By Brian Bennett

Ashington boss Nick Gray has praised Josh Gilchrist – who was one of his first signings when he took over the reins at Woodhorn Lane.

The attacking midfielder joined the Colliers from fellow NPL East Division side Dunston UTS and offered to play for the first month without receiving a penny as he wanted to prove his worth to Gray and his assistant Liam McIvor!

Gray said: “I still scout for Newcastle United and I saw Elliot Anderson and Josh when they were 14 years of age and to be honest there was nothing between them – they were two very good players. Whilst Elliot has moved on from Newcastle United to fellow Premier League club Nottingham Forest, unfortunately it didn’t happen for Josh. He got released from Newcastle United at 16 then when I was manager at Whitley Bay he joined us where he performed smashing for me. He then went to Dunston UTS where again things didn’t work out for him.”

Gray continued: “Because he had moved up the footballing ladder from the Ebac Northern League with Whitley Bay to the NPL at Dunston UTS, Josh wanted to stay at that level and even offered to play for us for a month without being paid and I said to him ‘we’ll review it after two weeks.’ Obviously he showed glimpses of what he can do in his first three games for us then on Saturday against Bridlington Town he scored a hat-trick and we won the game 3-2. Josh scored his first goal then when we were awarded a penalty he wanted to take it. That shows confidence which is massive in football and after he netted convincingly from the spot he went on to complete his treble.”

Gray went on: “Josh’s first two weeks are now up and I could have taken the liberty by saying that we’ll stick to the agreement but I wouldn’t do that – it wouldn’t be fair to him. He’s a good kid and I think it shows something about the person which Josh is where he is prepared to show his ambition and his quality by coming to us for free. In this day and age there are not many players who would have offered to do that.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Alan Brown admitted to being ‘completely surprised and shocked’ after Ashington Football Club honoured their long serving and hard working logistics manager recently on the occasion of his 70^th birthday.

Ashington’s former England and Durham pace bowler Steve Harmison presented Alan with a personalised framed home shirt ‘Brown 70’ before the Colliers recent midweek home match against Pontefract Collieries as many of his long time friends and family looked on and joined in with an enthusiastic and well deserved round of applause.

Alan said at the weekend: “Without a doubt it I was completely surprised and shocked because I had no idea about it. The previous day my sisters visited me and never said a word then on the Monday night I went out with my mates Keith Grant, Davy Matthews and Adam Nichol – the latter even dropped me off at home – and it never crossed my mind that anything special had been arranged. To be honest, all I was concentrating on was hoping that Ashington would get a result against Pontefract Collieries the following night!”

He continued: “On the day itself, I played golf in the morning with a great set of lads who I have known for years. Later on I went down to the football club to prepare for the game and people were asking me if I hadn’t thought about going out for a meal to celebrate my birthday and my response to them was ‘No, not really because we’ve got a game on!” Nicola (Shotton) tried to coerce me outside and in my mind I was saying ‘I’ve got things to do’ then I saw Gareth Williams who is nicknamed ‘cheeks.’ I hadn’t seen him for a few years but I thought he must have decided to come and watch the game! Nicola pushed me a bit further and when I went forward I saw Steve Harmison. He was smiling and I thought then ‘I know what’s happening here’ – and obviously it all started to fall into place.”

He added: “It had me completely and utterly baffled but I’d just like to say a big thank you to everybody – to the board of management at Ashington Football Club, my family and friends and ex colleagues. It was great to see them and although I might not have shown it at the time because surprises are not my forte, it was much appreciated – including the birthday cake and the buffet afterwards. I was properly chuffed but never thought the club would do anything like that. The framed shirt is at home at the moment but I’m hoping to have it placed somewhere at the club because I think it is more fitting. I enjoy what I do and it keeps me motivated. To be honest, the only damper on the day was the 3-2 defeat but taking four points from the last two games has made up for it – the 0-0 away draw at Carlton Town on Tuesday followed by a 3-2 home win against Bridlington Town on Saturday which has hopefully turned our season around.”

He concluded: “Looking back on my 70th birthday, my family and my mates stitched me up big style!”

By Brian Bennett

It was perhaps ironic that with Bonfire night only a few days away Ashington found a spark of their own to light the blue touch paper which led to a 3-2 victory over Bridlington Town at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday.

For several weeks performances from the Colliers have been overshadowed by the lack of a cutting edge in the final third but on Saturday they found the answer – and it came from within!

Nick Gray moved Josh Gilchrist up front – and the recent acquisition from Dunston UTS certainly left an indelible mark on the game.

The 21 year old would have claimed any ‘Player of the match’ award as he smashed a hat-trick and the treble came after his side had twice gone behind in the contest.

Afterwards Gilchrist said: “I’m really delighted. It was a tough game and it wasn’t pretty – but when we were searching for our first three points its never going to be pretty. I was just happy to be in the right place at the right time to get the three goals. We went 1-0 then 2-1 down and got back into the game twice before taking a 3-2 lead and its important when you do get your noses in front to stay in front. We defended well, escaped with a late penalty which Bridlington missed but overall I thought we deserved to win today.”

He continued: “I’m really enjoying it – the two bosses (Nick Gray and Liam McIvor) are great whilst the fan base is incredible. The fans turn up in their numbers every week and make some good noise and that always helps you when you are fighting and you are under the cosh a little bit. When they cheer you on it just gives you that extra bit of energy.”

Gilchrist went through his three goals: “For the first, I saw Ryan (Wombwell) take the ball on his right foot and I’ve just peeled off the defender and left a bit of a gap and darted towards the near post,” he said, “Ryan has put the ball into a good area and the cross was that good that I didn’t need to do much – I just had to get a little flick on it and it went into the bottom corner. The second was the penalty. Craig Spooner fancied taking it but I wanted to have a go. I hit it well and sent the ‘keeper the wrong way.”

Gilchrist said the third was similar to his opener: “Craig (Spooner) got a bit of space down the right hand side and it was pretty much the same as my first where he’s whizzed the ball across the box and I ran between the two centre halves. Literally, I just had to open my hip up and guide it into the corner.”

He added: “We have got to take this forward now 100 per cent. The spirit in the changing room is good but it’s one of those situations where we’ll forget about it tomorrow and move onto the next game. Its only three points and in reality we are still down there at the bottom end of the table so we’ve got to keep picking up points – but there’s a long way to go.”

Wallsend-born and based Gilchrist had a special few words for the fans who gave the players a standing ovation as they left the pitch: “You can see how much it means to people,” he said, “The club is big and people pay week in week out to come and watch us so it’s important that we give them something back and if they are out having a few drinks tonight then they will taste that little bit sweeter.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington’s assistant manager Liam McIvor described the win over Bridlington at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday as being ‘a massive three points’ and praised the players after a fruitful week.

The 3-2 success over the East Yorkshire outfit came after a 0-0 draw against Carlton in Nottingham on Tuesday and McIvor said: “The first points are always the hardest to put on the board and it’s been a good five days with four (points) out of six. We deserved the draw at Carlton – albeit with Ross Coombe making a great penalty save at the end – but we also deserved that little bit of luck. We were the better team but how many times have we said that already? The previous Saturday against North Ferriby it was the same story then second half we didn’t come out. We’ve got to be ‘on it’ for 90 minutes – we were on Tuesday and we were again today.”

However, the Colliers were 1-0 then 2-1 behind in the first half before hitting back and McIvor added: “Getting back twice was credit to the lads. If I’m honest since Nick (Gray) and myself took over I’ve never seen a team score a good goal against us. The first one today was kamikaze again whilst the second was another set piece where we looked vulnerable. In-between Josh Gilchrist has scored a great goal to level things up after a terrific move. It was five passes from the left to Josh putting the ball into the back of the net and it was simple but effective.”

He continued: “The second half was a battle. I wasn’t overly concerned about Bridlington because I didn’t think they created a lot and we defended very well as a team. We gave a penalty away in the last minute which would have been a killer for us if they had scored – and consequently it was a massive three points.”

McIvor had a special word for Gilchrist who was handed a striker’s role before kick off: “It was a great third goal by Josh to get his hat-trick which turned out to be the winner,” he said, “It was his first start up front and he’s scored three goals and you cannot ask any more from your centre forward.”

Ashington have no midweek fixture and McIvor added: “We’ve got to kick on from here. I’ve just said to the lads for them to ‘enjoy tonight’ but to keep their feet on the ground because we are still in the bottom four and the reality is we’ve got a big game away at Belper Town next Saturday.”

By Brian Bennett

Manager Nick Gray looked on as Ashington fell to their seventh defeat in a row against North Ferriby at the Dransfield Stadium on Saturday.

However the boss – who took over when the Colliers were already on a losing streak – said after the 2-0 reverse that the results which have gone against his outfit have fired him up.

Gray commented: “I’ve been in these situations before. I’m not a patient person but I definitely know what we need and although it may take longer than I thought, we’ll definitely get there. I’m disappointed for the fans who came down to give us great support once again but all the things which are going against us makes me even more determined to succeed – and I’m confident that I will.”

He continued: “Credit to the lads who travelled down today because they gave their all and I’m finding out more about the job (as manager) all the time. We are going to strengthen the squad – some players have left whilst others couldn’t commit today and we do need numbers. I knew what my task was when I came into the job. Nothing has changed but I’m not just going to sign players for the sake of it.”

Gray reflecting on the first half said: “I thought we gave a good account of ourselves. We came in 0-0 at half time and with a bit of better execution in the final third we could have had our noses in front. The last couple of games we have played well for 45 minutes but we have got to do it for longer periods of the game.”

He added: “Second half we switched off. I don’t know if we could have stopped the ball coming up and possibly won the header – then one of their midfield players has ran off us and rolled the ball into the back of the net. It was disappointing and you could see that it deflated us a little bit but give credit where it is due because the lads kept going. For the second goal, we have got to stop the cross and it just shows how crucial the first goal is at this level.”

He went on: “We came down with a tough squad to be fair and that was disappointing but it is what it is at the minute. In the final third we haven’t got entries in today and if I’m being honest we need to do better as a unit because we are not testing the ‘keepers.”

By Brian Bennett

Josh Gilchrist became manager Nick Gray’s second signing when he put pen to paper at the beginning of the week after joining from fellow NPL East Division outfit Dunston UTS.

And the 21 year old – an attacking midfielder – was involved immediately as he was named on the bench for Ashington’s home clash against Pontefract Collieries on Tuesday night.

With his new side trailing 3-2 in the second half against the West Yorkshire outfit, Newcastle-born Gilchrist was thrust into the fray for the final quarter hour of the contest and although Ashington threw everything at Pontefract in a bid to salvage something from the game, the visitors held on to take the three points.

Gilchrist – who is based at Wallsend – said afterwards: “Ashington are a good club and I’m really excited to be here. I’ve played against them on a few occasions and there is always a good crowd and they have got a good fan base. It’s a little bit difficult at the moment – and all teams go through these spells – but from what I have seen this season they are still trying to do the right things. There’s a bit of naivety at times but if they continue to play the right way and with a bit of intensity then I’m sure that things will come good.”

Manager Gray said: “Josh has got loads of ability and at his age needs to flourish. He’ll get opportunities here but he is a person who we know about and we are confident that we can get the best out of him. He’s been a bit unlucky at Dunston UTS. They have got a good side with good forwards and players who play in his position but whenever Josh came on as a substitute, he did well. Tonight we saw little glimpses of what he can bring. He’s quite clever and intelligent with his passes and his runs are decent.”

He continued: “It was hard for Josh because it was the first time he’d met the lads and really you shouldn’t have to put a new signing in straight away when he doesn’t know the players. We took a gamble and unfortunately it didn’t pay off but Josh will bring some quality to the final third which I think we’ve lacked at times.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray said he was disappointed for the players after Tuesday night’s 3-2 defeat against Pontefract Collieries at Woodhorn Lane.

However the boss added that there are reasons why the Colliers have extended their losing streak under his leadership.

After taking the lead through Craig Spooner, Ashington trailed 3-1 at the interval before Spooner’s rasping effort ten minutes inside the second period made for a grandstand finish.

A clearly frustrated Gray said afterwards: “I’m disappointed for the lads but there are reasons why we have lost the three games since I took over. If we are learning then great but out of the three performances I thought we did better tonight. We gave them (Pontefract) opportunities in the first half and something to hold onto. How we gave the goals away was unacceptable and I’d be disappointed to give them away at any level.

Pontefract won the game with their first half showing and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb in the second period. At this level, they have been manlier than us whereas we’ve been too nice and too cute. We got bullied here and pushed off there and you’ve got to stand up and be counted.”

He continued: “The message to the lads at half time was to stop getting bullied and to take a bit of responsibility on the pitch. Its men’s football and first half we were just bullied – and you can’t let it happen at this level. The second half we gave it a go but the bottom line is the result and another defeat. There were some good performances again and the players had to will to win but they’ve got to be more street wise. I cannot fault the effort from the lads but we’ve been done by a first half performance where we gave poor goals away – after getting a good start by the way. We put the ball in the right area and scored from it and although it may have been a scrappy goal, I’ll take them all day. At 3-1 down at half time we keep saying about belief – and Craig Spooner has then scored a great goal – but we have got to be much stronger than that as a unit.”

Ashington now head to face North Ferriby on Saturday followed by a trip to Carlton Town on Tuesday and Gray added: “The games in this league are all tough – but equally they are all winnable. I know this league and with no disrespect to the opposition, there are some decent teams but no-one to fear. I just think we’ve got to have a bit more nous about ourselves as to how we go about things. We are shy in areas and we know that but things don’t happen overnight and we’ve just got to take some positives.”

By Brian Bennett

Alan Brown celebrates a milestone birthday today – and a group of his friends were more than happy to send him heartfelt messages of congratulations.

Now aged 70, Alan continues to devote hours of his time as the long serving logistics manager at Ashington Football Club where he was presented with the Club Person of the Year award at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Former chairman of Ashington FC Brian Shotton said: “It was probably the early 1990’s when Alan first took on the role of logistics manager. He returned when Stephen Harmison came to the club as manager around 2015 and continued in the role when Ian Skinner was team boss – and the rest is history. Alan shows fantastic commitment. He’s not just the kit man – Alan and George Fitton spend time here at the club every day. I’ve always said that football always bridges the age gap and although Alan is nigh on 30 years older than me you wouldn’t think it because we’ve got so much in common. He’s a dear friend as well and the club couldn’t do what it does without him.”

Former manager Ian Skinner said: “Alan is one of the unsung heroes really. He is somebody who I have known for a very long time. I knew Alan as a young boy and our paths crossed again when his son David came to play football in one of the initiatives I was part of. I came to Ashington FC with Stephen Harmison and Stephen asked Alan to come along and get involved and help out as the logistics manager. From that moment onwards, we’ve spent a lot of time together through Stephen’s reign as manager then when I came back to take the role on. Alan is one of those who dedicates hours and hours and never wants anything for it. He’s the heartbeat of the football club. He’s here seven days a week and always finds something to do and without people like Alan, the football club wouldn’t be in the position it finds itself in today in terms of keeping on top of everything and he’s one of a band of volunteers that the club are lucky to have. He deserves all the credit – not that he’ll ever take any – and probably that’s part of the reason why even to this day I meet up with him and see him out of the respect I have for him. Because of the friendship we have and all of the work he does for the football club I think it’s nice to go and see him and have a drink with him. We have a strong friendship and long may that continue – and long may he continue to do a sterling job for the football club.”

Karl Ross captain of Ashington FC said: “I speak on behalf of all the lads when I say that we think Alan is an absolute legend. I don’t think many people realise how much effort and how much commitment he puts in every week. Even for training on Tuesdays and Thursdays we get to the ground and our kit is already hanging up for us and the way he sets things up it’s literally like being at a professional club. Alan is the heart and soul of the club and it’s an absolute pleasure to have him around every week.”

Keith Grant a long time friend of Alan said: “I grew up with Alan at St Benedict’s School in Ashington. He was a couple of years older than me and he was head boy. We played football together at U18 level for youth clubs at St Benedict’s then later on in the Welfare League when he was at the Northern. When I went to Ashington FC as manager, Alan helped out behind the scenes with the late Alan Hayton where they used to mark the pitch and put the nets up. When I went to Morpeth Town FC, Alan came as well where he was the physio. He was also involved in Sunday morning football for so long that he knew all of the players whilst he’s also a member of one of the teams who enter the weekly quiz which I run at the Ashington RAOB club. Alan gets on with everybody and will do anything to help – and I’ve never heard a bad word said against him from anybody. He’s a really nice fellow.”

Another friend Adam Nichol said “Alan is a top bloke who I’ve known for quite a while now. We golf together and we are in the same the quiz team at the Ashington RAOB on a Monday evening. Alan will help anybody. He puts in a lot of hours at Ashington FC behind the scenes which people don’t often see and I wish him all the best.”

By Brian Bennett

Nick Gray reflected on Ashington’s 1-0 defeat at Brighouse on Saturday and said that the players have got to keep believing in themselves if they are to turn the season into a successful one.

A goal in the first half by Jack Dando settled the contest in Brighouse’s favour and Gray said: “The previous week I thought we deserved something out of the contest against Stocksbridge Park Steels and I could say exactly the same again today but the bottom line is the result which says a 1-0 win for Brighouse. We had more entries in the final third than they did and our goalkeeper (Dan Staples) has probably had his easiest game for a long, long time. However their ‘keeper (Kyle Trenerry) has not had one shot to save so if that’s the case we’ve got to think about what we are doing. Winners aren’t nice people – they are ruthless, clinical and they don’t know when they are beaten. However, I cannot fault the application or effort from the boys today because it was there. I’d be the first to say if it wasn’t but then you’ve got to look at other aspects and I’ve been in the game long enough to know where we need to improve and where we need to tweak things.”

He continued: “I felt there were aspects we were good at today and there were some good performances but we’ve got to do things quickly because the first three points are the toughest to get. I could hear the reaction from the Brighouse dressing room and it showed how much the win meant to them. Consequently we’ve got to keep believing in ourselves to turn the season into a successful one.”

He went on: “I thought the first goal was critical and when the opposition say to you that you are the better side whilst it’s nice to hear, it means nothing because we have lost the game. It’s disappointing for everyone who has come down here today but I cannot dwell on the past – I’ve just got to look forward and learn from the past. We’ve got to work at things as quickly as we can because today was the start of an important period at the club with four games – three away and one at home – in ten days.”

Gray’s outfit had a golden opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty in the fourth minute but home stopper Kyle Trenerry denied Michael Ndiweni from the spot. Gray added: “I’ll take the blame for the penalty situation. To be fair I didn’t nominate a penalty taker beforehand which is something that I usually do. Michael (Ndiweni) has stood up and been counted, He has taken it; he’s hit the target and the ‘keeper has saved it – but there were 85 plus minutes remaining after that so I attach no blame on Michael at all – he probably wanted a goal for his confidence. When Brighouse took the lead, they hung onto it and all they did for their goal was to put the ball into a good area. They got scraps off it and scored.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Nick Gray made his first signing as Ashington manager last week when he brought in midfielder Harrison Clark from Blyth Spartans.

Clark put pen to paper in time for him to be included in Saturday’s home clash against Stocksbridge Park Steels where he started as a substitute.

And for Clark, who came on towards the end of what was a disappointing 2-0 defeat, it’s a case of him playing for his hometown team.

The 21 year old said about the move: “I’m delighted to get going to be fair. I’ve know Nick (Gray) since I was a toddler so he’s obviously someone who I trust – and he trusts me – so its nice to come in and hopefully help the lads out of a little bit of a tough spot. To enjoy my football, stay injury free and get minutes on the pitch is what I’m looking for and any little help that I can bring the team would be great.”

With seven minutes of the 90 remaining, Clark – who is based at Dudley – made his bow and he said afterwards: “It’s always nice to get your debut but it was tough with the result. Hopefully in the weeks to come we can click and turn things around.”