By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray said his side still had to work on their consistency following their slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of league leaders Redcar Athletic on Wednesday night.

Just when it looked as if the Colliers were going to pull off a deserved goalless draw against the free scoring Steelmen, striker Oscar Fletcher netted the winner in the 89^th minute.

Gray commented afterwards: “Listen, we came with a game plan and I thought that the starting 11 worked their socks off and pressed Redcar well. We stayed with runners and the longer the game went on, the more we grew into the contest and they (Redcar) got more frustrated. We changed the shape and matched them and it was disappointing that we didn’t get anything out of it at the end –  you could see how happy they (Redcar) were. They are a good side and have got some good players and it was just a lapse of concentration which led to the only goal of the game near the end. The result hides away what was a really good performance. Everyone gave their all and yes I’m disappointed. Could we have nicked it? They have scored but we’ve had a chance at the end with a header which went just over.”

Gray touched on the goal: “The pace of the ball beat our ‘keeper Tyler Jones,” he said, “Louis Johnson is a good player and he spun Rory Powell. Johnson could have had a shot himself but he’s played the kid in (Oscar Fletcher) and it worked for them.”

Gray added that his outfit face a ‘huge week’ ahead: “We have taken a lot of credit over the last seven games,” he said, “After the first 20 minutes we played really poorly against Emley on Saturday but we have won three and played against Matlock Town, Bradford Park Avenue and Redcar Athletic and we have given them all a game. However, we have got to work on our consistency because we have got a huge week coming up with a home game against North Ferriby on Saturday (October 18), our Northumberland Senior Cup tie away to Newcastle University on Thursday (October 23) and an away clash at Grimsby Borough on Saturday (October 25). We will take our confidence on board and learn from our mistakes. We are going the right way – I’m positive about that  – but we have got to eradicate Jekyll and Hyde performances which we still have in us.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s assistant manager Liam McIvor was seething after the final whistle and slammed the Colliers’ display after the 3-0 defeat against Emley on Saturday.

“It was a hard one to take,” he said afterwards, “I thought for the first 20 minutes there was nothing in the game and then they scored. I’m always harping on about doing the basics – and the goal came from us not doing that due to a bit of communication and a silly throw in which developed into a 50-50 that we didn’t win – and the ball ends up in the back of the net.”

After Chris Dawson had added a second for the hosts, McIvor was pleased to hear the half time whistle. “We needed to ‘man up’ because for the last 25 minutes of the first half we were awful,” he added, “It was like men against boys. It wasn’t good enough and that’s not acceptable. I thought we started the second half brightly and if Sam Davison had scored when he had a chance then it would have changed the picture a bit.”

He went on: “Our attitude before the game was right and young ‘keeper Tyler Jones has pulled off some great saves again. However, that wasn’t a performance by a Nick Gray/Liam McIvor side and I felt embarrassed that we got clapped off by our fans who back us no matter what. I didn’t think it was as bad a showing as against Consett recently when we lost 4-0 – but it was along those lines.”

He concluded: “We’ve got a game on Wednesday night against what I call a proper team (Redcar Athletic) and if we don’t turn up with the right mentality, we’ll get rolled over. Nick (Gray) and myself will be looking for a reaction but one thing about us is that we raise the bar against the better teams. Redcar certainly fit into that category but if we raise the bar then I know we can match them.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington skipper Karl Ross said at the weekend that he and his team-mates will go into the next three league games inside eight days against teams in the leading pack – Emley, Redcar Athletic and North Ferriby – full of confidence.

The Colliers gave a wholehearted display despite a 2-1 defeat against leaders Bradford Park Avenue last midweek. The hosts – who were unbeaten in ten matches – went two goals ahead inside the opening quarter hour through Joe Ackroyd and Kareem Hassan-Smith.

However, a header by Scott Lowery halved the deficit and prompted an energetic display by Nick Gray’s side with the hosts happy to hear the final whistle.

Ross – who is based in Cramlington – said: “I thought we definitely deserved a point. Obviously we had a tough start but we changed things a little bit and after that we gave a cracking display away from home. There weren’t many chances but after the fight which the lads showed, I was just proud to be on the pitch with them. I think for heart and desire, our performance was right up there as being one of the best I’ve been a part of. Every single person plus the lads who came on ran themselves into the ground – and that’s not easy to do that when you have travelled for two and a half to three hours.”

Ashington go to Emley on Saturday (October 11) and Ross – who celebrated his 27^th birthday last Friday – added: “We’ve had a good couple of weeks and have hit a bit of form of late. We were without a fixture on Saturday so we’re looking forward to the game. Following on from Bradford, we’ve got the other top three to play in the games which lie ahead and we’ll be relishing the opportunity to play against them. Things are starting to click a little bit for us and we’ll be looking to continue to play like we have been.”

On Wednesday (October 15), the Colliers travel to Teesside where they face Redcar Athletic (7.45pm) before they take on North Ferriby at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday (October 18).

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington manager Nick Gray was disappointed – but certainly not downhearted – after his side had lost 2-1 away to league leaders Bradford Park Avenue last midweek.

The Colliers were unlucky not to share the spoils against the West Yorkshire outfit but as his side prepare to face three mouthwatering fixtures in a week – against Emley, Redcar Athletic and North Ferriby – Gray has reflected on the first few months of the campaign.

“We have now played nearly a quarter of the season and by the time we play Emley on Saturday, I think most teams will have done the same,” he said, “From what we have learned from the first 11 games is that the old cliché rings true – that there are no easy games in this league and if you’re not switched on and focussed you’ll get overturned. As for the quality and difference in the sides – I think there are a lot of teams who can beat anyone and then there are the likes of Matlock Town, Bradford Park Avenue and Dunston who stand out for me. Likewise with us, I knew it would take a little bit of time for us to get our first win but perhaps not as long as it did but when you analyse it, we’ve got 11 new players in the squad and we’ve changed our shape this season which has taken some time to adjust too. I’m happy with the pool of players although we always look to add to it if we need to but when we went down to Ossett United and I looked the bench – and of the personnel who were missing – that’s when I thought we’ve got a cracking squad here. The 11 who started must have thought that there was pressure from the bench so they had to perform and when we’re bringing on a Liam Noble, Jake Orrell or a Liam Henderson it holds good for us.”

He continued: “We’ve also got the youngsters like the Powell twins Harry and Rory and Sam Davison who are not even 20 years of age and they have come into men’s football and it’s difficult for them. However I think we are learning with every game. We have a young goalkeeper in Tyler Jones who has done terrific for us. He’s just come to us so half of our team are new to men’s football and it’s going to take time. However, as I keep mentioning to the players, senior football is about getting results – that’s all what matters and if you don’t get them, some players go and predominantly managers go. After our first 11 games we now have some confidence in us but we’ve got to continue with that and take it into our future matches.”

Gray recalled the crushing 4-0 defeat at Consett recently and went into more detail about the reverse at Bradford: “They (Consett) were good on the night but Bradford Park Avenue were even better and if we had played at Bradford like we did against Consett, it would have been an even heavier defeat,” he said, “Yes we had some players missing but I was very proud of everyone who turned up on Tuesday night because they gave their all. We didn’t have much in the way of firepower in the final third but we stayed in the game and worked extremely hard and I certainly couldn’t have asked for anything more from the lads.”

He continued: “I thought Bradford played really well in the first half with loads of energy but after we had addressed a couple of things we came out of the game with a lot of confidence and a lot of credit. We had players who hadn’t played a lot of minutes like Scott Lowery and Jake Orrell. Sam Davison played in an unaccustomed role and we had an 18 year old in Tyler Jones in goal whilst we couldn’t fill the bench so our options were limited. Being greedy we would have liked to have taken a point but we didn’t quite manage that. There are still things to work on – the two goals we conceded at Bradford were disappointing and we’ve got to be more difficult to break down in our half as well as tracking runners, being braver and stronger – and we’ve got to learn quickly.”

He concluded: “I think when you know you are playing a top side or one who are doing well, you’ve got to be focussed and switched on and I think we’ve looked better against the likes of Bradford and Matlock because we raised our game. However the key word in this league is consistency and we’ve got to improve on that. The next three games are going to be challenging for us but they are also going to be challenging for our opponents. We’ve got to pick up points from these games – it’s as simple as that – and we are more than capable of doing that.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray spoke of his overall pride in his players – despite the Colliers going down  2-1 against Bradford Park Avenue on Tuesday night.

The Wansbeck outfit were on the wrong end of a crushing 4-0 defeat against Consett recently and after conceding goals scored by Joe Ackroyd and the impressive Kareem Hassan-Smith in the first quarter hour, looked to be heading for a repeat against the unbeaten league leaders.

However, Scott Lowery silenced the home crowd when he halved the deficit in the 23^rd minute with a header and thereafter Nick Gray’s side gave their all and left every drop of energy and sweat out on the Horsfall Community Stadium’s 3G pitch.

Although they never really tested home ‘keeper Jack Hall, the Colliers made Bradford fight all the way for the points and Gray said afterwards: “It was a very difficult first ten to fifteen minutes for us when we were 2-0 down and the players could have chucked it then if I’m being honest – lesser teams would have done – but to be fair to the lads and to give them credit, they stuck to the task. We tweaked the shape a little bit and got back into the game with a goal from a set piece and for the last 20 minutes of the first half and the whole of the second half I was really proud of the lads. Certainly with a little bit of luck we could have got something out of the game.”

He continued: “Take nothing away from Bradford – they are a good side. Their movement was good and they pulled us around in the first half. We came here tonight with one or two players missing and I always say no disrespect to people who aren’t here because they can’t affect the game but to the ones who were here tonight, the club have got to be very proud. Three weeks ago we would have lost that game comfortably so it shows how far we have come and we’ve just got to keep on believing. We’ve now got a weekend off. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Well we’ve got ten days before our next game and we’ve got to take the positives from the Matlock Town game a couple of weeks ago to where we are now and what I will say is that we are not going to be an easy ride for teams to play us.”

He added: “Young ‘keeper Tyler Jones has had two things to do in the second half – one of them where he’s made an unbelievable save – whilst Andrew Anderson and Scott Lowery haven’t played much football recently and they both did well. Also we had a couple of lads on bookings early doors but they kept their heads right and Sam Davison is another who hasn’t played much but I thought he was brilliant.”

He went on: “Second half we were better without really testing the Bradford ‘keeper but listen they (Bradford) are a good side and I’m not going to take that away from them because they have won the game after what they did to us in the first 20 minutes.

When you are away from home in a midweek game and you come away disappointed from not getting anything against a team who are top of the league shows that you are going in the right direction. However, our next four games are against teams in the top five and play off places so we’ve got to play in the same manner.”

He concluded: “At half time I told the lads that the wide men were coming in off the pitch for them so to condense the middle of the park and for midfield players to stay with runners –  and they did that. We sacrificed a little bit up top but I thought Josh Gilchrist worked hard and Craig Spooner played in a role which was a bit unnatural for him but he also put in a shift. The lads gave their all and left everything on the pitch tonight but for the last two weeks we have shown some great character, resilience and togetherness with some quality and we’ve got to take all of the positives. We have a break now before our next game which is away to Emley. Again it will be a tough game – but we’ll look forward to it.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Liam Henderson has scored twice in Ashington’s last three matches after coming off the bench – but the striker insisted that it’s all about the team!

The tall forward scored the second goal at Ossett United in a 2-1 win and then netted the equaliser against Silsden on Saturday when Nick Gray’s side came from behind to claim a late victory with a stoppage time strike from Craig Spooner.

“It was a tough start to the season in terms of the team as well as for me personally,” said Gateshead-born Henderson, “Obviously I’m delighted with two goals in three games. It’s alright on a personal level but more importantly as a team and we have picked up some points so things look a little bit rosier. However, it’s about being consistent. Consistency in this league will get you far.”

The 35 year old added: “I’m being kept out of the team by Josh Gilchrist who has been absolutely fantastic. For a little lad he is causing issues and problems for the opposition. He’s scoring goals and getting his rewards and as long as the team are winning that’s what it’s all about. I’m at an age now where it’s not about me from a personal level – it’s about the team. If I can come on and affect games – which I hope I have done today – or gee the lads up, or just be there to give advice then I’m happy to do that.”

Henderson described his goal: “The way I have been playing, nine times out of ten I would have probably missed!” he joked, “However, it was a great ball in by Liam Noble. Scott Lowery was in front of me so I gave him a shout – he listened – and I scored and long may it continue.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington’s Craig Spooner has scored some cracking goals over the past few weeks – and the midfielder admitted at the weekend that he believes he has found a bit of form.

The 26 year-old has netted three times in the last four games, his last effort being the winner in Saturday’s match against Silsden and he said: “It’s been a good couple of weeks for me. If I’m honest, the goal last Tuesday against Hallam was a bit of a shank but the one today and the other against Matlock Town were good goals. I just think we are starting to click a bit as a team and get good wins on the table.”

He continued: “Playing up top with Josh Gilchrist has been good for me. I’ve got a bit of a role where I can drop in and run in behind which I think benefits me and the team. I also believe that I’ve just started to find a bit of form and confidence and now I want to kick on.”

Spooner – who is based in Cramlington – was delighted to grab the winner in the 91^st minute on Saturday: “Ethan Bewley headed the ball on then Liam Henderson has knocked it down to me on the edge of the box. I was confident to have a go – whereas a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have done that and instead would have tried to take the ball down and play. However, because of the way things are going at the minute I thought to myself ‘just hit it’ – and it came off! To be fair, I thought the ‘keeper was going to save it because I didn’t get the best connection on it but when you’re luck is going your way, it works.”

Ashington-born Spooner says he thinks there is more cohesion in the team: “After going 1-0 down today, thankfully we went on to get the three points,” he added, “We’ve done well with three wins in a week and the team are starting to gel together. We are on a bit of a run which is brilliant and hopefully we can keep that going.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington manager Nick Gray wore a broad smile on Saturday tea time after his side had won their third consecutive game in the space of eight days.

Silsden were the latest outfit to taste defeat against a rejuvenated Colliers side following in the footsteps of Ossett United and Hallam – all three results by 2-1 margins – and Gray said afterwards: “It’s been a great week for us. Did we deserve nine points after winning all three games? Well I think we earned our luck a bit. Today first half I thought we looked a bit flat and lethargic but there was nothing much in the game. Second half we started slightly better to be fair and it was a killer punch when they (Silsden) scored. There was a lot of time left and you just think about freshening things up a bit which we did and also changing the shape and I always thought there was going to be a goal in it for us if I’m being honest.”

He continued: “We kept on plugging away and took risks to get back into the game and after we got the equaliser, I thought there was only going to be one team who were going to try and win it. It was an excellent ball in by Liam Noble for Liam Henderson who showed great technique for his goal which levelled things up and what a superb finish by Craig Spooner for the winner, after important flick ons by Ethan Bewley and Henderson. Listen do I feel for them (Silsden) a bit? Possibly – and when I say that it’s because they were ahead for a long time but there have been times when we’ve deserved more out of games and no-one feels sorry for us! There are still things to work on and which we can improve on, however nine points in a week is a fantastic return.”

Ashington moved into tenth spot after Saturday’s win but Gray added cautiously: “When every team has played ten games that’s when I judge. We are ahead of some teams on matches and we’ve got to do better in the next three quarters of the season. However we are going in the right direction and that’s all we can ask from the lads. It’s a long season and for me there’s not a lot of difference in the teams. Silsden have come to us today and they are a decent side – as were Hallam and Ossett United – and we know how tough the games will be in the reverse fixtures.”

Ashington make the journey to face Bradford Park Avenue on Tuesday and Gray added: “We’ve got a difficult period coming up where we play five out of the next six games away from home including the Northumberland Senior Cup match against Newcastle University. However, you’ve got to enjoy the moment and still be hungry to improve and move onto the next game and we’ll go in with confidence on Tuesday against the league leaders (Bradford Park Avenue). It has taken us a little while but the season starts now and we’ve got to keep improving, learn from things which we can do better but enjoy it. As I’ve mentioned before, a week is a long time in football.”

By Brian Bennett

Liam Noble said that a phone call conversation with Ashington manager Nick Gray, was all that was needed before he put pen to paper for the Woodhorn Lane based outfit.

The 34 year old – who made his debut after coming came on as a substitute in the Colliers 2-1 win over Ossett United on Saturday – said: “Obviously I know a little bit about the club with Nick (Gray). I also know a lot of the lads including Craig Spooner, Ryan Donaldson and Liam Henderson whilst Ryan Wombwell is one of my good friends so once I had a phone call (from Nick Gray), there was nowhere else I wanted to play my football – and get back enjoying it – especially with Nick (Gray) and his assistant Liam (McIvor) who I know well.”

Newcastle-born Noble added: “I enjoyed being back out there on Saturday and it was a cracking win for the lads. Conditions were tough but I thought we dominated the game from the first minute. Ossett scored near the end and put us under a little bit of pressure but we saw the game out really well. We knew before the start that we were bottom of the league – but that three points was massive as we go into two home games against Hallam and Silsden. Hopefully we can back this win up starting on Tuesday night and if we can get another three points, our league position will look completely different.”

Manager Gray said: “Liam is a very intelligent footballer who loves the game and needs to be on a football pitch. He’s a great lad and a great player. I’ve known him for a long time when I was manager at Morpeth Town and when you get Liam Noble playing, he’s the best in the league. I even thought his presence helped us today at Ossett. Did he come on as substitute and do a lot? He’s at his best when he is on the pitch and I know how to manage him. He’s a top, top player and Liam McIvor and myself are delighted to have him on board.”

McIvor added: “If he plays to his capability, Liam Noble is one of the best players Ashington fans will see. That’s the reality – he’s that good.”

By Brian Bennett

Josh Gilchrist ended his barren goalscoring streak last week when he netted in Ashington’s 3-2 home defeat against Matlock Town at Woodhorn Lane.

The 22 year old – who was the Colliers top marksman last term – then scored the crucial opener on Saturday when the Wansbeck outfit picked up their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Ossett United.

Gilchrist then turned provider when he set up a chance which substitute Liam Henderson tucked away before a late strike by Jack Crook led to a nervous finish which included five minutes of additional time.

However, the Wallsend-born striker was delighted to finally open his account and said afterwards: “From a personal level, it’s been a little bit frustrating because I haven’t got off to the kind of start which I’d have liked as compared to last term. However, you’ve just got to keep working away and trying to get that first goal. Once I got it (against Matlock) I knew more would follow so I was delighted to score again on Saturday. I’ve now netted with two headers – which is not like me at all!”

Gilchrist got on the end of a cross by Craig Spooner – and was quick to acknowledge the quality of balls played into the box: “Today I was stretching for it,” he added, “but we’ve got some players in our team who have got good deliveries including Jay Hornsby on the left, Ryan Wombwell on the right and Craig Spooner. They deliver some great crosses and it’s just about being in the right place at the right time.”

Gilchrist was also happy to contribute with an assist for Liam Henderson: “I was down the left and Liam (Henderson) is always going to be in-between the sticks so it was just a case of putting the ball into a good area,” he said, “The ball fell nicely for him and he put it away well.”

The game was played in incessant rain but Gilchrist thought that helped his side: “It was a little bit slippery and a little bit wet,” he said, “but it suited us because we played some nice football spraying the ball out wide. It’s always a good contest when conditions are like that.”

Gilchrist – a car salesman – says the Colliers have got to be more consistent as they look to hit top gear: “We’ve got a little bit of confidence back which we needed and now we’ve got to kick on – 100 per cent,” he commented, “Even though we lost against Matlock Town, I thought we played well and we took that into today’s game. You can visibly see that we are starting to play better and starting to click a bit more and the next two games are important.”