By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner has pulled off a major coup with the signing of former Blyth Spartans defender Nathan Buddle.

The Woodhorn Lane club report back for pre season training on Tuesday (June 20) and Buddle can’t wait: “I have fond memories from being at Ashington as a junior and I’ve seen how much the club have progressed,” he said, “They are going in the right direction and as a player that’s what you want – to be part of a club who are ambitious and definitely on the up. I’ve got friends at Ashington and was keeping an eye on things – and I was over the moon for them when they were promoted at the end of the last campaign.”

The 29 year old is delighted to make his return to the sport after an injury threatened to bring his career to a premature end last year. Buddle said: “I suffered a concussion injury but I’m delighted that I received the all clear and I’m genuinely desperate to get back onto a football pitch. We start training at Ashington next Tuesday and I’m absolutely raring to go.”

Manager Skinner said: “I previously worked with Nathan at Newcastle when he was a junior and I’m obviously delighted to have signed a player of his pedigree. We enquired about him really early in pre season but he needed some time to weight up all of his options. Momentum has been building over the past week and from Nathan’s point of view, it was an interest which he was keen to explore further. We were thrilled and over the moon when he decided that Ashington was going to be the best fit for him. He turned down a number of clubs from National League North and the Northern Premier League and even at the 11^th hour just before I was due to meet him he received an offer from another team higher up the pyramid. However, Nathan stayed true to his word that he had given to myself that he was going to sign for Ashington and that is just testimony to the type of person and character he is.”

He continued: “Nathan suffered a career threatening injury last season and from his point of view, it was about the whole package – where he thought would be good to get back playing regular and enjoying his football again and also what would suit his work and family life balance. He’s obviously coming into a dressing room with a number of familiar faces and I think that contributed as well.”

He went on: “The signing of Nathan will help us to try and move the club forward and I look forward to working with him again. I think he will be a massive influence both on and off the pitch for us in terms of the leadership qualities he brings and the hunger and the desire to be successful in everything that he does which can only be good for the players we already have at the club.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC’s longest serving player Karl Ross cannot wait for the new season to get underway.

The 24 year old midfielder was included in a recent list of a dozen players by the Woodhorn Lane based club who were either contracted or had signed a new contract with the club.

And although Ross is champing at the bit, he is astonished by the rapid progression of the club as he reflected on his time at Woodhorn Lane.

Ross – the only player who remains from the squad which Ian Skinner inherited when took over as manager four years ago – said: “What a difference and transformation there has been at the club in such a short space of time. I can’t believe it.”

But turning the clock back, there was a period where Ross admitted that a move away from his home town club was a possibility: “I wasn’t in the first team and I just wanted to play,” he said, “I had a chat with the boss (Ian Skinner) and that’s why I went to play for the reserves. I enjoyed my time with them; I was playing up front and scored a lot of goals. I’m thrilled that I didn’t move on. All I wanted was to stay because I love playing for the club.”

Last season, the Colliers went into their final Ebac Northern League game only needing a draw at Bishop Auckland to secure a play off place. The game finished 1-1. “We went there and we knew we were a better side – and I thought it showed,” said Ross, who is based in Cramlington, “We went there for the three points – we didn’t go there to sit in and change the way we play. However when they (Bishop Auckland) got a penalty and scored, I thought it was going to be one of those days. We got in at half time and believed in ourselves and said we had nothing to be scared of. In the second half, we got back on terms and should have won but a point was enough.”

The following week, Ross’s loyalty and commitment was rewarded when Ashington clinched promotion to the Northern Premier League after an inter step play off win over Glossop North End in Derbyshire: “It was unbelievable and is my greatest achievement,” said Ross, “The feeling when the referee blew for full time – I’ve never experienced anything like that before. With me being at the club for so long, I think I went through every emotion. Four years ago we were trying to stay in the first division of the ENL then all of a sudden to think that were going up into the league above was unreal.”

He continued: “As a player, it’s the best season I’ve had at any club,” he said, “It was phenomenal from top to bottom. Obviously results help and we hit record attendances with the fans but we showed on our day that we could beat anyone and the lads were just outstanding – certainly it was the best dressing room I’ve ever been in. Now the club are where they need to be – and next season will be a new challenge.”

Manager Ian Skinner said: “Karl got a special mention at the end of season presentation evening because he is the only player who has been here from the day I came back to the football club. He was in and out of the team. He went to play for the reserves, scored loads of goals and got back in the first team. He sat in my room and said he wasn’t playing very much and I said to him ‘if you don’t play much more I’ll let you go.’ Karl stuck at it; he’s still here and he had a fantastic run towards the end of the season.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner said that the club had ‘monitored’ the progress of Ross Coombe and Cameron Gascoigne ‘for a while’ before the pair put pen to paper for the Woodhorn Lane outfit last week.

Coombe is a goalkeeper whilst Gascoigne is a forward.

Skinner said: “Ross (Coombe) is somebody who we’ve monitored for a little. He was at South Shields then went to Consett where he competed for the number one jersey last season with Mark Foden. He played his fair share of games in the league we are going into so he has got experience. Goalkeeping was not a department we were looking to strengthen if I’m being honest but Kyle Hayes’s work commitments have a significant impact on his availability so with the level of competition that we will be playing week in week out, I thought it was important to make sure that we had an opportunity to have two goalkeepers who were available who could compete with each other (the other being Karl Dryden) and we thought Ross fitted the bill perfectly for what we were looking for. We were delighted when we could get a deal done and he was very enthusiastic and really keen to join the club which was really pleasing as well.”

He continued: “Cameron Gascoigne – formerly with Newcastle Benfield – is another player we have monitored since he was playing at Newcastle Elite and one of the football education programmes. He’s a young and hungry player – somebody who wants to try and play at the highest level he can. He looks after himself and takes the game seriously and is receptive to coaching. He has got ambitions and represents England Universities and plays at a good standard within that. When we thought he was available or potentially was looking to try and play a little bit higher up in the pyramid than he was last year, we got in touch. Again he is another person who was enthusiastic and really keen to come to the club. He turned down two other clubs in preference to us and he liked the set up; the management team; what we are trying to do at the club and he thought it gave him the best opportunity to develop so we are delighted to have him on board and hopefully we’ll be able to add one or two more to the squad in the coming weeks.”

Next season Ashington will compete in the Northern Premier League for the first time in more than half a decade. Travel will increase substantially meaning additional costs to both getting to games and for personnel now spending more of their weekend on football.

Unlike many non-league clubs Ashington has no benefactor with deep pockets to cover these costs. Our progress to this point has been built on the support of the people and businesses in the community. Our progress in the future is dependent on this continuing support and we firmly believe we have a bright future if our magnificent supporters continue to back us.

With all of this in mind we are this evening launching our “Build the budget” campaign. We are asking those supporters who can spare it, to help build the budget and give Ian Skinner the best chance of building a squad to compete as we transition to the higher level of competition.

How it will work
We’ll be running the scheme between Friday 9th June and Friday 7th July, simply pledge a monthly donation that will go directly towards building our squad and be rewarded for your support. All donations above £5 a month will gain access to our Colliers Club Draw, with further benefits added the more generous you are able to be. The benefits and draw prizes are outlined below;

Collier Club Draw Prizes
1st – Limited edition home shirt
2nd – Matchday hospitality for 4
3rd – Adult season ticket
4th – Concessionary or U16 season ticket

To sign up contact budgetbuilder@ashingtonafc.com with your name and the amount you’d like to pledge and we will be in touch with a link where you can set up your direct debit. Alternatively you can make a one off payment at https://checkout.square.site/buy/UZN5L3DSY3KOWRBVYFP47KQS any above £40 will also be entered into our draw.

The Colliers club draw will take place on Friday 7th July in the clubhouse and we will be running a quiz night on the evening.

As we look forward to the 2023/24 season, we are looking to make changes that will move the club on and see it compete at the next level. The return of Northern Premier League football to Ashington for the first time in more than half a century has been the culmination of a lot of hard work on and off the field over the past few years. Victory in the interstep playoff at Glossop at the end of April saw the Colliers move up a division.
Next season will bring new and unique challenges for the famous old club. Ashington will face journeys to Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire bringing additional travel and personnel costs, whilst ground improvements will also be required to meet the criteria set by the Football Association. We are confident that with the right support we will be able to make a success of these challenges.

As well as travelling, the Colliers will also welcome teams from across the North to our town throughout the season and we believe many will make a weekend of it, travelling to the most Northernly team in the pyramid and enjoying the wider region. We are determined to showcase our local area and to represent it with pride on our travels.

Last season the local community really came out to back the Colliers and next year we will need it more than ever. The Colliers saw average gates during 2022/23 well above 500, with more than 900 watching a top of the table clash with Newton Aycliffe and 1,424 seeing Ashington put Stocksbridge Park Steels to the sword in an FA cup replay.
To make a success of the new league we really need the support of the community, of local businesses and individuals.

In the coming days we will be announcing ways that our supporters can play even more of a role in making next year a success, we’re already in the process of speaking to local businesses about how they can support us and today we are looking to expand our team off the field.

We are looking for individuals with a passion for our community and with expertise in business, finance, fundraising and development to come in and join our team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of something challenging but rewarding. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in please contact exec@ashingtonafc.com to arrange an informal conversation.

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner has set the bar high as he prepares to embark on a new challenge in the Northern Premier League East Division following promotion from the Ebac Northern League last term.

Newton Aycliffe secured their place in the NPL by going up as champions from the ENL whilst the Colliers – who finished as league runners up – comfortably defeated Glossop North End 3-0 in their Inter Step play off in Derbyshire.

Speaking on the North East Non-League Show with James Raine last week, the Ashington boss said that the Woodhorn Lane based club were not merely going to make the numbers up in the NPL – and even talked about them trying to ‘sneak’ into a play off position come the end of the season.

Skinner said: “We are not going into the next league above (NPL) to make the numbers up. I am talking about play offs if I can or certainly when we get to the business end of the season making sure we are in with a shout of potentially getting into the play offs or at least giving ourselves a chance to see if we can sneak into them. Will that be easy? No. It’ll be a real tough test because you will have five, six, seven or eight very, very strong dominant clubs in the league next year. However, I believe if we can put the squad together with the right make up that we are looking for, then on our day we will be able to give people a game and be competitive and come the latter part of the stages to be in with a shout of maybes trying to sneak into a play off spot – and sneak in would probably be the right words.”

Skinner added that journeys on the road would see Ashington’s mileage increase from 1800 in the ENL to around 4,500 in the NPL.

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

At Ashington Football Club, Alan Brown goes about his business in a calm, quiet manner and makes no fuss – and in the eyes of the Woodhorn Lane outfit, he is an unsung hero.

Unexpectedly the spotlight fell on Alan when he was presented with the Colliers’ club Person of the Year award recently – which left the logistics manager gobsmacked: “I had no idea about it and consequently the announcement came as a complete surprise,” he said, “I think the last time I got an award was around 25 years ago when I was secretary of the Ashington Comrades Football team when they played in the Morpeth Sunday League! I’m an Ashington lad who unfortunately never ever got to play for Ashington FC but I’ve always wanted to be involved and to make a contribution. I’m sure a lot of people think that running a football club like this you are at the ground all of the time but 99 per cent of it is voluntary. We give up our time because we enjoy it – and I’m just pleased to be a part of it.”

He continued: “Obviously it’s been a terrific season and the craic in the dressing room has been great. The club have certainly captivated the local public – they have done the town proud – and I’ve even had people who I don’t know asking me about our results.”

Ashington chairman Brian Shotton said: “I’m delighted for Alan. If anyone personifies what Ashington Football Club is about it is Alan Brown. Football clubs could not operate without its volunteers and Alan’s job can be thankless at times. It’s not just the kitman role though, it’s the jobs many don’t see Alan doing around the place. We’re a small but very committed team at Ashington and I think the effort put in is reflected in results of the club’s improvement in recent years.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Defensive lynchpin Darren Lough was taken aback when he was informed that he had won the ‘Management player of the season’ at Ashington Football Club last week.

Lough – who was unable to attend the presentation night – said: “The news came as a complete surprise. The full squad played well throughout the season including our fabulous run in the Emirates FA Cup then clinching promotion to the Northern Premier League – so overall it was a great campaign.”

However there was an unfortunate twist when in the closing minutes of Ashington’s final Ebac Northern League first division clash of the season at Bishop Auckland, the 33 year old was forced off the field after sustaining a broken nose.

The Colliers had gone into the contest knowing that a draw would see them finish as league runners up and take them into the Inter step play off final – and at the time of Lough’s injury, the scores were locked at 1-1: “I knew straight away it was broken,” said Lough, “It was frustrating because I knew if we saw the game out that we would be through.”

The Colliers duly got the result before they found out that they were pitched to play Glossop North End in Derbyshire the following Saturday – but Morpeth-based Lough was a non starter: “To be honest my nose didn’t feel too sore at the time,” he said, “In the end I had to wait two weeks to have it reset. Now it’s a case of being on the road to recovery.”

Ashington-born Lough kept a close eye on his team’s progress at Glossop: “I followed the game online,” he said, “With the quality we’ve got, once we took the lead I thought we would go on to win it – and we did just that,” he said, “I was buzzing when the final whistle came and celebrated at home. There are a lot of people involved with Ashington Football Club – and I was delighted for everyone.”

Colliers boss Ian Skinner said: “I thought Darren deserved the Management player of the season award – he has been a big player for us this season. With Darren, what you see is what you get – 100 per cent commitment and effort. He wants to win every game we play whether it be on a Saturday or the little games at the end of training – and that’s just the competitive spirit which is in him. He doesn’t like to miss games but sat out a few last season firstly with a broken foot then a broken nose. If I’m honest, he’s a bit of a dying breed as I’m not sure you’ll get too many more Darren Lough’s because he’s old school and old fashioned – without making him sound older than he is – and just wants to stand and defend.”

He continued: “It was a big blow when we lost him at Bishop Auckland in the last minute and straight away my thoughts switched to the play off game but Ryan McKinnon had waited patiently and Robbie Dale had done fantastically well for us at centre back throughout the season and when I watched the videos of Glossop, even though Darren’s absence was a big loss, I was comfortable that if we played to the levels of which we were capable of, then the lads would get the job done – and they did just that.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

For Ashington FC chairman Brian Shotton, the reality has hit home that the Woodhorn Lane outfit have achieved promotion to the Northern Premier League.

However, it’s the remarkable change of fortunes and turnaround at the club which has left him in a state of disbelief. Speaking to a packed clubhouse at the presentation evening, Brian said: “When I took over as chairman in 2018, the club were in dire straits. The first person I got in contact with was Ian Skinner and he – like myself – has seen things flourish from where we were then to where we are now. Certainly if anyone had mentioned to me that in four years we would be promoted to the NPL, I would have laughed at them.  However I think that the achievement represents the hard work not just from us but also the backing we have received from the supporters, which has been top class.”

Ian Skinner remembers that phone call from the chairman and said: “I’m an Ashington lad who was asked to come and help his home town club – and what has developed in four years is quite astonishing. Earlier in the season, to have a crowd of over 1400 against Stocksbridge Park Steels in the Emirates FA Cup replay at Woodhorn Lane is what dreams are made of and on that night, my mind immediately switched back to the moment when Brian (Shotton) asked me to come back to the club.”

It’s approaching a fortnight since there were euphoric scenes following the Colliers’ 3-0 Inter Step play off win over Glossop North End in Derbyshire but promotion remains a blur for the manager: “I still don’t think promotion has sunk in if truth be know,” said Skinner, “This season I told the players that they were the best and challenged them and from the bottom of my heart, what they have done for the club and what they have achieved is unbelievable. They had been different class and I can’t thank them enough. As for the town, who came along and supported us, their backing has been phenomenal – and if someone had told me we would average gates of over 500 at home this past season I wouldn’t have believed them.”

Brian Shotton admits that stepping up a level into the East Division of the NPL will bring new challenges – but he is confident the club will succeed: “It’s not going to be easy,” he said, “We’ve got a lot of work to be done including ground work, despite the fact that people looking around our facilities think they are the best. We have found ways to do things over the last four years which has brought us to this point so we will continue to work towards our target. If you work hard enough you will always get your results and that is what has happened this season across the board from the team to the backroom staff, the committee members, the volunteers, supporters and bar staff – and we will continue to drive forward.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

“I WANT YOU ALL TO STAY ON THE JOURNEY THAT THIS FOOTBALL CLUB IS ON BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO BE PART OF IT FOR WHAT YOU HAVE ACHIEVED”

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner has asked his squad of players to stay with him ‘on the journey’ as the Colliers prepare to compete in the Northern Premier League following their promotion on the final day of last season.

The boss delivered his heartfelt message at the club’s presentation evening in the clubhouse at the weekend. Addressing the players, he said: “All of the players have been magnificent this term and I want you all to stay on the journey that this football club is on because you deserve to be part of it for what you have achieved. This is a club with a lot of history. You have now written your names in that history and you should be super proud of it. You are one of the best teams I have ever had the pleasure of working with and I was quietly confident on that bus journey down to Glossop that if we turned up as a team then we would beat them (Glossop) – and we beat them comfortably.”

All of Ashington’s players received a personal memento from the Ebac Northern League for finishing as runners up to champions Newton Aycliffe.

The boss added that all of the players had been magnificent throughout the season and paid tribute to chairman Brian Shotton and his wife Nicola – along with others: “Thanks go to Brian Shotton who tries to make this football club the best it can be,” he said, “He puts loads of time and effort into it and deserves massive credit for that – but he couldn’t do it without the support of his wife Nicola. Credit also to Ian Reid the chairman of the supporters club; photographer Ian Brodie whose pictures have been top notch; Mark Ramsden; Gav Perry and Alan Brown.”

However Skinner said that the club needs the support from the fans ‘more than ever’ when he added: “Thanks to everybody who supports us on match days both home and away during the campaign but we need you now more than ever. It’s exciting to move up the pyramid and will it be easy? No. Will it be enjoyable? Yes. We are asking you (the supporters) to stick with us as we continue to fight hard to get to where we want to be because we can’t do this without you.”

To date the club have already sold over 80 season tickets for next season – their first in the NPL since the 1968-69 campaign.