By Brian Bennett

Manager Nick Gray will take his new Ashington side to face one of his former clubs in the semi final of this season’s Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup.

The Colliers have been drawn away to Morpeth Town whilst the other tie will see Heaton Stannington face holders Newcastle United u21’s.

The boss heard the draw ahead of what was an excellent 1-0 win over Grimsby Borough on Wednesday night and said: “I have some fond memories as well as having had some very good times at Morpeth so it will be nice to go back. On top of that I also have good friends at the club. The last time I returned to Craik Park with another club we didn’t do ourselves justice on the night and although we know it’s going to be a tough challenge for us, it’s a local derby and a semi final with the chance to play in the final at St. James’ Park. We’ll look forward to it with anticipation.”

By Brian Bennett

Delighted after his side had collected three precious points with a 1-0 victory after a pulsating non-stop encounter against Grimsby Borough on Wednesday night, Ashington manager Nick Gray has challenged his players to perform even better.

On what eventually turned out to be a perfect evening for football – following a pre match scare as fog hovered around the ground less than three hours before kick-off – a goal in the dying embers of the first half by Craig Spooner decided the outcome at the Bradley Football Development Centre.

The win lifted the Colliers up to 15^th place in the table and gave them a bit of breathing space – but it remains very tight at the foot of the East Division table. Sheffield are on the bottom with 15 points then the next seven clubs are separated by only four points.

Consequently it came as no surprise when Gray said afterwards: “Tonight’s clash at Grimsby was the start of an important passage for us where we had five of our next seven games on the road – so we needed to get points on the board away from home and set ourselves some targets. It’s never easy to travel this kind of a distance – a round trip of over 300 miles – on a Wednesday night but credit to the lads. They arrived at the ground; were focussed and to be fair I thought they put in a good shift all over the pitch.”

He continued: “It was a great three points tonight but can we go and get something from our trip to Sherwood on Saturday because that’s what we have got to do – get points from teams who are in and around us. We’ll happily take the win and the plaudits tonight but we know we can challenge ourselves to do even better with the ball.”

Reflecting on the first half Gray said: “The opening half was nip and tuck. I thought both teams gave the ball away cheaply in and out of possession with Grimsby looking dangerous when we gave the ball away and vice versa. At 0-0, we made some great interceptions from crosses which came into our box and we defended as a unit. I thought we grew into the game and got our noses in front with a goal by Craig Spooner which came out of nothing. He (Spooner) chases lost causes – and tonight he’s got his rewards! Once you go ahead, you’ve always got something to hold onto and second half I thought Spooner then Ryan Donaldson could have scored a second goal to be fair but both missed great opportunities. Craig has said to me that the ball took a bobble – and I’ll take his word on that – but at 1-0, it was going through my mind ‘are we going to rue those chances?’

He added: “Second half it was a case of do we stick or twist and do we bring subs on with fresh legs? It was also about game management and I thought we did that really well and can’t remember our goalkeeper Dan Staples having to make a save. We’ve been playing a certain way and having the lion’s share of possession in games but not doing a great deal with the ball so we changed our shape. I thought we had someone up there (Craig Spooner) and the switch worked tonight – if it hadn’t then I would have taken it on the chin. Formations don’t win games of football – footballers do – and man for man I thought we had more players who were better than the opposition player. Don’t get me wrong, Grimsby have got some good players but we kept them quiet. They are a good side who attack with pace on the counter attack but I thought we dealt with it well and our defending was outstanding. Scott Lowery, Jordan Summerly, Ben Williams and Andrew Cartwright all did their jobs – but the defending came from the front.”

Meanwhile Ryan Donaldson made his debut playing up front alongside Spooner and Gray concluded: “I thought Ryan had a good debut. He showed his experience and he’ll get better for us.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray wants his players to improve their away form in the second half of the season.

Following back to back league games against Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe which have been postponed due to frozen surfaces, the Colliers now head into a programme of fixtures which will see them on their travels for five out of their next seven matches – and Gray is looking for an improvement in results.

The pitch at Woodhorn Lane was so solid that Saturday’s scheduled clash against Newton Aycliffe was actually called off on Friday tea time and Gray was keeping his fingers crossed that with milder weather forecast, Wednesday night’s trip to face Grimsby Borough would get the green light.

However, the boss was philosophical about the forthcoming journeys when he said: “It’s not ideal and it’s just the way things have fallen with the weather – but at the same time we need to be better with our away form and look to get some positive results. We know we have to do much better and need points on the board and within the dressing room we’ll be setting ourselves a target. The earlier we reach that target the better. It’s a tough challenge but after these seven games if we’ve bagged a good points haul then it’ll have been worthwhile – if not then it will put us under pressure for the home games.”

He continued: “The weather has stopped our momentum but we’re in the same boat as a lot of other clubs. When I was with Morpeth Town, we experienced a long winter in 2016 – the same season we won the FA Vase – where we didn’t play a game for nine or ten weeks! On Thursday night I spoke at training that we’ve got to keep switched on and be focussed and think that the next game is going to go ahead. We are in a good place at the minute and need to play as soon as we can – but we’ve got to make sure that when that next game comes, we’re 100 per cent prepared.”

Meanwhile Gray revealed that he had organised a behind closed doors friendly at the weekend: “You have to try and keep ticking over,” he added, “Some players have had more minutes than others recently but as manager, it also gives you an opportunity to look at shape and formations. It was disappointing but not a surprise that the Newton Aycliffe clash was postponed. They are always a tough side to play against so we knew it would have been a difficult game but you are just waiting for the next match because the longer it goes on (without a match), the tougher it is for the lads to get back into a routine.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray has added experienced campaigner Ryan Donaldson to his squad.

The midfielder joined the Colliers from neighbours Blyth Spartans last week and Gray is looking to the former Hartlepool man to bring leadership as well as experience to the squad.

Gray said: “”I’ve known Ryan closely for a good few years and I think he’s been a bit unlucky. Some of the comments about him when he was with Morpeth Town and Blyth Spartans have been unfair. I know what Ryan can bring to the team and I know he wouldn’t have come to Ashington if he couldn’t give to the squad what he knows I expect from him. He’s a great lad who will bring some leadership and experience into the dressing room – an aspect which we haven’t got a lot of. Consequently I’m delighted to get him onboard because he’ll be as infectious in the dressing room as he will be on the pitch.”

Meanwhile the Woodhorn Lane club have also extended two loan deals with Morpeth Town and Gateshead respectively for defenders Ryan Wombwell and Ben Williams.

Gray added: “I’m definitely delighted to get both players tied up until the end of the season because they are two lads who enhance the squad. In Ryan’s case, he’s an honest hard working lad who is the first to criticise himself and in general, I’m disappointed when lads don’t perform to their full potential.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray received the perfect Christmas present from his players when the Colliers’ win over Heaton Stannington on Boxing Day lifted them out of the bottom four of the East Division of the Pitching In Northern Premier League.

At the time, the 3-1 victory made it three games unbeaten before the Wansbeck side went down to a single goal defeat at the hands of promotion chasing Dunston UTS just before the turn of the New Year. And whilst the boss is the first to admit that there is still plenty of hard work ahead, he said: “I think things have changed and Woodhorn Lane is a much happier place than it was a month ago when were down to ten men and lost 4-0 against Liversedge. I watched the Dunston game back and we did really well against them. I thought we had as many opportunities as they did and kept a very lively forward line – which they have – quiet. However when we got into the final third we just didn’t have enough to trouble UTS’s Dan Lowson who is a very good goalkeeper.”

Gray has stressed that he is striving for consistency within the whole of his squad: “Obviously you want to do as well as you can in the second half of the season but we’re in the position we are in for a reason and the word I’m looking for is consistency – we need more players to be consistent and we seem to be getting there,” he said, “We’ve got to make sure that we finish this season strongly and we’ll be hoping that we can get through to the final of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup. On top of that, we’ve also got to plan and look ahead to next term.”

Meanwhile Gray is delighted with the progress made by full back Jordan Summerly as well as the return of goalkeeper Dan Staples. Summerly had a spell where he was ruled out for a few months with an injury whilst Staples has just reclaimed the number one jersey after serving a three match suspension: “Jordan is getting fitter and stronger,” added Gray, “I think he gives us balance on the left hand side and he’ll get even better with more games under his belt. We’ve also got competition in the goalkeeping department now and I thought Dan Staples had his best performance for the club under my management against Dunston UTS,”

The boss was disappointed that Saturday’s away game against Bishop Auckland was postponed due to a frozen pitch: “You want to get back into the swing of things as quickly as you can,” he said, “We had started to hit a bit of form and I was hoping it would continue but it wasn’t to be. However if there is any consolation it’s not too far a travel for what will be a midweek fixture.”

Ashington now prepare for their clash against Newton Aycliffe at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday (January 11) and Gray said: “We’ll be training twice this week ahead of the game and keeping our fingers crossed for a change in the weather. Aycliffe are a very good side so we will have to be at our best to get a result.”

By Brian Bennett

It’s rapidly approaching four months since Nick Gray took over the managerial position at Ashington and appointed Liam McIvor as his assistant.

And with a blank Saturday after the Colliers’ scheduled league clash away to Bishop Auckland was postponed due to a frozen pitch, Gray took time out to reflect on his time so far in the post and talked to press officer Brian Bennett about the ups and downs:

“Football changes all the time. The most difficult thing for me is that we have a good set of lads here yet we are in a position in the league table which we don’t want to be in. Obviously there are reasons for that and you try and bring players in but it’s very difficult during the season so recruitment has proved to be a bit difficult. However we have added a few players and the key thing is that they will improve the squad. The job is slightly more difficult than I thought but it’s something which I like – hitting things head on – and I think we’ve seen signs of improvement. We’ve got to start looking up the table and we need to be better in the second half of the season and look to get some consistency.”

“Losing defender Paddy Almond last week – who joined Blyth Spartans – was a blow. I wished him all the best but there was nothing we could do about it with one of the reasons he left being that Blyth are in the league above. I recently signed Scott Lowery and we brought him in because the defence was an area where we needed to improve and there wasn’t a lot of competition. Scott came in and I thought he was excellent against Dunston whilst I also thought Ben Williams had a really good game and the two complimented each other. In fact the whole back four complimented each other plus goalkeeper Dan Staples.”

“We have got to be wary that the squad now consists of 18 players because I thought we had too many with 21/22 but if someone becomes available that we think would improve the squad then we’d be interested in them – like Ryan Donaldson who was available and who we signed last week from Blyth Spartans. Bailey Geliher is also back fit and training. We haven’t got a lot of competition up front so to have him will be a plus for us.”

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By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray analysed the 1-0 home defeat against Dunston UTS on Monday night and reckons his squad need to have more belief and conviction.

Gray said afterwards: “The result was disappointing – and I’m a bit frustrated and disappointed for the lads because they put a lot of effort into that game. I thought we played better in the second half against the wind than we did in the first but the lads need to have a bit more belief and conviction. I didn’t think we got the ball down to play at all in the first period where it (the ball) kept coming back to us but I thought we looked quite solid without the ball.”

Sado Djalo struck shortly before half time with the goal which decided the contest and Gray added: “We switched off for a two versus one situation and they put the ball into a good area and scored. However apart from that there was nothing in the game but with Dunston having got their noses in front, they could dictate how to play. My lads are giving their all and I thought we were the better side after the interval without looking as if we were going to hurt them in the final third and that’s what we lacked – that little bit of quality where it mattered.”

Gray made substitutes in the second half and said: “The lads who came off hadn’t done anything wrong but it was a case of trying to freshen things up. The game went quickly in the second half – against a side who are going to be up there at the end of the season. Dunston’s frontline and firepower are very good players but I thought we handled them really, really well and kept them quiet and defensively it was our best display of the season. Scott Lowery came in at the back and I thought he did well as did Marc Ellison and these lads have made a difference but we still need to keep improving. In the last three games we have got two wins followed by this 1-0 loss but tonight I thought we looked more solid defensively as a unit than against Heaton Stannington on Boxing Day where we got three points!”

Gray went on: “We now head into the New Year and the second half of the season where we have to be better than we have been in the first half but we are going the right way and we know what we need to work on and improve. We are still relying on one or two players and need others to shine a little bit more but I’ve got every confidence in the squad going forward.”

Ashington now prepare for an away showdown against Bishop Auckland on Saturday January 4, where kick off is 3pm.

By Brian Bennett

It was his first goal of the season – but Ben Sampson’s fantastic 20 yards lob against Heaton Stannington on Thursday will go down as another to add to his glowing collection.

It appears the midfielder only deals in extra special ‘goals’ – like the one he scored in the 5-0 win against Bishop Auckland two seasons ago which saw him lift the ‘goal of the season’ award.

Ten minutes from the end at Grounsell Park on Boxing Day, Ashington held a slender 2-1 lead – but had been reduced in number following Josh Gilchrist’s red card – when Sampson struck.

“I definitely meant it,” said the 26 year old afterwards, “At that point we were down to ten men and I’ve turned the lad and saw the ‘keeper off his line. I just thought to myself ‘give it a go’ and when the ball went into the top corner, I was absolutely thrilled to bits.”

Sampson was also delighted with the result: “I thought we deserved to win,” he said, “It was an early kick off, the sun was in everyone’s eyes, it was a warm morning and the pitch was heavy which made conditions difficult. They (Heaton Stannington) went ahead but weren’t creating loads of opportunities and we finally got the ball down and started to play. We were much the better team second half and I thought our quality shone through in the end.”

After playing the final 25 minutes a man short, Sampson said: “Playing with ten men can be difficult or sometimes it can be easier. We played against Ossett United recently who had a player sent off and breaking them down proved to be difficult. Today we stuck in and worked for each other as a group and we have got a great team spirit. We kept a good shape and caught them (Heaton Stannington) on the break with the third goal and I think that put the game to bed.”

Sampson gave his full support to the comment made by assistant manager Liam McIvor that the Colliers have turned a corner: “The boss (Nick Gray) has brought in some good players who are also great lads,” said Sampson who is based at Pegswood, “This is another win and we’re showing a bit of form and I agree with Liam (McIvor) when he says that it looks like we have turned a bit of a corner. We are now out of the drop zone and I’m hoping that we can kick on a little bit and have a good second half to the season.”

Assistant manager Liam McIvor said: “We need Ben to add goals to his game and he knows this. We talk about it all the time and even mentioned it just before he went onto the field as a substitute at Heaton Stannington. His goal was a wonder strike.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s assistant manager Liam McIvor – delighted with the 3-1 win over Heaton Stannington on Boxing Day – reckons the Woodhorn Lane outfit have ‘turned a corner.’

After the hosts had opened the scoring through Daniel Stephenson, the result was sealed with goals from Wilson Kneeshaw, Paddy Almond and Ben Sampson and extended the Colliers unbeaten run to three games – but McIvor says they have got to keep focussed: “Sometimes you just get stuck in a rut but we’re now in 16^th place and have just got to keep looking forward. Anyone can beat anyone in this league and we don’t want to be jumping back into the bottom four. I said to the lads before the game that I think we’ve turned a corner – I honestly do – and maybes the new additions have added a little bit of spice but we look like a different team. However, we need to keep our feet firmly on the ground.”

McIvor was disappointed with how Ashington began against ‘The Stan’: I thought we

were slow and didn’t start for 25 minutes,” he said, “Initially we were well beaten all over

the pitch but after that we came into the game and got an equaliser just before half time

which was important.”

He continued: “Second half I thought we were the better side even after Josh Gilchrist had been sent off. We had to get into the trenches and apart from having to battle with ten men, when we adjusted, we set up well and the two goals by Paddy Almond and Ben Sampson either side of the red card were both wonder strikes.”

McIvor said of Gilchrist’s dismissal: “I thought it was a harsh second yellow card,” he said, “However, ‘Gilly’ has run the risk and given the referee a decision to make.”

Meanwhile Gary Ormston came in for special praise from McIvor: “I said to Gary Ormston and in front of all the lads before the game at Heaton Stannington that it was like rolling back the years because I thought Gary was fantastic on Saturday against Ossett United – and he was fantastic again today.”

Looking ahead to Monday night’s clash against Dunston UTS (December 30), McIvor said: “It will be a very hard game. Dunston are a good side who are in form but if we get the crowd behind us then anything can happen.” Kick off is 7.45pm.