.”

He went on: “Some players don’t want to do the travel and in addition they can usually get a better deal around the doors. Credit to the lads who play at this level because it’s certainly not for the financial side of things but for the love of the game and wanting to do well for the club.”