By Brian Bennett

Ashington interim boss Karl Ross said he was ‘happy enough’ to share the spoils after the Colliers had played out a 0-0 draw against Pontefract Collieries at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday.

Ross said afterwards: “I was happy enough with a point but the match certainly wasn’t a classic by any means. It was a clash which lacked real quality from both sides whilst Ben Metcalf has pulled of a few good saves to keep us in it. We’ve then had the best chance of the game with Louis (Burns) – although the ball did look as if it sat up – but in the second half neither side had a shot on target.”

He added: “At half time we asked the lads to be a bit braver and look to have a bit more quality on the ball. I thought Wilson Kneeshaw looked dangerous and we wanted to play down his side and let him try to get past his full-back which he had done on a few occasions whilst our other aim was to play through the lines a bit more. In the end though, it was a deserved point for both of us.”

Ryan Wombwell became the fourth Ashington player to see red from their last six games when he was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time and Ross said: “Our disciplinary record doesn’t look great on paper but I’ve never seen a player appear to be elbowed then be the one who is sent off. The discipline side of things is something which we have spoken about in-house and we are going to have to miss Ryan (Wombwell) for one game. It’s a bit of a blow because Ryan has been brilliant for us this year.”

Moving onto Tuesday night’s away clash against Blyth Town – which is a six pointer – Ross said: “I don’t think matches get much bigger than Tuesday and it’s certainly a must not lose game for us. They (Blyth Town) are flying and have won three in a row and look what a difference it has made because I think they were rock bottom of the table three games ago and now they are on our tails. We’ll be in for training on Monday working on a few things but it’s a massive game for the lads to get up for. A local derby like this is something which can pick everybody up and hopefully we can get the right result.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s joint interim manager Karl Ross spoke of his delight with the character which the players showed as they forced a 2-2 draw against Bridlington Town at Woodhorn Lane on Tuesday evening.

The Colliers twice found themselves trailing in the contest to goals by Seasiders skipper Tom Allan with Louis Burns scoring the first equaliser then Ollie Thompson heading a stoppage time leveller.

Ross said afterwards: “I was happy with a point. Ultimately when you are 2-1 down and you score so late on it feels like a win and lifts the mood in the dressing room. The lads showed great character to come back twice to get a point and we’ll take that into Saturday’s home game against Pontefract Collieries.”

Ross added: “We changed the formation a few times but I still thought we were a difficult watch. We had five and six attackers on the field at one point in the second half as we went for the win and bagging that late equaliser could be a big point in the long run. We were disappointed at half time especially conceding from a set piece because we knew their strengths. They had big lads at the back and we gave them free headers with Tom Allan scoring twice which was very disappointing.”

He added: “I thought we started the second half off well and equalised with a good goal then after going 2-1 down it was tough but we pushed as much as we could. It was a risk when we put all the subs on but I thought the game was there to be won so we said to the subs – ‘get on the pitch and try to win us the game.’ With the strength of the squad we have now got, we had a very strong bench and it was a tough decision for the actual starting eleven.”

Ashington move onto Saturday’s home clash against Pontefract Collieries and Ross said “We played them earlier in the season and they are a strong side. It’ll be another tough game but another one we can get up for and hopefully take some points from it.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington interim manager Marc Ellison pulled no punches following his sides’ 5-2 defeat by Newton Aycliffe on Friday night.

Ellison described the reverse as being a ‘defensive horror show’ and said the players have not got to feel sorry for themselves whilst asking them for ‘better character and desire.’

“It was a bit of a Friday the 13th defensive horror show if I’m being honest,” he commented, “We take three massive steps forward then 50 even bigger steps backwards it seems. From our levels and performances against Emley, Garforth and Consett, we seem to have gone backwards a touch. Don’t get me wrong we’ve still played some half decent football in both games (Grimsby and Aycliffe) but the top and bottom of it is half decent football at times doesn’t win football games. Tonight we’ve conceded from restarts twice in a row, TWICE!!! One of them when we’ve just scored to get ourselves back in the game, then they kick off and go and score. Then from our restart we give them the ball straight back and let them come down and score again – it’s criminal.”

He continued: “Yes I recognise we weren’t playing with a natural number nine and that obviously helps putting the ball into the net but this past week in training we worked on different crossing zones and putting the ball into good areas. In fairness we’ve created a few opportunities from wide areas tonight but either the final ball wasn’t right or we haven’t wanted to go and break our necks to get on the end of something and score a goal. And that just comes down to desire really and wanting to go score a goal, and that comes with defending our goal. We need better character and desire in both boxes.”

Ahead of two home games this week, Ashington have dropped to fifth from bottom of the table and Ellison added: “We’ve had in my opinion a great opportunity to get ourselves away from a chasing pack over this last week and we’ve ended up giving ourselves another little mountain to climb. No disrespect to Aycliffe but I think they’d lost their last six games. We needed to be mature enough and have enough arrogance about us to be able to exploit that, however at times you’d of thought it was the home side who were on a four game unbeaten run.”

He went on: “So as you can probably tell, I’m really, really disappointed but the games are coming thick and fast and it’s not time for feeling sorry for ourselves or throwing toys out of prams. We’ve got some tough games coming up over the next few weeks and we need to start picking up points again. Hopefully the new additions will give us a little lift and we can put this past week behind us quickly.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington interim boss Marc Ellison kept his postmatch comments to a minimum after the Colliers had played out an uninspiring goalless draw against Grimsby Borough on Saturday.

The Mariners arrived at Woodhorn Lane one point behind the Wansbeck outfit but in truth, the game had a 0-0 look about it with the way things panned out in the opening half.

Ellison said afterwards: “In all honesty, it was a bit of a damp squib. We played nowhere near to the levels we’ve set in the last couple of games. However, a point is a point and we’re a point better off than we were at 3 o’clock.”

Midway through the second half, home skipper Karl Ross saw red for the second time this season for a tackle but Ellison said: “Although we seemed a little flat today compared to the previous games, the red card seemed to spur us on a little bit and to be fair we looked more likely to nick something after Rossy’s sending off.”

He continued: “I’ll keep my comments short and sweet and I don’t want to talk about officials but we probably could’ve had a penalty in the first half and we had a goal from Louis Burns chalked off for offside in the second period. Saying that, there is also an argument that Grimsby could’ve had a penalty as well. There’s nothing to speak about really so we’ll take the positives of a point, train well in the week and prepare to be ready for Friday night’s trip to face Newton Aycliffe.”

Every year on March 8, the world pauses to recognise the achievements, resilience, and impact of women across every part of society. International Women’s Day is more than a date in the calendar — it is a celebration of progress, a recognition of those who paved the way, and a reminder of the work still to be done.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we asked out very own Chair Nicola Sanders-Cooper a few questions about her journey as a Woman In Sport and any advice she would give to other women and girls from her experiences. Here’s what she had to say…..

What are you most proud of as a woman volunteering in football?

For me, it’s about challenging the norm and breaking down barriers within the industry. I strive to promote inclusivity in the sport and use my platform to encourage other women and girls to get involved. There are numerous roles in football, both on and off the pitch and it’s wonderful to see more women and girls gaining access to these opportunities

How does volunteering in football bring you joy?

I have met some amazing people since joining Ashington AFC, Individuals who I hope remain life long friends. The club has the community at its heart and has amazing volunteers and supporters. The club means so much to so many people and I’m honoured to have the opptunity to give back to the community of Ashington.

Who is a female role model who inspired you to get involved in sports?

Growing up it was always Karen Brady. She was one for the first to break the mould when it came to women in senior leadership positions within football. Her ambition, determination and drive really resonated with me throughout my own journey.

How can we ensure our football environment is respectful, welcoming, and inclusive for girls?

For me it’s encouraging and supporting females at all levels of the sport. Whether that be on or off the pitch. Raising awareness of issues that females face and promoting respectful behaviour. In addition, Identifying mentors and role models can inspire future generations and can demonstrate they can achieve success within the sport.

What advice would you give to a young girl looking to get involved with volunteering in and around football?

Follow your passion and embrace every opportunity as a chance to learn. Make sure you identify what aspects of football excite you, reach out to your local club and begin your journey towards pursuing your dream. Stay positive and most importantly enjoy the journey!

As a club, we would like to thank all of the women and girls who support us in our day to day work whether this is behind the scenes, working on the bar or volunteering on a matchday.

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington’s interim manager Marc Ellison hailed his sides 1-0 win over Consett at Woodhorn Lane on Tuesday night and said “it was great to give the crowd something to shout about.”

Over 400 came through the gate on an evening which gradually saw a dip in temperature but Ashington warmed to the occasion and were full value for their second victory in four days after securing a similar result against Garforth Town on Saturday.

Defender Chris Reid was on target with his first goal for the club whilst the visitors finished the game with nine men after midfielders Calvin Smith and Marc Costello were both sent off by referee Alex Clark for second yellow card offences inside the final quarter of an hour.

A delighted Ellison said: “It was important to back Saturday’s performance up with another good one and take a positive result from the game. We know our home form hasn’t been the best this season but to get a little monkey off our backs and give the crowd something to shout about was great. We’re starting to look like a proper team lately who are willing to win ugly if that’s what it takes to do so – and at the minute the result is the most important thing. If I’m being totally honest, I thought we have been better on the ball and made better decisions in the two previous games. However at times tonight we’ve played some really good football and caused Consett problems. The work rate and desire to protect our goal was second to none once again leaving me a very happy man.”

He continued: “So, yes there’s stuff to work on, and there always will be but I’m delighted at how the past few days have played out, especially for the players as they’ve really bought in to what we’re trying to achieve and the way we want to play. If we keep believing in it and improving, hopefully we can carry on the way we are. Unfortunately we’ve been unlucky to have injuries this week to both Liam Henderson in training and Liam Wotherspoon in the warm up tonight but I’m really happy to have Craig Spooner and Ben Sampson back involved with the squad.”

He went on: “We have also been unsuccessful with our attempt to have Chris Reid’s red card against Garforth Town last Saturday over turned and he will be a big miss but we have players in the squad who need to take their chances now and we’ll hopefully be welcoming Oli Thompson into the squad at the weekend if all goes well in training this week.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington’s versatile defender or midfielder Ryan Wombwell hailed the gritty performance by his team-mates following their 1-0 victory over Garforth Town on Saturday.

Now the 24 year old – who netted the only goal of the game ten minutes into the second half – says the squad need to turn Woodhorn Lane into a fortress starting on Tuesday with the first of two league games this week.

The Colliers are keeping their fingers firmly crossed that Tuesday night’s match against Consett will finally go ahead (March 3) after the fixture has had two late cancellations before the Wansbeck outfit meet Grimsby Borough on Saturday (March 7).

Newcastle-born Wombwell said: “It was a great win today where we really had to graft really hard. It was probably similar to the North Ferriby clash in the last ten minutes in terms of us having bodies behind the ball and defending for our lives and even moreso as we were down to ten men. However, I thought our victory was thoroughly deserved. To be honest we worked really hard in the first half and probably had more of the ball and dominated the game. For the first 20 minutes of the second period, it was pretty much the same but we had to dig in towards the end and put our bodies on the line. I thought we defended well and we probably got a bit of luck. Ben Metcalf has made a couple of unbelievable saves in goal to be fair – he’s there to back us up when it gets past us and he was brilliant as well.”

For the goal – his first of the season – which moved Ashington out of the relegation zone, Wombwell said: “Chris Reid got free just in front of me and the ball dropped just over the back of his head. To be fair, I wasn’t expecting it – it was more of a reaction as it dropped – but I’ve hit the ball on the volley and although they (Garforth) have tried to clear it off the line, it’s just snuck in.”

Wombwell says Ashington have now got to build on it: “We have won back to back away games at North Ferriby and today at Garforth but we want to play well at home,” he added, “We want to make Woodhorn Lane a hard place for visiting teams to come to. We’ve had two tough home games recently (Redcar Athletic and Emley) but when the fans turn up they deserve to see a better performance than against Redcar – 100 per cent. To be fair, I thought our display against Emley was more like it but we need to start winning games on our home patch. Hopefully if we can win our next two this week, it will put us in a much stronger position in the league table.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

A smiling Marc Ellison emerged from the dressing room on Saturday and described his sides 1-0 victory over Garforth Town as being ‘a big, big win.’

Ryan Wombwell scored the only goal of the game ten minutes into the second half but the Colliers had to play out more than half of the second period with only ten men after Chris Reid had been red carded.

Ellison said: “I’m absolutely over the moon, it’s a big, big win for us. We started the game really well before a bit of a sticky patch in the middle of the first half where the game became a bit chaotic from both sides and Ben Metcalf had to make a brilliant save to keep the score 0-0. At half time we just asked the boys to have a bit more belief in what they were doing and try to take control of the game for longer periods. Again we started well in second half and in my opinion, deservedly got our noses in front.”

He continued: “After that it was about the character and desire to hold onto a massive three points but every single one of our lads have ran their socks off, put bodies on the line or ‘keeper Ben Metcalf has made great saves when needed. It’s all down to the players, I couldn’t have asked any more of their commitment this week – it’s been fantastic. I feel like as a squad we’ve come a long way in the last few weeks, especially with a massive reality check last weekend. The lads have shown a real togetherness and determination to make things better and I’m very proud of every single one of them.”

He went on: “Regarding the sending off (of Chris Reid), we’ll need to see it back and decide which way we would like to address it but my initial reaction was it’s not a sending off – so if we still think that’s the case after review we may take some action to look at trying to get the decision overturned.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington’s interim boss Marc Ellison admitted that his side had come up short against promotion chasers Emley on Tuesday night – but praised the players for their efforts and said that ‘a draw would probably have been a fair result.’

Josh Gilchrist gave the Colliers the lead in the first half but the Pewits took all three points back to West Yorkshire with two goals in the final 25 minutes from Charlie Barks and Kurtis Turner.

Following their 8-0 hiding against Redcar Athletic on Saturday, it was a superb effort from the Wansbeck side who left every drop of energy out on the Woodhorn Lane pitch and who  came close to taking a share of the spoils.

Afterwards Ellison said: “The Ashington performance in the first half is the minimum I’ll expect from us over the next 13 games. I thought we dominated a team (Emley) who are second in the table for large spells of that half and going in 1-0 up was the least the players deserved. Emley adjusted their shape just before half time and in fairness, probably had the better of the second half.”

He continued: “We asked the lads to keep doing what they were doing but when you’re protecting a lead in the position we’re in, you sometimes find yourselves subconsciously holding on to what you have rather than building on it. Yes we need to be braver in possession at times and recognise when the game needs an extra pass to regain control but as a group, we’re still learning how we want to identify ourselves and that’s okay.”

He added: “After the weekend we’ve had, we held a good honest conversation about the expectations of this football club – from staff to players, volunteers and supporters. Ashington is a hard working town with down-to-earth people and the minimum they deserve is for our lads to give everything they have for 90 minutes, twice a week. I can’t fault the players’ effort tonight. They haven’t run like that in a long time.”

He went on: “Overall, I think a draw would probably have been a fair result based on our first half performance but we’ve come up short against a quality side. We can accept that but we know we still have to improve. It’s set a marker for our work-rate standards – nothing less will be accepted. We hope the fans can see that and get right behind us next week.”

Ashington travel to Garforth Town on Saturday (February 28) before they face Consett at Woodhorn Lane on Tuesday (March 3).

Saturday hurt.

No hiding from that. It was our heaviest defeat in 20 years and our heaviest home defeat in 33 years. We know many of you paid £10 to watch it. That isn’t lost on us.

The Consett game has already been postponed twice, both very late on. So we want to try and give something back and get as many of you through the gate as possible.

For Tuesday 3rd March at Woodhorn Lane against Consett, it will be pay what you feel at the gate.

If you’re able to give, thank you. If you’re not, just come and back the lads and enjoy the game. We need you there.

In addition, all season ticket holders will receive a drinks token at the turnstile to redeem at the bar as a thank you for sticking with us.

Thank you as ever for your support. Without it, we wouldn’t be here.