By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC skipper Karl Ross has spoken about the influence which manager Ian Skinner has had on his career – as well as saying the rest of the squad at the Woodhorn Lane based outfit ‘love playing under him.’

On Saturday, the Colliers got the perfect pick-me-up tonic ahead of Thursday night’s semi final clash in the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup against Newcastle U21s with a 2-0 win over North Ferriby which brought them their first three points in April.

Skipper Ross said afterwards: “We’ve signed off our league games with a win and the lads are buzzing. Obviously the past few weeks haven’t been good enough by our standards – we couldn’t really buy a win – so to secure victory against a good side in North Ferriby is what we needed and with it being the boss’s last league game in charge, it’s what the occasion needed. Now we can look forward to the clash against Newcastle U21s on Thursday.”

Ross spoke from a personal level about Skinner’s enthusiasm and dedication to the position as manager of the Woodhorn Lane outfit: “I’ve been at the club for five years and have loved every minute of it,” he said, “Ian Skinner has been a big part of it so I can only thank him for what he has done for me. He’s brought me on as a player and obviously now as captain and a leader in the dressing room, I’m grateful to him for that and wish him all the best for the future.” Speaking on behalf of the players Ross added: “The lads buy into what Ian Skinner does. We play good football and he’s a good manager. He has got a wealth of knowledge that the lads thrive off – and we love playing under him.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Andrew Cartwright – drafted into the Ashington side for their Pitching In Northern Premier League clash against North Ferriby on Saturday – was on the score sheet as the Colliers chalked up a 2-0 victory as well as completing a seasons double over their opponents.

The win – Ashington’s first in six matches – was deserved against a good North Ferriby side whom the Wansbeck outfit had thumped 5-0 back in mid November.

However when Cartwright netted the opener in the 13^th minute, some supporters wondered if it was an intentional effort at goal or if it was a cross – only the Newcastle-born defender was emphatic with his answer when he said afterwards: “It was 100 per cent a shot! Anyone who views the footage of the highlights will see that the Ferriby ‘keeper (Tom Jackson) is miles off his line. I spotted that and I thought ‘why not?’ Wilson Kneeshaw did well to draw the ‘keeper to him who stays out of his net to try and block Wilson’s shot. Wilson just sets it back to me and I did the rest. After the ball had hit the back of the net, I was a little bit more than delighted!”

Meanwhile on a day which was Ian Skinner’s final league game in charge of Ashington, Cartwright said that what the boss has achieved in his five years at the club alongside chairman Brian Shotton will go down as being ‘really special.’

The 29 year old commented: “I think the work which Ian (Skinner) and Brian (Shotton) have done with this club is something really special. Ian is someone who is going to be remembered for a long time as the one who started the whole thing off as hopefully the club go through the leagues. He will be a massive miss – but it’s also a fantastic opportunity for him to go onto bigger and better things. I just think we have all been fortunate to be able to play under a good manager – but first and foremost, Ian is a lovely man.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner insisted that although he was ‘quite emotional’ at the final whistle after his side had completed a seasons double over North Ferriby on Saturday, that the key aspect was for the players to end their league campaign on a high and send the Woodhorn Lane fans home with a bounce in their step.

After taking charge of his final league game as boss of the Colliers in the Pitching In Northern Premier’s East Division, Skinner said: “I’m quite humble so it wasn’t about me today – albeit the little token at the end and the guard of honour and people staying behind to clap was quite emotional to be honest. Instead it was about a group of players who over the past few weeks haven’t performed to the levels of which they are capable of and for them to go out onto the park and finish the league campaign with a victory. The main message to the playing staff was ‘we haven’t given our fans too much to shout about at home in the last few weeks other than a good first half against Bridlington and we want them (the fans) to leave today the ground today with a win knowing that that will carry their enthusiasm and excitement over into next season. We wanted them to leave with smiles on their faces – and I thought we did that.”

He continued: “We were able to name a strong side today – I even had to leave three players out which was unheard of in the last six to eight weeks – but credit to the trio because they still did the warm up and were still part of it and were in the dressing room afterwards. To be honest that’s exactly what we wanted from them because those three lads who missed out today probably come back into the reckoning on Thursday (v Newcastle United U21s) because other players aren’t available. The three of them were disappointed today but they knew they still had another bite of the apple really.”
Skinner was delighted his outfit returned to form: “In terms of the game itself, I thought we got the ball down and moved it like we’ve done earlier in the season,” he added, “It was against a North Ferriby side who I’ve got a lot of time for – I like the way they play and they are a good side. Apart from that, I’m always comfortable and confident when we play against good sides because we tend to bring out our ‘A’ game – and I’m even more confident when I know a team are going to come and try and play football against us which I knew North Ferriby would. I thought that although they had little spells where they had the ball at the back and were trying to move it and get it out wide, we set nice traps to win it (the ball) back. We did that on numerous occasions in and around their mid third really and I thought we deservedly went 1-0 up in the game. However, we probably should have added a second goal earlier than we did particularly at the beginning of the second half when we started really, really brightly. We got into some good areas but our final pass just let us down at times or we didn’t take quite as much care as we should have done in and around the box. As the game wears on at 1-0, its always a sticky score line – but we got that second (goal) through Dan Maguire after a great piece of play by Wilson (Kneeshaw) to get to the by line and cut the ball back and it was a great finish.”

Skinner was pleased but thought more goals ‘could and should’ have been added: “We relaxed even more and we probably could and should have added to the two already,” he said, “However I was just delighted that the lads went out and played with a little bit of freedom and played to the levels which they are capable of and which we haven’t shown in recent games.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner – far from happy after seeing his side slide to a 2-0 defeat against Liversedge on Saturday – said that he was disappointed for the Ashington supporters who had travelled to Cleckheaton.

The reverse was the Colliers’ fourth in their last five matches and Skinner added that his outfit could finish the campaign underachieving: “It was a bit of an end of season dead rubber,” he commented afterwards, “I thought in terms of the first half, there wasn’t a lot in the contest. Neither side had control of the game; chances were limited and neither ‘keeper was really forced into making a save of any great note. Liversedge had little spells where they had the ball – then we had the same. A bit of a turning point came on the stroke of half time where Mason Hardy has challenged for a ball and their defender (Dan Hartley) has reacted and ended up getting a red card.”

He continued: “Second half we have a numerical advantage but playing against ten men can be dangerous. Physiologically they (Liversedge) know they have to work as hard as they possibly can because they are a man light and physiologically we maybes sometimes think we have got an extra player so we might not need to work as hard – and to me that was evident in the second half. We had lots of the ball but didn’t pass it quick enough; didn’t move them quick enough and allowed them to get into shape.”

Skinner dissected the two goals which his side conceded: “For the first it was a couple of individual errors with a ball over the top,” he said, “We missed the header and the ball has gone through. Our ‘keeper (Karl Dryden) has come out but their attacker has got to the ball before him and Karl has caught him and from the penalty they lead 1-0. If you think they’ve got to work extra hard because they are down to ten men at 0-0, if you give them a 1-0 lead, it gives them something to hang on to and they fight even harder. Again that was evident. We had lots of the ball and they (Liversedge) dropped into a low block. We pushed forward but conceded a really poor second goal on the counter attack allowing Kwame Boateng to cut inside. He cut past one then another and produced a great finish into the top corner – but we shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. The second half was really frustrating. Credit to Liversedge – they were better than us with ten men if the truth be known.”

The boss ‘felt’ for the travelling supporters: “I was disappointed for the fans who turned out in their droves as they always do,” he said, “The support – 70 plus – was unbelievable and we asked the players to take it into consideration whereby these people have given up their time and their weekend to support us so make sure you do them justice. Did we do that? I’m not sure we did.”

He added: “It’s really frustrating that the season seems to be petering out a little bit into what could end up being a season of slightly underachieving – albeit people will look at it and say we’ve been promoted to this level for the first time in 50 plus years and we’ve stayed up which is great. However, I just look at our results against the teams in the top half of the table and how well we’ve done against teams in the bottom half. If we had applied ourselves in the same way against teams in the bottom half as we had against the teams in and around us plus the top teams then we could possibly have been playing for a play off spot.”

Skinner has never used injuries as an excuse. On Saturday, he had to reckon without five players but his stance remained the same: “After the Winterton game on Tuesday I said that hopefully we had a clean bill of health – then Craig Spooner’s ankle blows up on the Wednesday morning and consequently we lose him for the away game at Hebburn and at Liversedge today,” he added, “We then lose Connor Thomson in the warm up today. He wasn’t right so we took no risks and pulled him out. Of that squad we had there today you look at being without Connor Thomson, Dan Maguire, Ben Sampson, Craig Spooner and Charlie Exley – there’s five names straight away who without being disrespectful to everybody else, would be in contention to be in the starting eleven. That’s not an excuse because it gives other lads an opportunity.”

It is goodbye from the touchline, however it’s not necessarily farewell.

In the words of Frank Sinatra, ‘so now the end is near’ with the final curtain about to fall on my time as manager of my hometown club.

As I reflect on my past five years, I am filled with immense pride of what we have achieved together, with immense gratitude for all your unwavering support and passion shown to the team. Your dedication to support the club in large numbers to help us to move forward has made the last five years truly unforgettable.

From winning the play off away at Glossop, ensuring promotion to the Northern Premier Division East, for the first time in over 50 years, to lifting the Northern League Cup and Cleator Cup, to the heartbreaking lows of defeats, you have been there every step of the way, cheering, singing, banging the drum and showing your unwavering support. Your enthusiasm has been the heartbeat of grounds around the Northeast and beyond, creating an atmosphere that is unmatched by any other club around.

As I bid farewell to this chapter of my life in football, I wanted to express my deepest thanks to each and every one of you. Your love for this truly unique club has made it a joy to be a part of, and I will carry the many memories of our shared experiences with me always.

Though my journey as manager may be coming to an end, I know that yours will continue on. Keep supporting the club and the team with the same passion and fervour that you have shown over the past five years. Cherish every moment, celebrate every victory, and stand tall in the face of every challenge.

So, this Saturday, lets celebrate together, loud and proud for one last league game, and when the game is over, win, lose or draw, I would personally like to invite you to join me and the players in the club afterwards for a drink, where our end of season awards will be presented and my successor announced.

Hopefully you can join us!

Ian Skinner

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington have two games remaining in the Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division before their rescheduled semi final tie against Newcastle United U21s in the semi final of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup – and manager Ian Skinner admitted that it is difficult not to have an eye on the latter.

The Colliers make their final journey of the season on Saturday when they are away to Liversedge before pulling the curtain down with a home fixture the following weekend against North Ferriby.

The semi final date is booked for Thursday May 2 – and Skinner admitted that most people will be looking ahead to that clash “It’s probably wrong but the semi final tie – whereby we could end the season with a cup final – is what most people will be looking towards now,” he said, “We’ve secured our status at this level in the Northern Premier League East Division which is great and we still owe it to the clubs in and around us – and the teams we have still got to play – to make sure we take it serious and do things properly. However, it’s difficult not to have one eye on that cup tie now.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner saw his side go toe to toe with Hebburn Town on Thursday night – and take the lead – before the Hornets ran out 4-1 winners which saw them go to the top of the Pitching In Northern Premier League East Division table.

Apart from the result, the boss was happy that his outfit put indifferent performances in their last two games against Grantham Town and Winterton Rangers behind them: “I thought we started the game really well,” he said afterwards, “We were on the front foot; we played to our concepts; we dominated the ball; we caused them problems in behind and we deservedly went a goal in front through Connor Thomson. However, a big moment came when Connor was in again with an opportunity to make it 2-0 and the Hebburn ‘keeper (Kieran Hunter) has made a save. If Connor scores, we are looking at a real different game then four minutes later Hebburn equalise. Olly Martin has done really well cutting in off the line and listen it was a great finish into the far corner.”

He continued: “After that I was a little bit disappointed that we lost our way and didn’t quite carry out our concepts or play to the way in which we look to play. We started going direct and people weren’t quite as brave to get on the ball and we invited pressure – and when you invite pressure against good teams, they take it.”

Robbie Spence gave the home side the lead on the stroke of the interval and Skinner said: “In my opinion, it was a really, really soft free kick but once it was given we’ve got to defend it. Liam Noble has got good quality and he put the ball into a really dangerous area and they’ve scored which has seen us go into the interval 2-1 down and I thought it was harsh. I’m frustrated but I’m frustrated for good reasons; I’m frustrated because of how well we played and how we took the game to them and the problems we caused them. Then I’m also frustrated because we didn’t keep doing the things that caused them problems and we’ve allowed them back into the game.”

Two goals inside a quarter of an hour period during the second half took the game away from Ashington – but Skinner thought the final score line flattered the newly installed league leaders: “Second half we talked about being brave and again taking the game to them and I thought 4-1 flatters them (Hebburn) a little bit. But what I will say is that they were ruthless. Amar Purewal has capitalised on an individual error but he nevertheless took his goal really well and that’s why he’s comfortably the top scorer in the league. Then the young lad Leo Robinson has come on and again we haven’t tracked a run and the ball has dropped for him and he’s struck with a fantastically great finish.”

He continued: “We had a couple of half chances but what I was happy about was that we didn’t stop; we moved the ball and overall I was really pleased especially off the back of some iffy performances. Certainly our last two home games against Grantham and Winterton have been below the levels which we expect but I have said time and time again about this group of players that when there’s a challenge laid in front of them they usually step up to it. Looking at our results against all the teams in the top ten we’ve taken points off them all other than Stockton and that’s because this group of players relish a challenge. What has let us down a little bit is the inconsistency against the teams in and around us or below us when we haven’t taken the points which we should have done.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner believes that things are ‘not quite happening’ for his side at Woodhorn Lane as he reflected on the 0-0 draw against Winterton Rangers on Tuesday night.

It was the first game in six seasons on home turf where supporters had failed to see a goal and Skinner said afterwards: “Listen there was some harsh words said on Saturday after the defeat to Grantham and as a bare minimum today we wanted players to show some commitment and a desire to work hard. I thought they did that if I’m honest but in doing so, we probably lost a little bit of our quality. In our last three home games – other than the first half against Bridlington when I thought we were very good – its maybes not quite happening for us and I think people are now maybes taking the easy option of playing.”

He continued: “I thought we played awfully long tonight up to Wilson (Kneeshaw) and Connor (Thomson) and hoped for something to happen whereas previously we’ve probably worked the ball through the thirds a little bit more and moved it (the ball) quick and looked purposeful in possession. Tonight we got graft but not much guile. I thought we worked hard both in and out of possession but lacked a bit of quality and composure and calmness in possession. We turned the ball over a little bit too much particularly in the second half when it became a bit of a game of basketball. Winterton had two runners running off the front who were quick and caused us one or two problems and in the end they did get into some good positions but fluffed their lines on a couple of occasions.”

He added: “We haven’t really threatened the goal as much as I would have liked but the positives to take are that we kept a clean sheet and haven’t lost the game. We haven’t kept a clean sheet for a long, long time – in fact over the last eight or nine games, we’ve conceded a minimum of two goals. We picked up a point tonight albeit we’d have preferred to have taken all three and touch wood it looks like we haven’t picked up any more injuries bearing in mind supporters would have come along tonight and wondered where X, Y and Z are.”

The boss explained his dilemma when he said: “We lost Ben Sampson who came off injured on Saturday; we tried to protect Charlie Exley but we needed him to help us out for ten minutes on Saturday then he had a reaction and was not available; Ben Williams rolled his ankle in training this week so he wasn’t available tonight; Dan Maguire’s calf isn’t as bad as was first thought but he has seen a physiotherapist today and this week is going to be too soon for him whilst Si Jakab was unavailable as he was playing for England Universities so we were four or five down from the squad we had on Saturday.”

Skinner poured praise on players who came back to help the club on Tuesday: “Credit to some of the lads like young Dylan Archer who was with us earlier in the season who we let go to get more game time. He came back to help us out and the same goes for Mason Hardy who we let go out on loan to get minutes. He returned tonight albeit he didn’t get out on the pitch. Adam Glew is another who came to us in the summer but struggled with injuries and he has answered the call so pats on the back to all of them. We’ve also had to recall Matty Dopson from Newcastle Blue Star and now we’ve got to go to play Hebburn on Thursday and Liversedge on Saturday before we get a week off.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

The strong westerly wind which blew down the Woodhorn Lane ground turned Saturday’s clash between Ashington and Grantham Town into a dour tussle.

The contest was decided by Elliot Walker’s 73^rd minute strike for the visitors – but Ashington’s performance came under fire from manager Ian Skinner who said: “We looked like a team that need the end of the season if the truth be known and if we don’t give ourselves a shake, it’ll be a very, very disappointing end to the season – and one which we’d look back on as underachieving if we were to finish towards the bottom end of the table. I’ve given them (the players) a little flea in their ear – some of them might not like it – but they need to step up now for the last four league games and show that a) it means something to them and b) that they want to be here next season regardless of what happens.”

He continued: “Our performance today was disappointing, frustrating and annoying. Conditions were similar to when we played against Grimsby a few weeks ago. With the wind we were too loose in possession; gave the ball away to easily and to cheaply; we didn’t move it (the ball) quick enough and were quite pedestrian in our play at times. We played to long and to early – and to often instead of building our play and progressing with controlled possession into the final third to then create shooting opportunities in and around the penalty area.”

However the boss was furious over the goal which decided the contest: “The second half was similar,” he said, “I thought we had a little spell where we played out under difficult conditions, secured the ball and had a couple of half chances. However, the thing which has annoyed me the most is the goal which we conceded. It’s a goal which was very similar to ones we have conceded in recent weeks – and it’s a goal that I keep telling the players time and time again about second contacts. It’s from a corner where Simon Jakab’s fantastic first header has dropped to the Grantham number seven in the box and we’ve got three players around him who all stood and don’t move. He (Elliot Walker) steps forward and strikes the ball and not one of my players move and the ball goes into the far corner of the net. We talk about putting your body on the line and defending the box as if it means something – well it didn’t happen today and it hasn’t for the last few weeks because that’s time and time again now on a second contact in the box the opposition are first and we are not willing to go and put our bodies on the line to block a shot.”

Just past the quarter hour mark, Connor Thomson had a goal chalked off and Skinner said: “The goal we had disallowed for offside was very, very tight but our play was just too slow. They (Grantham) were looking for points and fair play to them because against the wind they came and defended deep and looked to hit us on the counter attack. But what we have then got to do is to recognise that, so on transition to attack, we’ve got to play quick but we didn’t. We played to slow and slowed the play down. We went back to our goalkeeper far to often and that allowed them to get set in their shape behind the ball which then becomes difficult to break down. So we needed to play quicker and more positively and we needed to look forward and be willing to run forward – but I don’t think we did that anywhere near enough in the first half.”

We are thrilled to share that Ashington Football Club has achieved a significant milestone: we’ve secured grade 4 stadium accreditation, ensuring our ground meets the requirements for step 4 of the pyramid, the level at which we now proudly compete at.

Our journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable. While our performances on the pitch have secured our place in the PitchingIn Northern Premier League East division for the 2024/25 season, an equally formidable effort has been made off the field to bolster our club’s position. The enhancements have been comprehensive, ranging from pitch perimeter infill and turnstile improvements to internal renovations within our building.

The heart of our success, however, lies not just in the physical improvements to our facilities but in the unwavering support we’ve received from our community. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has stood by us during this period. The local councillors have been instrumental in our progress, offering not just their endorsements but tangible support that has helped the physical improvements.

Additionally, the generosity of individuals who have donated to the club by various means has been pivotal. Your faith in us fuels our commitment to not only maintaining but elevating the standards of Ashington Football Club.

This achievement marks a new chapter for us, one that we step into with great excitement.

As we continue to build on this foundation, we are reminded of the collective spirit and dedication that have brought us to this point. Here’s to the future of Ashington Football Club, and to all those who are a part of this incredible journey. Together, we’ve reached a milestone, but the journey doesn’t end here—it’s just the beginning.