By Brian Bennett

Nick Gray openly admitted that the season just ended has been the most challenging of his management career.

Gray said after Ashington’s 1-0 win at Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday: “It was a nice way to finish the season off but on a personal note, this year has been the most challenging season for me. It hasn’t been enjoyable at times. I’ve made mistakes and I think the club have made some mistakes as well and we’ve got to learn and go forward as a club. Football is my release and it hasn’t been at times this year. It’s been hard to take – and at times it has also been for my assistant Liam McIvor.”

He continued: “At this level, it’s been a tough, tough season. There have been a lot of changes during the campaign. No disrespect but we have made mistakes with some of the lads we have brought in whilst on the other hand, we have made some great signings. It’s hard to change things and I look at myself and I’ve got to see whether people take information on board from me or not. The club deserves to be at this level but there are lessons to be learned from everyone – but let’s enjoy the day and see what tomorrow brings.”

McIvor said: “On the season – it’s been up and down. There have been some hard games where we have been poor. There have been some good ones too – this is a good day – and special mention to Max Monaghan who is only 18-year-old and who did very well. We need to be on the same page. This is an unbelievable club with an unbelievable fan base and we need to make sure lessons are learned from this season and give them (fans) something to cheer about. We need to make sure we tidy things up on and off the pitch to give them that success.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray and skipper Karl Ross have paid tribute to Gary Ormston who has announced his retirement from football at the age of 41.

Ormston played the last game of his career – which stretches 25 years – for Ashington against Bradford Park Avenue at the Horsfall Community Stadium on Saturday which the Colliers won 1-0.

Gray – who made Ormston captain for Ashington’s final home game against Heaton Stannington on Easter Bank Holiday Monday – said: “I’ve known Gary for a number of years. I’ve been involved with teams playing against him but I’ve always admired him as an opposition player. It’s been good to work with him this year because he’s been great on the pitch and in the dressing room. He’s a fantastic person who has had a glistening career. He’s won just about everything you can in non-league football and he’s been a fantastic ambassador over the years.”

Skipper Karl Ross said: “I could talk all day about Gary. He’s only been at Ashington a year and a half but it feels like ten years! From a personal perspective he has helped me so much to improve as a player and I would describe him as one of those that you don’t meet very often in football.”

He continued: “On or off the pitch he’s one of the nicest lads you could ever wish to meet and he’s everything you could ever want as a player coming into the dressing room. He’s encouraging, he’s loving, and he helps you through things but he’s also hard on you because he knows what you can do.”

By Brian Bennett

Gary Ormston said he got emotional when his footballing career came to an end at Bradford Park Avenue’s Horsfall Community Stadium on Saturday.

The Ashington defender looked back on the game which the Colliers won with a goal by Josh Gilchrist and said afterwards: “The football was quite decent and we played all right. It’s a 4G pitch which is a good surface and I know we’ve been brushing relegation but we proved that we can hold our own at this level.”

On the decision to hang up his boots, Ormston said: “Nick (Gray) and Liam (McIvor) have been brilliant with me since I told them I was retiring. There’s a lot of people say there shouldn’t be a lot of sentiment in football – but actually there is and people play with a bit of sentiment. Nick told me that after 60-65 minutes I was going to come off and as the time got nearer, it started to get a bit more emotional for me. Early in the second half, I had an opportunity and I desperately wanted to score. I knew where my family were and I think if that had gone in, I would have just ran off the pitch there and then!”

The Ashington players and management formed a Guard of Honour for Ormston before he left the pitch and he added: “I didn’t realise they were going to do the Guard of Honour. I wanted to thank the fans who were great when I went off and I was tearing up. Former chairman Brian Shotton and my wife Gemma came over with a few others and it was teary. Brian said to me “It feels like you have been with us for ten years not a year and a half” which is quite a statement and it will probably stick with me.”

He continued: “I have made so many friends and this is what football is about. I said in the dressing room ‘I know it’s been a tough season but stick with football because it opens up so many doors and so many avenues.’ I’m quite a humble person and not one for the limelight but my wife Gemma told me ‘Celebrate a good career. You have touched so many people’s lives so go and embrace it.’

Ashington AFC are delighted to confirm our season ticket and matchday admission prices for the 2025/26 season!

As we prepare for another Northern Premier League campaign at Woodhorn Lane, we are pleased to offer great value once again – with our early bird season ticket offer returning and affordable matchday options for fans of all ages.

Matchday Admission Prices 2025/26
• Adults: £10
• Concessions: £6
• Under 16s: £4

Advance Purchase Prices (online up to 1.5 hours before kick off):
• Adults: £9
• Concessions: £5
• Under 16s: £3

Season Ticket Prices 2025/26
A season ticket remains the best value way to support the Colliers, covering 21 home league games including any pre season fixtures.

Ticket Type	Full Price	Early Bird Offer (until 31/05/2025)
Adult	£160	£140
Senior Citizen	£95	£85
Student (proof to be provided on collection)	£95	£85
Under 16	£63	£21

Under 16 Early Bird Special
This year, an Under 16s early bird season ticket is available for just £21 — that’s £1 per game!

Early Bird Deadline
The early bird window is now open and runs until 31/05/2025
Make sure you take advantage and save even more by buying early!

How to Buy
• Online: https://ashingtonafc.ktckts.com/package/asnhst2526/season-ticket-202526

Payment Options
We are pleased to offer supporters more flexible ways to pay for their season ticket:
• Pay in full at the time of purchase
or
• Spread the cost across three instalments.

Further details on instalment dates will be provided when purchasing your season ticket.

Thank you for your fantastic support. We look forward to welcoming you back to Woodhorn Lane for another season!

By Brian Bennett

Gary Ormston will wave a fond farewell to his playing days on the football pitch when Ashington travel to face Bradford Park Avenue in their final league match of the season tomorrow.

The midfielder has announced that he will hang up his boots after the final whistle at the Horsfall Community Stadium and as he reflected on the last 25 years he said ‘It’s been some career and I’ve had some incredible experiences but I just thought now was the right time to retire from the game.”

Born in Newcastle, Gary who is 41 has achieved what all non-league players yearn for. He’s played at Wembley and got an FA Vase winners medal; as an avid Newcastle United supporter, he describes an unforgettable night when he won the Northumberland Senior Cup whilst also being part of a league championship side and having had success in other cup competitions.

“At 16 I got a scholarship YTS at York City,” he said, “It was pre-season and my mam and dad took me to Newcastle Central railway station – and I then realised I was on the way to adulthood. After two years at York, I joined Dunston then I dropped down to Heddon on the Wall where my old schoolteacher was the manager but I got demoralised with football. When I got my love back for the game, I signed for Consett where I played over 300 games for them back in the good old Belle Vue days then onto Whitley Bay where I won the Vase.”

“I returned to Dunston, and as you creep over the age of 30 you start to get written off so you spend your time proving people wrong a little bit,” he said with a wry smile, “I then moved to North Shields and had a good spell there. I was approaching near late 30’s and you keep saying to yourself “I’ll see what I’m like and have another year” – but I have never signed a contract and if I felt okay it was a case of ‘let’s go again.’

Ormston lists winning the Vase as one of three distinct highlights during his career. “I was 27 at the time and it was my biggest achievement,” he added, “It was the whole thing – because you’re riding along on the crest of a wave. Whitley Bay had already won the competition twice in as many years. My best mate David Pounder joined Whitley Bay as well but you don’t think that they’ll get to a third consecutive final at Wembley. Paul Chow scored near the end as we beat Coalville Town 3-2.”

He continued: “I would say the best achievement was winning the Northumberland Senior Cup at St James’ Park against a Blyth Spartans side who were brilliant at the time. It was an unbelievable night for me and my family. We got battered early on before I opened the scoring at the Gallowgate end from the edge of the box where I curled the ball into the bottom corner. It remains as being the best game of football I ever played in.”

He added: “The third highlight was when North Shields won the Northern League first division title. We had a really good side and we played Whitley Bay on a Bank holiday Monday. We had to win or draw to clinch the league title – and we came out on top with a 3-1 scoreline. I netted the third with a penalty right in front of our fans and the celebrations were incredible.”

He went on: “I have played with some phenomenal players and it’s been some career. I’ve been very fortunate because I haven’t had a bad injury in 25 seasons and never missed a pre- season. To retire from the game is not a decision which I have taken lightly because I’ve been thinking and talking about it with my friends and family. I fancy doing a bit of hiking and trail running and I’ve also signed up to do the Great North Run this year plus another couple of things. Football has opened up so many doors and we have been to so many wonderful places – like Market Harborough – and even the last few years with Ashington I’ve been to Belper and my family have come along.”

He concluded: “There have been some incredible experiences and things which I’ll never forget – but I think the time is right to give my wife Gemma, biggest fan Sommer as well as my family and friends a bit more of my time. It’s like passing football over to the youngsters and letting them crack on with it.”

In partnership with our Supporters Club we are please to bring you the supporters poll for Player of the Season.

Please cast your vote by 5pm on Wednesday 30th April.

The winner will be revealed at our presentation evening on Friday 2nd May.

Coming Soon

2024/25 Supporters' Player of the Season

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By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray saw his outfit go down to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Heaton Stannington on Easter Monday and revealed afterwards that he didn’t think the Colliers did enough to win the game.

It was another flat performance by the Colliers with little for a crowd of over 700 to cheer about and was decided by a goal six minutes into the second half by visitors substitute Andrew Burn: “I’m naturally disappointed but I didn’t think we did enough to win the game,” said Gray, “I thought we were comfortable in the first half and had the lion’s share of possession without hurting them. Second half for the goal, we’ve misplaced the ball out of play and haven’t dealt with a long throw in again and have made it easy for the goal scorer to hit a half volley at the far post.”

He continued: “After that you look for a little bit of inspiration and quality in the final third and if I’m being honest, we didn’t have any at all. It’s hard to put into words how I really feel – I’ve got a lot of thoughts and feelings, but I don’t think now is the right time to say anything.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s assistant manager Liam McIvor has described the Easter Monday showdown against Heaton Stannington as being a must-win game for the Wansbeck side.

McIvor was speaking minutes after the Colliers had secured a share of the spoils from their Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division clash against Sheffield on Good Friday.

Ashington’s goals came from Josh Gilchrist and Craig Spooner.

The point was better than nothing, but the Colliers are still not safe from the drop and McIvor said afterwards: “Considering we were 2-0 down it was a huge point today. Survival is still in our hands – and the reality of the situation is that we have got to win against Heaton Stannington on Easter Monday because we don’t want to be going into our last game at Bradford Park Avenue needing to take anything from it in order to stay up.”

McIvor has asked the people of Wansbeck to provide backing from the terraces: “We need as many fans inside Woodhorn Lane as possible,” he said, “Newcastle United are not playing and the supporters can help us massively. They are absolutely unbelievable, and we need them to be behind us from the first minute to the last.”

Looking back at the 2-2 draw in Sheffield, McIvor said: “The first half was awful – everything that could go wrong went wrong. No-one was at the races. Second half we gave it a right go. We got a great start which brought us back into the game and then it was all Ashington. However, we still need to try and create something else because we rely on Craig Spooner and Josh Gilchrist too much and the rest of the team have got to chip in as well.”

McIvor also heaped praise on ‘keeper Ryan Catterick “Ryan pulled off two great saves for us in the second half,” he said.

Monday’s game kicks-off at 12 noon.

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray says his players have got to ‘turn up’ for two big games over the Easter period following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Garforth Town.

The boss takes his side to face already relegated Sheffield FC on Good Friday before the Colliers host local rivals Heaton Stannington at Woodhorn Lane on Monday – but he is becoming increasingly frustrated not knowing what kind of display he will be see from his outfit: “We don’t know what we are going to get from the players and as a result we are getting Jekyll and Hyde performances,” he said after the visitors clinched all three points following an own goal by ‘keeper Ryan Catterick: “We seem as if we are going to turn the corner then we start to go back. Today there was nothing in the game and I didn’t think either team deserved to win it and it’s a hard one to take. Ryan (Catterick) has made a mistake and held his hand up but to be fair to Ryan he has done smashing for us since we signed him. However, I thought there were only about three or four players who did their jobs for us today – and you cannot win games of football with that. You’ve got to take responsibility yourself and I think that’s where the game is going a little bit. People always look to blame someone else, but you’ve got to look in the mirror first. Did we do enough to win the game? I don’t think we did but they (Garforth) got their noses in front, and we haven’t tested their goalkeeper nor did we use the extra man after they had their defender sent off.”

He continued: “They had two decent chances in the first half but for me on our home turf we’ve got to take the game to them. No disrespect but we’ve got a lot more to play for than them. We got into some good areas but made poor decisions, were poor with our passing and got caught up with poor offsides so it’s a disappointing day. Now it goes down to another week where you are thinking ‘what’s going to happen?’ We’ve got the quality to do it but at this time of the year it’s not about the quality – it’s about the mentality of winning games of football which will get you over the line and we have got to look at ourselves and see if we have got that.”

He went on: “We have a big weekend ahead of us. If we had got three points today, we would have been happier, but we have got two teams around us to play (Sheffield FC and Heaton Stannington) who are also fighting for points. Unfortunately, Sheffield have been relegated but that means nothing. I know they will be up for the game, and they will play with freedom. Our players have got to know the importance of next week and make sure they are ‘at it’ from the start. We had enough quality to win the game today but we didn’t do enough. That’s down to us as a unit and I’m really disappointed – but the league table doesn’t lie.”

Ashington played against ten men from the 53^rd minute when Harry Viggars was sent off and Gray added: “We didn’t make use of the extra man – it’s as simple as that. They filled holes whilst we didn’t move the ball or put three or four passes together. We weren’t aggressive enough, we just laboured, and we’ve got to get ourselves right. If we look after ourselves, we’ll be fine – but it doesn’t come easy.”

He concluded: “Squad wise Harrison Clark and Ryan Donaldson both returned after injury and hopefully there will be one or two more to follow.”

By Brian Bennett

Josh Gilchrist netted the goal 20 minutes from time which sealed three points for his side from their away clash against Liversedge at The Leading-Edge Clayborn Stadium on Saturday.

And the 22-year-old striker revealed that his 14^th goal of the campaign was probably one of the most important he has scored all season.

“It was a scrappy game,” said Wallsend-born Gilchrist afterwards, “There wasn’t much in it and to be fair to Liversedge they worked hard and done the basics well. They’ve pumped it up and put us under a bit of pressure, but it was important that we stayed in the game, and I knew if we got one chance it would be the one chance we need.”

Gilchrist described his goal: “Jamie Holmes has slipped the ball through to me and I went one on one in the box. I did a little step over, hit it early and managed to put the ball in the bottom corner – and I knew as soon as it left my foot that it was going in. It is probably one of the most important goals I have scored all season and brought us a massive three points although it doesn’t shake the table as much as we would have liked – but it’s in our hands.”

He continued: “If we keep picking up points which we can do – and we’ve got some important games coming up – then we’ll be fine. We’ve got Garforth Town at home on Saturday then face a massive two games against Sheffield and Heaton Stannington over the Easter weekend. We weren’t at our best today – all of the lads in the changing rooms know that – but it’s the sign of a good team when you are picking up points and haven’t played well.”