By Brian Bennett

Nick Gray says he is confident his side can put a run of results together and lift themselves out of the clutches of the drop zone in the East Division of the Pitching In Northern Premier League.

The Colliers slipped down a further place to third from bottom after Newton Aycliffe won 1-0 at Consett in midweek and followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Lincoln United on Saturday to leapfrog above the Wansbeck based outfit.

Ashington have only picked up two points from their last six matches and have shipped eight goals in their last two games – and on Saturday (November 15) Gray’s side begin a run where five of their next seven games are at Woodhorn Lane.

Speaking after his side had gone down 5-0 at Pontefract Collieries last weekend, Gray said: “You can see that we are a side lacking in confidence that’s for sure and giving a goal away in the first five minutes today didn’t help. We weren’t close enough to Pontefract all over the pitch in the first half and although we went in 3-0 down at half time the scoreline could have been more if I’m being honest.”

He continued: “During the interval, we spoke about character and the plan was that one goal may change the game and to see if we could win the second half. I thought we were the better side – however, we gave them two goals and we’ve got to cut out the mistakes we are making. Whether it was because we were already 3-0 down but we played with some confidence and freedom. We played some good football and were unlucky and it’s difficult to take. The two goals which they scored in the second half may have been harsh on us but I said to the players that at the weekend when you see people you know they don’t ask you how well you’ve played. They ask you the scoreline and today we got beat 5-0 and that’s what the result reads tomorrow.”

He added: “We have got five home games out of our next seven and we have to blank off and ignore the negativity; reset and have belief in ourselves that we can improve. I think we can – but the players need to think the same way. Confidence is low but to gain confidence you need that trigger – like who is going to win that 40/60 ball or who is going to give their all to ensure that the ball goes into the back of our opponents’ net? It’s a challenging time for the club at the moment but if I didn’t think I could turn it around I would say. I looked at how many supporters came on the coach today and that hurt me and it shows where we are performance wise. The Ashington fans have been great but we need to give them something to cheer about.”

He went on: “We cannot give teams 3-0 starts and it’s a tough result to take but I think we’ve got to forget what has already gone this season, learn from it and move on. We do need a little bit of luck and confidence and the latter is only going to come with hard work and desire because all that matters in senior football is results.”

Ahead of the Pontefract clash, Gray brought in striker Louis Burns on-loan from South Shields and the boss added that a couple of new faces should give the team a boost and a lift.

Following the operational review update released last week, we felt it was right to share a wider update on where the club is at across different areas, both on and off the pitch. A lot of work goes on in the background that isn’t always seen, and this aims to give a clear picture of that.

🏟️ Ground & Facilities

• New LED Floodlights are now in use, improving visibility, meeting league regulations and reducing running costs.
• The pitch continues to be maintained to a high standard thanks to Scott Robson, our groundsman, who puts in countless voluntary hours.
• Thank you to the volunteers who help around the building and the ground. Much of the work is quiet and unseen, but the effort shows.
• Work is ongoing to improve the club shop and return it to matchday opening, alongside a wider range of merchandise.

🚌 Travel & Fixtures

• Supporter and team travel has been strengthened to keep the squad together on more matchdays and allow fans to follow the side. Supporter travel is offered at a reasonable cost, and many choose to make use of it, which helps support the overall travel bill.
• Travel for the club can range from £12,000 to £14,000 a season depending on the journeys involved, so every bit of support here makes a difference.
• Friday night fixtures have returned. We hosted Newton Aycliffe last week and face Consett at Woodhorn Lane in early December.
• The first Ashington vs Blyth league derby since 1983 takes place on Boxing Day. Tickets are now on sale.

🍺 Matchday Experience, Functions & Catering

• We trialled in-house catering across the hatch and Sunday lunches, but rising costs made this difficult to continue. We have now returned to a matchday food van arrangement. Whilst this may feel like a step back the club has to get back to basics and take stock of things whilst reducing costs. Thank you to everyone who put their time and effort into the catering side during that period.
• Hospitality remains available, and the Charlton Lounge and Woodhorn Lane are available for private hire when fixtures allow.
• Functions are a key part of the club’s income. If you know anyone looking for a venue for birthdays, family gatherings or celebrations, please recommend us. Every booking helps support the club.
• The Tuesday Quiz Night with Steffan Peddie continues to bring people together, and getting along to it supports the club. This will be staffed on a voluntary basis for the forseeable future.
• Jimmy Ogilvie is once again hosting a fundraising night with live music at the Northern Club on Friday 14th November. Tickets are available from Jimmy or the Northern Club.
• Hank and The Hotdogs will be playing live at the football club on Saturday 29th November at 7.45pm, following the home match and the Newcastle game on TV.
• The club has Sky Sports and TNT Sports, and we would like to open more often around televised matches. However, when we have opened previously, bar takings have not always covered staff costs or stock. This is something we are reviewing carefully moving forward and again may be a voluntarily operated opening.

💼 Commercial & Fundraising

• Build the Budget returned this season. It didn’t reach previous levels but we do thank everyone who contributed. Work continues on new ways of supporting the football budget.
• The seasonal sponsorship pack has been refreshed and several new partners have joined recently.
• Matchday 50/50 continues to generate good income of nearly £200 for most games. The sellers do a great job and we thank them for that, it really does make a difference.
• The Supporters Club is also going through a re-organisation and are looking to relaunch the Awayday 50/50 in the near future.

👕 Identity & Kit

• The new home shirt has been popular with supporters and we have sold around 80 so far. We will be ordering more home shirts on the run up to Christmas.
• Moving to Adidas for kit and training wear has lifted how the club presents itself. Sponsorship remains available for the kit and we are looking at a supporter pre-order before Christmas.

🌱 Sustainability

• The LED floodlights are already helping reduce electricity use although across the facility overall it is still too high.
• Further work is planned to extend LED lighting throughout the facility to reduce running costs.
• We are working with local partners on wider energy projects in the community.

🏛️ Boardroom

• Work has continued to build stronger governance, clearer roles, and steadier planning across the club. With having such a small team quite often roles end up crossing over which means they don’t get the full attention they deserve. Work is underway to rectify that.
• Off-field operations are being strengthened, including the bar and function facilities, matchday organisation, commercial work, and community links. The aim is for these areas to support one another and provide a stable base for the football side.
• All board positions are voluntary, taken on by people who give their time because they care about Ashington Football Club.
• The club is open to bringing new skills into the boardroom to support the existing team. Anyone who feels they could contribute is welcome to speak with us.

⚽ On the Pitch

• It has been a mixed start to the season and the league position is obviously not where we would like it to be at this stage.
• The local football landscape is very tough and competitive, with player availability at a premium across the region. This affects many clubs, not just ourselves.
• Nick is working hard to improve the squad and bring in the right players where possible. The group are committed and are putting in the work to turn results around.
• Support home and away continues to mean a great deal to everyone in the dressing room and the club overall.

🙏 A Final Word

Thank you to everyone who turns up, buys a ticket, supports the bar, volunteers, and stands by the club.

As always decisions are made with the best interests of Ashington AFC at heart. The club has been here for 142 years, and the intention is for it to be here long beyond all of us.

We keep going and working hard together.

UpTheColliers | #AshingtonAFC

By Brian Bennett

Ashington missed the opportunity to claim three precious points in their bid to climb away from the lower reaches of the East Division of the Northern Premier League on Friday night as they lost 3-0 against Newton Aycliffe at Woodhorn Lane.

After Josh Gilchrist had missed a fourth minute penalty for the home side, Aycliffe scored all three goals in the second half through Jack Clarkson, Scott Fenwick and Tom Henson.

On Halloween, the evening developed into a horror show for the Colliers and manager Nick Gray revealed afterwards that he hit one of his lowest points in years of management: “I’ve been in football a long time and tonight is probably one of my lowest ebbs as a manager,” he said, “It was really disappointing, it really hurts and I take full responsibility. It’s my squad and the buck stops with me. We spoke about the importance of the game but I thought in the first half there was only one player – Ryan Donaldson – who passed the ball well. There wasn’t a lot in the game and I thought both teams gave the ball away cheaply.”

He continued: “Second half, you always know the first goal is going to be crucial and to be fair we’ve given away a poor goal from a set piece. Then you seemed to see the energy sucked out of the players a little bit and we made Newton Aycliffe look like Brazil in the end. It’s a squad we’ve assembled on what resources we have and you try your best. Some Ashington supporters booed us at the end and they have got the right to do that. I think there have been games where they haven’t done that and have stuck by us but tonight they did. In general, the fans have been great and I cannot fault them.”

He added: “I think the lads just expected things to happen. At half time we didn’t have a pop at them. We said we had worked hard enough but we’d given the ball away far too cheaply. If you don’t do that (pass the ball well) then you’re going to find it hard against any team.”

In the fourth minute, Josh Gilchrist missed a penalty but Gray said: “Josh has been great for us and obviously he didn’t mean to miss from the spot. Yes it was a chance but we had other opportunities in 86 plus minutes to try and put things right. We didn’t do enough to win the game and it’s hurting.”

By Brian Bennett

Ben Sampson has made the decision to leave Ashington FC and move on to a new chapter in his footballing career.The 26 year old’s final performance for the Colliers came in the goalless away draw against Grimsby Borough.

Sampson, who said there had been ‘some massive highs’ during his six year spell with the Woodhorn Lane based outfit, wrote his own farewell message which was posted across the club’s social media platforms on Saturday lunchtime saying it was a ‘difficult decision to move on’ and thanked several personnel including manager Nick Gray, assistant manager Liam McIvor, the staff and volunteers behind the club and the unconditional support he has received from the fans.

He described Ashington as being ’one of the best run clubs at this level’ and ended his comments with the words ‘I will remain an Ashington fan’

Manager Nick Gray said: “Ben has been a great servant for the club. His personal circumstances have changed at home and he was finding it difficult to stay at this level. However, I cannot thank him enough from the staff, players and supporters because he gives everything on the pitch. He’s a good lad and I wish him all the best going forward.”

Sampson’s statement was posted on social media only a couple of hours before the midfielder had his name in lights after scoring the only goal of the game for his new club North Shields in their Ebac Northern League first division clash at Birtley Town.

By Brian Bennett

Friday night football comes to Woodhorn Lane this week when Ashington take on Newton Aycliffe in the East Division of the Pitching In Northern Premier League (October 31).

And Colliers boss Nick Gray is hoping the fixture will attract a good crowd through the turnstiles: “We want to start to entertain our home supporters so that they’ll come back,” he said, “The reason we are playing Friday night is twofold. The only way supporters are going to return is if they see an attractive entertaining game whilst it also allows us the opportunity to give the lads the weekend off. It’s a good weekend if you get a positive result – but it’s a long weekend if you don’t.”

He continued: “We’ll dust ourselves down after today (at Grimsby Borough) and train during the week but football is a funny old game. Thursday’s defeat in the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup hit everyone at the club hard – players, staff and supporters alike and then at Grimsby there were a lot more positives than negatives. It’s a very competitive league. You look at results and everyone can beat everyone and you’ve just got to work on the consistency because the teams who get the most points are the ones who are consistent – it’s not rocket science.”

Friday’s match has a 7.45pm kick-off.

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

After two games where he has had a face like thunder, Ashington manager Nick Gray emerged from the dressing room on Saturday wearing a smile following his sides battling goalless draw against Grimsby Borough in North East Lincolnshire.

“It wasn’t a classic game by any means but it was a point on the road and we kept a clean sheet,” he said “I was proud of all the players today because they gave everything and left everything on the pitch. On Thursday night against Newcastle University it was both a disappointing result and performance as we lost 2-0 but there were some lessons learned. We definitely would have taken a point before the game today. If I’m being honest I thought it was probably a fair result because I didn’t think either team had that bit of quality in the final third. We even could have won it – but that’s been our issue where we are not scoring or working the goalkeeper. There are still things which we have got to learn but today was positive. We’ve had two draws in the league and are hard to beat but we need to work on finishing teams off.”

He continued: “It was a good bounce back after Thursday night. We are a Jekyll and Hyde team with my assistant Liam McIvor and I not sure what we are going to get. The best teams have got consistency  – and that’s what we have got to aim for. You take each game and now the midweek games have finished which allows you to work on things in training but you’ve just got to keep thinking positively.”

He added: “Probably a learning curve for us today was the substitutes who came on and who gave everything were the people who haven’t had many minutes. We probably need to work them a bit harder because we are asking them to do things when they go on the pitch and they are not quite up to fitness but I take the responsibility and blame for that – it’s not on them.”

Ashington were forced into a late reshuffle when Scott Lowery pulled out in the warm up – and Gray gave a glowing tribute to Ryan Donaldson: “Scott was disappointed but he didn’t feel right,” said the boss, “He’s had an injury and played last week and after not involving him against Newcastle University, I thought he would have been okay for today – but fair play to Ryan Donaldson. Ryan was informed 20 minutes before the game that he was starting and he got through 90 minutes. He’s been out for a while with injury himself but he’s played two games within 48 hours and that’s credit to him. He’s comfortable on the ball and is a very good communicator on the pitch.”

Ashington Football Club is proud of the fantastic facilities we provide for the level at which we operate. However, we recognise that maintaining these facilities comes with significant costs. In the current economic climate, with rising energy and food prices alongside increases in wages and National Insurance, the non-football side of the club has been reviewing ways to operate more efficiently internally.

After evaluating the hatch and Sunday lunches, the club has made the difficult decision to discontinue in-house catering effective immediately. We would like to thank everyone involved in their dedication and hard work in this effort.

To ensure that our fans continue to enjoy quality food on matchdays, the club will now outsource catering services and is delighted to welcome back Katie Doc’s food van, who will provide an excellent offering for supporters.

Additionally, the club has reluctantly made changes to the bar operation, including the mutual agreement to discontinue the bar manager role. We are pleased to confirm that our former bar manager will remain with the club as part of the bar staff team moving forward.

While some may see these changes as a temporary step back, they are necessary to ensure the club becomes more efficient and sustainable. Our priority remains the best interests of the club, our facilities, and the overall matchday experience for our supporters and this commitment is evident in recent improvements, including the switch to LED floodlights, which not only increase efficiency but also reduce light pollution in the surrounding community. The club will continue to explore ways to enhance operations while maintaining the high standards our fans expect.

Thank you for your continued support!

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray pulled no punches as he openly and honestly delivered his postmatch verdict after his side had gone out of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup following a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle University at Prudhoe’s Essity Park last night.

Joel Manning gave the Students an early lead in the second half which was added to midway through when Andrew Anderson put the ball into his own net – and Gray was seething with his outfit.

“I cannot be having the same conversation after every game about performances,” he stormed, “A lot of questions have to be answered by myself as manager and the players. We spoke to them before the game about attitude, mentality and how we had to be better than them (Newcastle University) and I just wonder whether the players are not listening to the information we are giving them – and if that is the situation then something has got to change.”

He continued: “On the night we were beaten by the better team – no arguments about it – and it has hurt me badly. The supporters were fantastic again and I am apologising to them – but I cannot keep on doing that. I’m really, really disappointed and some of the players have got to come to the table. It’s a quick turn around for us as we go to play Grimsby Borough tomorrow – and I’ll be looking for a reaction.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Liam Miller says he just wants to start playing football again after putting pen to paper for Ashington on a loan deal from neighbours Morpeth Town.

The 23 year old has been out of the game for 18 months with injury but he has now been given the green light to kick start his footballing career.

“I did back to back ACL’s (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) on the same knee,” he said after making a brief appearance as an 84^th minute substitute in the Colliers 1-1 draw against North Ferriby at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday, “After being injured the first time, I returned within seven to eight months but after doing pre season, it went again in my first game back. However, I’ve played things safe this time round and have been out for a full 12 months.”

Hexham-born Miller, who is a football coach, continued: “I just want to get some minutes into my legs and play football again. I know a good few of the lads at Ashington so I thought it was a perfect opportunity because it’s just up the road as well. I’m buzzing – and can’t wait to get started.”

Ashington manager Nick Gray said: “I’ve know of Liam for four or five years. He’s coming back after a long term injury but has been training and has received the okay to play but needs minutes. I’ve brought him in because we are a bit lopsided between left and right footers as we only have Jay Hornsby and I’ve told Jay that Liam – who has got a great left foot – will help him. If a player becomes available who you think is going to strengthen your squad then we’ll always look at the situation. Liam is a player who is here to get his match fitness back. He’s a good player and will enhance the squad for sure.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Nick Gray didn’t have to speak about being disappointed and frustrated after his side had played out a 1-1 draw against high fliers North Ferriby at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday – the expression on his face said it all!

After the visitors had been reduced in number following Louis Kirk’s red card two minutes into the second half, Josh Gilchrist fired the Colliers in front but the ten men of Ferriby went back home with a point as a cool finish by Charlie Clements with a little over ten minutes remaining levelled the scores.

A furious Gray commented: “One hundred per cent it was two points dropped today and what I will say is that when it went to 1-1, I thought they (North Ferriby) were more likely to score again than us. The game was there for the taking from the first minute of the second half right the way through. The sending off obviously helped us and we got our noses in front but missed some good chances. We still gave silly free kicks away even though we talk about not doing that and to be fair our ‘keeper Tyler Jones has made two unbelievable saves from set plays.”

He continued: “We gave them (North Ferriby) a goal by over playing in the wrong area and people have got to learn. When they went down to ten men, they worked harder than us – and that shouldn’t happen because we have got to raise our game. We made wrong decisions and played sideways and backwards passes too much and invited them on. Credit to them, they worked hard and got the equaliser but for me it was avoidable.”

Chances were at a premium in a dull opening period. It was past the quarter hour mark before Lewis Dennison missed out with a close range header for North Ferriby  – before Liam Henderson fluffed his lines when he stroked wide of the upright: “Liam said he should have scored after what was a good move,” added Gray, “I thought we began the game slowly but grew into the half as it progressed. We got more possession but didn’t use the ball wisely enough and at half time I said to the lads ‘let’s look after the ball a bit better’ – and we started the second half okay. We got our noses in front and with no disrespect to the opposition, when you are 1-0 up against ten men you should control the game but we didn’t. That was disappointing and we’ve got to learn from it. It’s a point more than we had before kick-off but I do feel it was two points dropped.”

Ashington travel to face Newcastle University on Thursday night (October 23) in the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup and Gray added: “It’s a one-off game and we’ve got to make sure that we’re ‘at it’ and focussed. We’ll dust ourselves down and prepare for the match but it won’t be easy. It’s a competition where the final is played at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park and all players relish the opportunity of playing there. With that incentive, if people can’t raise their games then they shouldn’t be in non league football.”