By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC’s Ben Harmison said being asked to be the new captain of his home town club came as a surprise.

However, Harmison – who took over the armband from Dean Briggs after the midfielder emigrated to Dubai last week – is delighted to take on the role and added he will be looking to lead by example.

“The appointment came as a surprise because I thought it might have gone to one of the younger lads,” said the 35 year old who can operate in defence or be used as a striker, “It was nice to get it – and I’ll be trying to lead by example.”

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner said: “Ben was one of a few players we considered for the captaincy. We thought given his experience and leadership qualities that this made him an ideal choice. In addition, he is an Ashington lad which is also beneficial.”

Harmison’s first afternoon in the post was one to forget as the Colliers went down 5-0 at Thornaby: “I thought we played some good football – but we suffered because of too many unforced errors,” he revealed afterwards, “we gave the ball away cheaply in certain areas and they (Thornaby) broke on us which probably sums up most our season. When we have lost against the better teams we have given the ball away – and against good teams they punish you.”

Ashington were 3-0 down at the interval and Harmison continued: “Second half I thought there was a bit of a reaction from us and we probably should have scored a couple. It was vital for us to get the first goal after half time and we tried and tried and had a couple of good chances but the two goals which they (Thornaby) scored at the end were because we were pushing.” Harmison admitted that the players have got to put the result behind them and move on: “Things have been brilliant and gone well for us,” he added, “We’ve played some good football along the way but we’ve got to pick ourselves up a little bit. We’ve had a bit bad luck over the past couple of weeks with losing good players but we can’t use that as an excuse and we’ve still got a great squad. We’ve just got to put today’s result down as being a bad day at the office and dust ourselves off because we have got Consett at home on Saturday which will be another tricky game.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner admitted that a quick double by Thornaby midway through the first half had a telling effect on his side who eventually went down to a 5-0 defeat on Saturday.

“We lost the game in the first half when two goals in as many minutes knocked the stuffing out of us,” said Skinner, “To be fair for the first, their lad (Lee Moore) has put a great ball in and Curtis (Coppen) has tried to deal with it but he’s ended up putting it in his own net. But then to concede a second only a minute later is difficult to take – and the frustrating thing about both goals was that we actually had the ball in their box and they have broke on us and scored. We’ve shown a great reaction after conceding the first one from the kick off to build an attack but we’ve given the ball away again relatively cheaply in their box and they have countered to make it 2-0. Then to concede a third in the first half is disappointing – and gives us a mountain to climb.”

He continued: “I thought we were a little bit slack in possession across the whole day. Second half we got into some good positions and got the ball into good areas unopposed but unforced errors and poor decisions or poor execution saw us give the ball away relatively cheaply and we’ve allowed Thornaby to counter attack on us too easily. We need to show a little bit more grit and determination to want to make it a bit more difficult for the opposition to score. Albeit the Thornaby front three or four were good, with good movement and interchange and link up play but at times we were a little bit easy to play against and left gaps and didn’t really manage distances between units as well as we possibly could. We pressed them a little bit higher and harder second half and we have looked to win the ball back a little bit earlier. We’ve also created some half chances really with some dangerous balls across the box and a few blocked shots and on another day maybes we get it back to 3-1 and then see where we could take it from there – but it wasn’t to be.”

He went on: “We are hurting a little bit although we got a decent reaction in the second half for 40-42 minutes or so and possibly the scoreline was harsh on us. However, our goal difference is now five goals worse off – and whether it was harsh or not – it’s a fact and we have to deal with it.”

By Brian Bennett

In a week where there have been player departures from Ashington FC, manager Ian Skinner stated that he would never contemplate leaving the club given the facilities at Woodhorn Lane.

Brandon Slater, David Luke and Ryan McGorrigan have moved on to Blyth Town, Heaton Stannington and Newcastle Benfield respectively but Skinner said: “I can only say that as a manager, there’s no other team in this league that would get me to manage them because I wouldn’t leave these facilities or this football club. Yes Bishop Auckland might say that they believe their facilities are equally as good and that’s a valid point whilst people at Penrith – who I get on with extremely well with – might have the same opinion but why would I leave these magnificent facilities; this magnificent group of players and the magnificent fans we have got who come and support us.”

Skinner continued: “Brandon Slater and David Luke have left us because they felt as if they weren’t getting as many minutes as they would have liked and that’s fine – I get that – footballers want to play and I wish both of them the best at Blyth Town and Heaton Stannington respectively. I hope things work out for them and I hope they get the minutes on the pitch they were craving. If they do, I’m sure they will be huge assets to the two clubs they have gone to join and there are no hard feelings on our part.”

He went on: “Ryan McGorrigan came to see us and we made him aware of an interest from another club (Newcastle Benfield). He initially told us it wasn’t something he was interested in and then in the space of seven days, he decided that it was of interest to him. Ashington FC only want players that want to play for this football club. I don’t care who the individual is, if you want to be in the dressing room at Ashington, you’ll be there because this football club wants you to be in there and that you want to play for this football club.”

He went on: “In my eyes – and I’m not being disrespectful to anybody – when you look at the facilities we have got at Ashington plus the surroundings, and you see where this football club has come in the last three years from where we were, what I am not going to start doing is writing cheques which this club can’t afford. I’m not going to risk sending this club backwards. We are getting close – very, very close in fact and there are lots of discussions going on behind the scenes – about how we take the next step and this football club will take the next step – but with players that want to take the next step with this football club and we’ll do it within our means. I wish anybody who has left all the best, who think they have gone on to bigger and better things – any player that does, that’s there prerogative and it’s up to them the reasoning behind that.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner says he is confident that the players already at the club can step up and fill the boots of Damen Mullen – after the midfielder returned to Hebburn Town having completed a month’s loan at Woodhorn Lane.

Mullen played his final game for the Colliers against Billingham Town on Saturday and Skinner said: “Damen will be a miss but we’ve got the likes of Yannick Aziakonou – who maybes hasn’t played as many minutes as he would have liked recently – or Karl Ross – who can come in and play in that position. On top of that, we’ve got players who will still be in the squad who we’ll look to and say ‘there’s an opportunity for you – come and grasp it with both hands’ and I’m confident the players we have got here will be able to step up and fill the void.”

On Mullen, Skinner said: “We always knew it was a month’s loan initially and as the time went on we maybes harboured ambitions of keeping him for a little bit longer – but Hebburn have asked for him back and that is their prerogative as they are his parent club. I think what we have seen from Damen is a real good character and a real class individual. He came to us, got his head down and knew he was behind in fitness to everybody else. He worked hard and stayed behind after training to do extra on his own and I was honest with him and tried to manage him the best I could.” He continued: “Damen started on the bench then got into the team and we played him in games and brought him off because what I promised him I wouldn’t do was basically bring him in and play him every minute – and have a chance of a recurrence of his injury. Damen offered us that quality and when you have played as many games as he has done in the higher leagues, it meant he offered us real quality and calmness on the ball and he was good in terms of both building our moves and breaking down the opposition’s attacks. He’ll be a miss – and we’d like to thank him for all his efforts.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner stated at the weekend that talismanic skipper Dean Briggs is quite simply irreplaceable – after the midfielder emigrates to Dubai today (Monday).

Briggs – who had plundered 15 goals for the Colliers already this season including one in his final game against Billingham Town on Saturday – admitted that he could not turn down the offer of a job opportunity whilst Skinner said Briggs will be a big miss: “There’s only one Dean Briggs,” noted Skinner, “you don’t replace him and consequently he’ll be a big miss. We can try and find a similar player – but we would never find an identical one to Dean. He’s been fantastic since the minute he walked through the door at this football club and I can’t speak highly enough of him. He’s a good character to have around the place and what you see on the pitch is quality whilst what I see off the pitch – within and around the group – is also great.”

He continued: “Dean has created numerous opportunities for us; he’s scored lots of goals for us and some really important ones – and we’ll miss him. It’s a difficult decision for him to make as a young lad but he has been away from home before when he went to Australia. We wish him all the best in his venture over in Dubai and I’m pretty sure if there was ever an opportunity that he was to return back to the UK then this would be his first port of call.”

He went on: “We won’t be able to replace him but what we have got at Ashington is quality players. Karl Ross has come on today (against Billingham Town) and scored another good goal whilst with every game he plays, Craig Spooner is getting better and is starting to settle in. So we will turn to the players who are currently playing and who will be available and we’ll ask them to step up and show their worth and value – and I’m sure they will.”

By Brian Bennett

Dean Briggs revealed he could not turn down a career move to Dubai – as he sets off for pastures new tomorrow (Monday).

Briggs signed off with a goal in Ashington’s 4-0 victory over Billingham Town at The dwmedia Stadium on Saturday to take his tally up to 15 goals in all competitions this term.

The midfielder – who first made his debut for the Colliers as a teenager when his father Perry was assistant manager to Gary Middleton – said: “My friend already works over in Dubai and said there was a job opportunity for me – plus a bit of a lifestyle change – so I’m going to give it a go. It’s a big risk but at the end of the day it’s a big career opportunity for me and I couldn’t really say no. Obviously I will miss my football and that that was the one thing which I had to take into consideration. However if things don’t work out I’ll come back.”

Briggs – who returned to Woodhorn Lane before the start of last season – will leave with fond memories: “I love it here,” he said, “The facilities are great; there is a great group of lads at the club who get well looked and there is a big togetherness in the group. Then there are obviously the fans who are unreal – just look at our attendances as we are third in the table for the best supported club in the league – and that says it all.”

With 20 minutes remaining of the contest against the Teessiders on Saturday, Briggs side footed home Ashington’s second: “I wanted to go out on a goal and it was an unselfish lay off by Liam Doyle – especially as I didn’t slide him in beforehand – so fair play to him,” said 25 year old Briggs, who hit all four in midweek as the Colliers triumphed 4-2 against Newton Aycliffe: “That was the first time I had scored four for several years,” he added, “It was one of those nights where everything went the right way.”

Briggs believes Ashington can continue to make progress: “I think the club can go as high as it wants to go – and that’s their aspirations in the next few years,” he said, “They are doing very well this season but I think in three to five years they’ll be looking at wanting to go up – and there’s no reason why they can’t.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner saw his side hit double figures at The dwmedia Stadium on Saturday with victory over Billingham Town.

For the 4-0 result was the Colliers tenth league win of the season and afterwards, the boss labelled the display as being a real solid performance: “We had to make sure we stayed in the game and try to manage the conditions in the first half then use them to our advantage second half – and fair play to the players because they were excellent, following on from Tuesday night’s win at Newton Aycliffe where they were superb,” he said, “Consequently, I was really pleased because it was a real solid performance and another pleasing victory played in difficult circumstances. We maybes had to be patient but the wind was blowing and the pitch was heavy. I thought for the first 30 minutes we were comfortable and were the better side without really fashioning too many chances of threatening the goal but I thought we had the majority of possession and we moved the ball relatively well. However, when we got to that final third, our final pass maybes went awry or astray. Billingham came into the game just before half time and they had a period where they looked as if they could score or they posed a threat going forward which they hadn’t done earlier in the game.”

He continued: “I was pleased we got in 0-0 at the interval. First half it was a workmanlike performance and we did well. For the second period we talked about what we always talk about – ‘can we come down the bank with the wind on our backs and can we look to really stretch them and can we look to play with a bit of quality and tempo about our game and see if we can score early in the half as then that makes it really difficult for them (Billingham) because they then have to come out. They tried to play in a mid block and to be fair they didn’t really get out of their own half very often. As soon as we scored the first goal, I was confident it was always going to be a case of can we go on and score two or three. Our third goal was a fantastic move with great football which is what we have been about all season and credit to the players. We ask them to try and play expansive and with tempo but they take on the instructions and to win 4-0 again at home is fantastic not only for us as a group but for the supporters who came in there hundreds again which is great to see – that’s with lots of other clubs who are at home today and premiership football just up the road.”

Skinner gave a special mention to Liam Doyle who unselfishly laid the ball off for Dean Briggs to net the second goal: “Liam is that type of player,” he said, “He works and runs hard for the team and he showed his quality in the final third today. He’d probably be the first to tell you, that he prefers to play a little bit deeper but he’s come in and played down that right hand side and the last couple of games, he’s made that position his own. Today it would have been easy for him to have a strike at goal himself but he has put it on a plate for Dean (Briggs). Then later in the game in a similar sort of situation, he’s tried to pick someone out in the middle to score and their defender (Lexus Beeden) has put the ball into his own goal.”

He went on: “The players are a good tight group who are together and over the last ten days there’s been a real coming together. Obviously some people will look at that 5-0 defeat we had at West Auckland – and I still stand by the comments I made at the time that it was a funny old game and unless you were there to see it for yourself, you probably wouldn’t believe it. We then went to Newton Aycliffe who are a good side and blown them away in the first 45 minutes and then today we’ve had to be a little bit patient – and without being disrespectful – we’ve again blown the opposition away in the second 45 minutes. That comes from the group of players we have got at this football club and I’m bordering on saying that it could potentially be the best group I’ve ever worked with to be fair in terms of there togetherness. There are no egos in the dressing room; they all want to work hard for each other; they are all genuine and honest and they are reaping the benefits. And the club are reaping the benefits too because they are performing for the club.”

On Saturday (November 6), Ashington travel down to Teesside where they meet Thornaby.

Max Emmerson and Tom Bramley remain sidelined through injury but Bobby Taylor and ‘keeper Karl Dryden should return to the squad. Dean Briggs is emigrating to Dubai at the start of the week whilst Damen Mullen has returned to Hebburn Town after completing a one month loan.

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC chairman Brian Shotton was clearly thrilled after the draw for the quarter finals of the Techflow Marine Northumberland Senior Cup landed his Woodhorn Lane side a plum home tie against Newcastle United under 23s.

The date for the game at The dwmedia Stadium has quickly been finalised and will take place on Tuesday December 14 with a 7.30pm kick-off. Tickets have already gone on sale to season ticket holders and will go on general sale on Tuesday November 2.

Giving his reaction, Mr Shotton – who has been at the helm for three years – said: “First and foremost it’s a home draw but obviously playing a Newcastle United side has always been a big game for the club whether it be a friendly or any other and to be fair I don’t think we have played them in a competitive fixture at home for many years. We were looking for a clash against Newcastle or Blyth Spartans which would attract a good crowd, so naturally we are delighted. However I’ve got to say that our home crowd are backing us to the hilt with attendances of around 500 on Saturday’s and nearly 400 against Sunderland RCA last midweek so I’d like to think that the Ashington public will come out and enjoy the night and cheer on whichever side they want to support.”

The 37 year old continued: “It will be fantastic to welcome Newcastle because even though I’m a Sunderland fan, I’ve got to admit that there’s a good buzz and a lot of excitement around St James’ Park at the moment.”

Crowds at Woodhorn Lane are on the up this season and Mr Shotton said: “I think it’s a vast mix of different things but it’s making a massive difference to the club both on and off the field. We have attracted a lot of new supporters who are undoubtedly enjoying what they are watching especially the last two home performances. We scored eight goals; played some superb football which we haven’t seen for years and last week against Sunderland RCA, we kept the ball for 30-40 passes. However, the club are also doing a lot of good as well as hard work to get us to where we are and people can see that and at the end of the day Woodhorn Lane is a pleasant ground to come too with great facilities.”

Mr Shotton revealed that tickets prices for the Newcastle clash will be as normal: “It’s important to keep the ticket prices the same but obviously we would encourage as many people as possible to pay online,” he added.

The price of online tickets will be £6 (adults); £2 (senior citizens and students) and £1 (under 16’s) but entry on the day of the game will be £1 more. The ticketing site can be found at: https://ashingtonafc.ktckts.com.

The other ties in the competition are: Bedlington Terriers v Newcastle University; Morpeth Town or Whitley Bay v Blyth Spartans and North Shields v Heaton Stannington.

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner was naturally disappointed – but not too down heartened – after reflecting on his sides 5-0 defeat against West Auckland on Saturday.

The boss said that it was not the worst performance of the campaign – highlighted that four of the five goals conceded were avoidable – and that generally it just wasn’t going to be the Colliers’ day.

Speaking afterwards, Skinner noted: “There was a tentative start to the game where both teams wanted to feel each other out knowing that we are relatively close to each other in terms of league positions. If you look at it on chances alone, it’s probably been one where it hasn’t been our day. They (West Auckland) scored five and instantly four of them were avoidable goals caused by individual errors. However I repeat what I said recently – nobody makes mistakes on purpose but unfortunately some of the positions where we have made the errors today have cost us a little bit. We have got good players and they don’t make them mistakes on purpose and then there was a big deflection for the third goal which you can’t do anything about.”

He continued: “Our ‘keeper Karl Dryden will be disappointed but he’s a very good goalkeeper and he’ll continue to be a very good goalkeeper for this football club but its possibly one of those days where Karl will tell you himself that for three of the goals he would probably save them on another day whilst a big deflection wrong foots him and goes in the other corner. But we’ve hit the bar; had two cleared off the line; fashioned a couple of half chances so on chances alone, we’ve probably had as many as West Auckland – but they were that little bit more ruthless and were a little bit slicker and a little bit more clinical than us. At times, we possibly didn’t quite get close enough to them and ultimately that has probably cost us the game.”

He went on: “I’ve got to be honest and say it’s a difficult post match interview to do because we have lost 5-0 and usually after a defeat I would be really, really despondent and disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still disappointed at losing the game but if you process and break things down, although there were things we could have done better, it certainly wasn’t our worst performance of the season. We’ve had a couple of days like that this season where everything we have touched has turned to gold and ended up in the back of the opposition’s net where today we were on the other side of it where everything in terms of chances has gone West’s way a little bit and they’ve had a bit of good fortune on some of them.”

He added: “We’ll dust ourselves down and we have another big game away to Newton Aycliffe on Tuesday night (October 26) and what we have been good at is bouncing back after a disappointment – so we will try to right the wrongs and look for a bit of reaction and try to return to winning ways as quickly as possible. That’s only the fourth time we have lost a league game this season and there will be individuals who will be disappointed with some of the mistakes they have made but they are not done intentionally and we’ll move on.”