By Brian Bennett

Ashington interim manager Marc Ellison – whilst knowing the importance of Saturday’s away clash against Brighouse – stressed that the players and management at the Woodhorn Lane club are trying to treat the contest as ‘just another game.’

The Colliers will secure their status in the Northern Premier League’s East Division if they collect three points at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium and ahead of a final training session last night, Ellison said: “It’s hard to come away from the fact that it’s our biggest 90 minutes of the season. We know that if we get the win then we’re mathematically safe but to be honest, we’re trying to treat it as just another game. It’s in our hands.”

Ashington will be spurred on by around 100 supporters who are making the trip to West Yorkshire by various modes of transport and Ellison is convinced they can play a vital role: “Having a good representation from the fans will make a difference that’s for sure,” he added, “Since Karl Ross and I came in as interim managers, the team have been a lot better at home than we have away – and that’s probably down to the encouragement from the supporters. At this level you don’t often see a really healthy away backing so fair play to them. I’m sure the lads will be buzzing when they see the support and the more volume our fans can give them, the better.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington skipper Karl Ross has said that the mood in the camp is good and that the players know the importance of Saturday’s penultimate league game of the season away to Brighouse Town.

The Colliers travel knowing that a win in West Yorkshire will preserve their status in the Northern Premier League’s East Division.

Ross said: “Obviously it is a massive game for the club with a lot riding on it. The players had a good training session on Monday and will go again on Thursday but the mood in the camp is good and we can hopefully get over the line on Saturday. I’ve heard that there is going to be a great representation of fans making the trip and turning out in fancy dress outfits so we’re looking to give them a good day out. A lot of them are going down as a kind of remembrance day in respect of supporter Craig Dickinson – they’ll be wanting to celebrate his life and I hope we are all celebrating after the final whistle.”

Ross added that the players have accepted the 5-0 defeat by Matlock last weekend came against a side who are a ‘step ahead.’ He said: “It was a bit of a free hit for us as Matlock are a step ahead of us but we need to move on. Brighouse are bottom of the league and have been relegated but that doesn’t alter anything on Saturday as their players will still be fighting and looking to play for their places next season – so we know we need to be at our best.”

By Brian Bennett

Ian Reid, chairman of Ashington Football Supporters Club has described Saturday’s away match at Brighouse Town as being ‘our cup final.’

Mr Reid, in the post for over ten years, is delighted that the fans have responded for the travel to West Yorkshire with a following approaching the hundred mark: “We have a coach going down then there are around another 20 who are making the journey by train as well as others,” he said, “It’s a very important game for the club – it’s our cup final. We know if we can win at Brighouse then we’ve got another season in the Northern Premier League. What we don’t want is to be going into the final match of the campaign at home to Lincoln United the week after with something hinging on it.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s interim manager Marc Ellison didn’t beat about the bush when he delivered his postmatch verdict following the Colliers 5-0 defeat against promotion chasing Matlock Town in Derbyshire on Saturday.

“We knew coming into today we were up against a really good side,” he said, “In an ideal world you’re thinking maybe you nick a draw, or if every one of our lads turns in a nine out of 10 performance then you’ve got a chance. However, fair play to Matlock. They could’ve easily thought that the play offs are sorted and taken their foot off the gas but they’ve put us to the sword this afternoon and they were better than us in every department. That’s not a dig at our lads at all, it just shows where we are as a club and where they (Matlock) are right now, and it makes it tough to compete at times.”

He continued: “The lads are obviously disappointed, and rightly so. But we’ve said in there, coming away to a place like this isn’t going to define our season. I haven’t checked, but I’d imagine not many teams around us have come here and taken points anyway and the big thing now is that we park this, move on quickly, and focus on next week. It’s the biggest game of our season (away to Brighouse on Saturday). We know if we win, we are safe. It’s all about us — preparing right and making sure we’re ready.”

By Brian Bennett

Picture the scene! Ashington are desperately trying to avoid relegation from the East Division of the Pitching In Northern Premier League. In their penultimate home clash of the season against Heaton Stannington on Bank Holiday Monday, they miss an early penalty; go a goal behind, then after equalising, conjure up a winner scored by Wilson Kneeshaw – who is an artist!

Not only that. The 31 year old, who returned to the club recently, revealed afterwards that he has made his Ashington comeback – after defying the advice of a doctor.

The Darlington-born forward – wearing a broad smile – said: “I’m happy to be back. I don’t know if anyone knows but I was told by the doctor at the start of the season that I shouldn’t play again after experiencing reoccurring problems with my achilles. I took some time off and cleared my head and pretty much decided not to play as the doctor told me if I was to keep playing, I would be walking with a cane in five years – so I thought okay. However, after Marc Ellison and Karl Ross took over at Ashington, they both got onto me and I also know a lot of the lads at the club who are great. They kept messaging me asking if I wanted to help out. I think there were eight games left when I re-joined the club and I’m unbeaten since I’ve played with two draws, two wins and two goals!”

Kneeshaw – who was brought down in the area in the second minute from which Josh Gilchrist had a penalty saved by Heaton Stannington ‘keeper Lewis Brass – elaborated on how his winning goal in the 77^th minute came about: “The game plan was for us to get down the sides and obviously with the bit of pace which I’ve got, we tried to exploit them (Heaton Stannington) down the wings. On this occasion, we got in (down the side) and Louis Burns has played the ball to me. As everyone has come across, I’ve chopped onto my left foot and stuck it away in the bottom corner with quite a good finish.”

He added: “It’s nice to help the team – I hadn’t played football for ten months before I came back – and it took me a while to get my legs going a little bit. Obviously I’m trying to contribute and that’s two goals in the last two games I’ve played so I can’t complain.”

Kneeshaw – who has had no adverse reaction to his injury – went on: “We’ve got three games left and I’m enjoying it. The good thing from my point of view is that I know I can help the lads out and I’ve not have any pain from my achilles. I’m not saying the doctor was wrong – but obviously I’ve got to try and manage my body a little bit better now. Things are going well – I haven’t had any problems so far – and I’d like that to continue.”

By Brian Bennett

Marc Ellison thought his side were outstanding in the second half as they churned out a 2-1 win over Heaton Stannington on Bank Holiday Monday.

However Ashington’s interim boss could not heap enough praise onto the supporters of the Woodhorn Lane club describing them as being ‘absolutely tremendous’ as they drove their team on.

The win was just what the Wansbeck side wanted – but the Colliers are not out of the relegation woods yet.

Ellison said: “Unfortunately certain results didn’t help us, but we’ve done what we can to look after ourselves. Other than that there were no complaints from me today. We’ve asked the lads to go unbeaten at home for the rest of the season, and they keep delivering. If we can start matching that level away from home, then I think we’ll be in a really good place.”

Ellison – left frustrated by events in the opening quarter of an hour –  praised the players: “First half, we miss a penalty and then have another big chance straight after. Then they (Heaton Stannington) go up the other end and score, and you start thinking it might be one of those days. But credit to the players – we regrouped, got in at half-time and tweaked the shape a little bit. I thought we were outstanding in the second half and on the balance of play, we probably deserved the result.”

Ellison then spoke about the Ashington fans in a crowd of 731: “I’ve got to mention the supporters again,” he said, “They were absolutely tremendous today and really drove us on when we needed it. It’s in our hands now. We’ve got three big games left, and we need to carry this momentum forward and make sure we finish where we want to be.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington interim boss Marc Ellison was naturally disappointed after his side went down to a single goal defeat against Hallam at Sandygate on Saturday.

Blustery conditions spoilt the clash which was settled in the fourth minute when Leon Salmon-Howarth netted with a header at the near post.

Ellison said: “It was a tough game, but fair play to Hallam — they got their noses in front early and did what they needed to do to see it out. In the first half especially, I thought they handled the conditions better than we did and just showed that bit more desire to win the game.”

He continued: “We’ve had a potential penalty turned down and hit the post twice, so on another day we might’ve had the rub of the green go our way. That said, I don’t think we quite reached the level we know we’re capable of. We huffed and puffed, but the off-the-ball work that allows us to play the kind of football we want just wasn’t where it needed to be.”

He added: “We know we’ve got four massive games left starting against Heaton Stannington at home on Monday. Hopefully we can get a good crowd behind us and put in a positive performance to get us where we need to be. Since we’ve come in, I feel like we’ve made a lot of positive strides, but it’s about consistency now. We know it’s in there, and I’ll take it on myself to make sure we get it out of the group over these next four games, whatever it takes.”

The boss gave a special mention to the travelling fans: “Once again, the support today was outstanding and massively appreciated by everyone,” he said, “We’ll be doing everything we can to give them something to shout about in the weeks ahead.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington interim manager Marc Ellison was pleased that his side extended their unbeaten run to four matches but disappointed that they conceded a late equaliser in the local derby encounter against Blyth Town which finished all square at 2-2 on Tuesday night.

Ellison’s side twice went in front in the contest through Wilson Kneeshaw and Liam Henderson but Blyth hit back to level through Cyril Giraud and Lucas Lowery-Matondo.

Ellison said afterwards: “To be honest, the less said the better. It’s something we’ve spoken about before, but we just don’t know what version of ourselves is going to turn up on a match day. That inconsistency is what is hurting us. It’s important not to get too carried away with the highs or too down with the lows, but tonight was a tough watch especially coming off what I thought was out best performance of the season in the 1-0 home win over Dunston on Friday. The gap between those two displays is baffling, and if we’re being honest, it’s a big reason why we find ourselves in the position we’re in.”

He continued: “We had a great opportunity tonight to give ourselves some breathing space going into a busy bank holiday period. We’ve gone in front twice – probably undeservedly – and still managed to concede two really poor goals. That’s disappointing. At the same time, if I’m in the opposition dressing room, I’m probably frustrated not to come away with all three points, because if it wasn’t for our goalkeeper Matty Alexander, they could’ve been out of sight. I said last week he (Matty) probably won us six points – well, you can make that seven now after tonight. His performance kept us in the game.”

He added: “We were forced into a couple of changes from Friday – Ryan Wombwell was suspended and Rory Powell was unable to make it due to work – but I won’t accept that as an excuse. At this level, we need more. In truth, we’ve maybe had two players perform to the standard we expect – Matty (Alexander) and Liam Henderson. I’m really pleased for Hendo, he’s earned that goal and he’s been excellent in recent weeks. But you can’t go into games relying on two players to carry the rest. That said, it’s another point away from home, and at this stage of the season we’ll take what we can get. It’s four games unbeaten, but we’re under no illusions – tonight’s performance was nowhere near good enough but unfortunately we are what we are, and we are where we are. It’s as simple as that.”

Ellison went on: “We’ve got five games left, and some really tough ones ahead. It’s my responsibility now to raise the maturity levels in what is a young squad and make sure we produce better performances more consistently. If we can do that, we’ll be okay. But focusing on tonight – yes, we’re a point better off, which is positive – but we need to be a lot better going into this final month of the season.”

By Brian Bennett

Ben Williams stressed the importance of Ashington’s 1-0 win over Dunston at Woodhorn Lane on Friday night.

The 21 year old defender who is on loan until the end of the season from Gateshead, found the back of the net for the first time in Ashington colours this term ten minutes into the second half and he said afterwards: “Yes, it was an important goal. It was a game which we knew was going to be tough because they (Dunston) are a good side but I thought it was probably one where we deserved to win because we played well. Credit to all the lads who played tonight because I thought everybody had a really good game but I’m buzzing to be the one to seal the victory for us and I think it’s massive if you look at the league table. I think it was a crucial win for us.”

Of the goal, Newcastle-born Williams added: “Early on in the first half I had a couple of opportunities around the back and one early on which was cleared off the line. I just stuck to the back post area and I thought I’d try to exploit it. Luckily it was a great ball in from Gilly (Josh Gilchrist) which I got on the end of. I think that was the best we’ve played in a while – the workrate and everything else was there but ultimately it means nothing if we don’t back it up against Blyth Town on Tuesday. The game on Tuesday is just as important as tonight was.”

Williams, who is based at Bedlington, is enjoying his spell back at Woodhorn Lane and said it was a ‘no brainer’ to return on loan: “It’s always a place I’ll come back to if I get the opportunity because I know all of the lads and I love playing here so it was a no brainer. There were a couple of teams in and around this league interested but I thought if there was one team I was going to go back to, it was Ashington. My loan was then extended and it was a key thing for me because ultimately, I want to help Ashington to stay in this league as much as I can – I would hate to see them go down.”

By Brian Bennett

Ben Metcalf’s call up to the Northern Ireland squad opened the door for a recall to Ashington’s starting line up for Matty Alexander – and the ‘keeper played an integral part in the Colliers 1-0 victory over high flying Dunston at Woodhorn Lane on Friday night.

Six minutes into the second half when the visitors were awarded a penalty, Josh Donaldson stepped forward – but the striker saw his effort superbly saved by Alexander who dived to his left and palmed the ball away one handed. Five minutes later Ben Williams netted the all important goal of the contest.

The 23 year old said of the crucial save: “Dunston have had a few penalties recently so I had a quick look – but to fair the penalties had gone all over – to the left, to the right and down the middle and there have been a couple of different players who have taken them. I think the last one went to the goalkeeper’s left so I thought I’ll go the same way and hope for the best – and thankfully it paid off. As a goalkeeper, it’s always nice to save a penalty because it makes you think that you are contributing and helping the team so it was a good feeling.”

Metcalf’s call up prompted an earlier return to action for Newcastle-born Alexander as he explained: “I was ruled out at the start of the season with a hand injury then I injured my ankle in the first half against Emley,” he said, “Obviously Ben (Metcalf) is away at the moment so I’ve come back a bit sooner than I thought – but our physio Kev Chapman has done a good job in strapping my ankle up tonight and it has paid off.”

Reflecting on the game, Alexander added: “I thought we created more chances and I didn’t feel as if I had an awful lot to do. We hit the post and had one cleared off the line and in the end with the effort we put in, I thought we deserved the win because we worked for it. Now we’ve got to get a positive result against Blyth Town on Tuesday. The games are coming thick and fast and with the Easter weekend, we’ve got to make the most of it and keep going.”

Interim boss Marc Ellison said: “If Ben Metcalf hadn’t been called up to International duty with Northern Ireland, he would played for us tonight. We got the rub of the green which you’ve got to take and fair play to Matty Alexander. We’ll have to assess how he is because he was limping at half time with his foot. He’s got through it and he’s a good lad so we’ll see before Tuesday and go from there. But he has now saved two penalties and we have won both games 1-0 and those six points could potentially keep us in the league. We can’t knock his attitude and commitment when he hasn’t been in the team. He’s here every week for training; he travels with us even if he’s not in the squad and he’s brilliant.”