By Brian Bennett

On a day when Ashington FC paid tribute to the memory of Sir Bobby Charlton, defender Si Jakab firmly believed that he and his team mates did the town proud following their 2-1 win over Pontefract Collieries.

The 23 year old – who linked up with the Colliers from North Shields – revealed that the players were given a special message. He said: “Before the match, the management team told us that the best thing we could do for the memory of Sir Bobby Charlton was to win the game and to make not just the team but also the town of Ashington proud – and I thought we did that.”

He continued: “The game against Winterton where we won 4-0 was quite helpful and it was a shame that our clash at Sheffield FC was called off. When I woke up this morning (Saturday) there were already a lot of games off in the region and although our surface was really heavy I felt our game only went ahead because we’ve got a lovely ground and people who look after the pitch.”

Jakab – who was born in Budapest in Hungary – began to play senior men’s football with Consett where he spent two years and was on the substitute’s bench for the Steelmen in the final of the 2019-20 FA Vase at Wembley when they finished runners up to Hebburn Town. He then signed for Sunderland RCA before moving along to North Shields: “Whilst I was with Shields last season I picked up an injury – ironically against Pontefract – and was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign before I came to Ashington,” he added.

Sunderland-based Jakab is enjoying his football at Woodhorn Lane: “I love the team and everyone is quite welcoming to me which is always nice,” he said, “I was playing on the right when I got into the side but now I’ve moved a little bit more towards the centre. Because of the unfortunate injury to Nathan Buddle today I had to switch into the middle – but that’s a positive for myself knowing that the management team trust me in whatever position they ask me to play.”

Saturday’s win propelled Ashington into a mid table position and Jakab added: “It’s always tough when you go up a league and we need to get used to it. We’ve got loads of new players including myself in the squad but I feel we have built team morale and have got some momentum going. Basically on our day I believe we are capable of beating anyone – we just need to be ‘at it’ from the start.”

He concluded: “We’ve got some tough games and long travels coming up – but I’m looking forward to them.”

Ashington AFC, a club steeped in history since its founding in 1883 and nestled in the hometown of football legends like Sir Bobby Charlton, Jack Charlton, Jackie Milburn, and Jimmy Adamson, is facing a critical moment in its remarkable journey. From our days as a Football League club to our recent promotion, Ashington AFC has been a symbol of pride and heritage in our community.

Brian Shotton, our Chairman, reflects on our remarkable journey and the challenges facing the club: “When we took over the Club in 2018, it was in a very difficult place. We had to begin settling substantial debts and operated on very limited budgets for 18 months. Throughout this challenging period, our loyal supporters stood by us as we navigated our way with frugality. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic presented its own set of challenges, but it also provided an opportunity for us to review the club’s operations, reduce our remaining debt to a manageable level, invest in club facilities, furnishings, and infrastructure, and develop a comprehensive business plan with a five-year promotion target. Our team exceeded expectations, winning two trophies, growing matchday attendances, and embarking on an impressive FA Cup run, culminating in last season’s promotion.”

Shotton continues, “We began planning early in the New Year when promotion looked possible, and we set the club ambitious commercial targets to match our progress. While we were over the moon when we secured the historic promotion, the real test had truly begun. We found ourselves two years ahead of schedule in terms of on-field success but two years behind in terms of off-field progress, which would have to be accelerated. Almost overnight, the club faced the reality of critical and costly stadium improvements, substantial travel costs, and players understandably asking for increases due to the travel and time away on a Saturday afternoon. We immediately set out to engage the community and secure the funding required for a club like ours to operate at this level, utilising sponsorships and our ‘Build the Budget’ scheme. While we are immensely grateful for the support we’ve received from our sponsors, supporters, and donors, the current economic climate has made it challenging for us to reach our financial goals. It’s disheartening that even with home crowds exceeding 500, sustainability at this level remains elusive without substantial external support. We are not alone in that, having seen other clubs in recent years encounter similar issues We can obtain up to 70% of stadium improvement funding from the Football Foundation depending on the project, but even that remaining percentage is prohibitive while concurrently operating with the ongoing running costs.

With our Crowdfunder initiative, our mission is clear: we aim to stay at this level, enhance our stadium, and continue the growth of our club while giving back to those who contribute. Any support, big or small, will be genuinely appreciated. Our town boasts a storied footballing history with the Charltons and Milburns and together, we can add another memorable chapter to that legacy and make our goals a reality. We are incredibly proud of our community work and our roots in this town. Let’s come together and achieve our aim!”

You can find our crowdfunder at the following link: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ashingtonafc

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Ian Skinner admitted that the departure of Damen Mullen from the club is a ‘part of the job in football management which isn’t very nice.’

Mullen left the Woodhorn Lane club at the end of last week and Skinner was quick to praise the midfielder: “Damen is someone who I have known personally for a very long time,” he said, “I coached him as a young player and I consider him to be a personal friend. Whenever he played for us this season he never let us down and one performance which sticks out was when we went to Cleethorpes at the end of September. We had all of those suspensions and Damen played in a back three. However he has found minutes difficult to come by and he’d probably argue that on those occasions when he played well, that he should have stayed in the side. We decided to go with alternative teams which we thought on the day would stand us in better stead to get a result.”

He continued: “Damen was getting frustrated with his lack of game time and wants to play as much as he can. We had a couple of conversations and it probably came to the point whereby it was in his best interests to look elsewhere to play more regular. It’s the part of the job in football management which isn’t very nice – sitting down and having those conversations – but the interests of Ashington FC have got to come first and friendships put to one side. Damen will be a big miss because he was the ultimate professional if you like. He never caused any problems; he was always on time; he was a great trainer; he was good in the dressing room and he’s as fit as he’s ever been.”

Meanwhile on Sunday it was announced that Declan Bisset has left the club to try and gain regular first team football elsewhere with the club “wishing him the best of luck for the future.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner – delighted with his sides 2-1 result over Pontefract Collieries at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday – has dedicated the win to the memory of the late Sir Bobby Charlton.

Skinner – a relative of the family – said afterwards: “Sir Bobby was a real humble and no fuss gentleman and wouldn’t have wanted us to wear red or to have a minute’s applause for him today but I thought it was right – and I’d also like to dedicate our victory to him.”

He continued: “For me, it’s a well done to Ashington Football Club and a thank you to them for asking supporters to wear red; to hold a minute’s applause and arrange a book of condolence. All of those were nice little touches and it was good to see the town turn out in his memory.”

By Brian Bennett

After Ashington climbed up to mid table in the Pitching In Northern Premier League’s East Division following a 2-1 win over Pontefract Collieries on Saturday, manager Ian Skinner revealed that it was a ‘collective management decision’ – to make slight alterations on the park – which paid dividends.

Within minutes of making the changes, the Colliers romped into a two goals lead with Craig Spooner and Wilson Kneeshaw on target and the boss said afterwards: “As a management team, we got our heads together and decided to alter one or two things. Sometimes they work for you and sometimes they don’t. Today they have and helped us to get a positive result. It was a collective management decision – but it’s the players who carry out those instructions.”

Skinner continued: “I was delighted with three points at home because we probably haven’t won enough games at Woodhorn Lane this season if the truth be known. It was a difficult but great occasion too as we paid tribute to the late Sir Bobby Charlton. The public turned out; there were lots of red around the stadium and a fantastic minute’s applause was held. Sir Bobby was a true humble gentleman – and to win in front of our fans and some people who may have been visiting the ground for the very first time was great. We talk in this league about needing to put positive runs of results together because it moves you up the table relatively quickly and today we replicated what was a really good performance and good win at Winterton.”

Skinner reflected on the first 45 minutes: “With all the rain we had, the pitch was challenging,” he said, “Consequently, the way we try and play was always going to be difficult on that surface and we needed to do all of our best work as early as we could before the pitch cut up and got a little bit worse. I thought the opening half was pretty even and pretty uneventful with not a lot of chances. Pontefract got into some good areas and have put some good balls into our box but we defended really well and a 0-0 score line was probably a fair reflection of a first half where we sussed each other out a little bit.”

He added: “Second half I thought they (Pontefract) started a little bit brighter than us and were maybes in the ascendancy – and that’s why we made the changes. Almost immediately we fashioned two fantastic opportunities for Craig Spooner and Wilson Kneeshaw to score then we had a spell where we were in control and should have added more. I thought we had a really strong case for a penalty on Connor Thomson followed by a fantastic move where we have played the ball inside to Connor (Thomson) and he’s hit the post. Another good move – albeit at 2-1 late in the game – and Craig (Spooner) has hit the woodwork. But it wouldn’t be Ashington if we didn’t make it a little bit exciting and fair play because it was some finish for their goal by Adam Haw. The ball has dropped to him and he’s put it right into the top corner and that obviously leads to a little bit of a un nervy end to the game – but we saw it out and I was delighted with the three points.”

He went on: “When you break it down into simple terms and go through our 1-16, I think we had lots of players who had a good game and if you have that, it means you tend to win games of football matches and I think that was true today. I don’t want to single anyone out because I think there were eight or nine lads who were excellent. Now we’ve got to put the result to one side; work hard in training this week and prepare for our away trip to face Grantham on Saturday.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner says his outfit face a ‘difficult task’ – when they make the short journey to face West Allotment Celtic at East Palmersville in the quarter finals of the Newcastle Flooring Senior Cup.

The draw was made last week and the Woodhorn Lane boss said: “It’s a tough draw for us because West Allotment is never an easy place to go to and get a result. They are a good well organised side and on their day can beat anybody – so we’ll have to make sure that when we go there, we prepare properly.”

He continued: “We’ve got quite a few games to play before the clash so we’ll have to see how the squad and our season pans out. We may look to mix and match slightly but it’s a competition which we will be taking seriously. We are at the quarter final stage and we want to try and do as well as we can because it’s the last knockout competition we are left in.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner has spoken poignantly after the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton last Saturday.

Skinner – a relative of the family – will be in the home dugout on Saturday when Ashington take on Pontefract Collieries and it is sure to be an emotional afternoon.

Before kick off a minutes applause will be held and the club have asked supporters to wear something red as they will be dedicating the game to the memory of Sir Bobby.

Red is to symbolise both Manchester United – where Sir Bobby enjoyed 17 years as a player with the club – as well as it being the colour of the shirts which he and the England players wore when they lifted the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium in 1966.

Skinner said: “I got a phone call just before midday from my dad who let me know the sad news that Sir Bobby had passed and we got a couple of hours to get our heads around it as a family. Everybody is fully aware that he was Manchester based but probably the only time I saw him in recent years was at family funerals. You just need to look at the outpouring grief and condolences from all around the world to show what a gent Sir Bobby was and I think Manchester United display a banner in their stadium about him which reads ‘Born in Ashington – Made in Manchester.’

He continued: “Sir Bobby left Ashington as a 15 year old and made a life for himself in Manchester – but he never forgot his roots. In 1989 he brought the Manchester United team to Ashington to help out financially and he did a talk-in at the Comrades club in the town where all of the proceeds went to Ashington Football Club. His passing is a big loss to the family and to the footballing world. I’m sure Sir Bobby will be remembered – he was one of our own.”

by Brian Bennett

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner says his side face a ‘really tough test’ on Saturday (October 28) when they take on high flying Pontefract Collieries at their Woodhorn Lane ground which they hope will be turned into a sea of red.

The Colliers are dedicating the game to the memory of Sir Bobby Charlton, who sadly passed away last weekend and the club are asking supporters to wear red – the significance being that Sir Bobby wore the red shirt of Manchester United for 17 years – as well as England when they famously won the World Cup in 1966.

Boss Skinner said “After we received the call on Saturday to say our game against Sheffield was postponed, we gave the lads the day off – which is unusual for me – but we are training twice this week for what will be a really tough test at home to Pontefract Collieries. They have started the season really well and are in the play off places but we’ll be doing what we always do – whereby we’ve gathered some information on them and we’ll prepare as best we can. We’ll look at ways in which we can exploit some of areas to cause them one or two problems and I think it’ll be a good game.”

On the injury front, Skinner added that the past few days have brought mixed fortunes: “The only plus point with us not playing last weekend is that we have got one or two of the lads who have been carrying knocks and niggles and it has given us a little bit longer for them to clear up,” he said, “Oli Thompson has probably got a great chance of being back and involved on Saturday – albeit we have lost Dan Maguire who has had a little minor operation and will be out for a couple of weeks while he recovers.”

Skinner said that following his sides 4-0 thrashing against Winterton Rangers in North Lincolnshire, confidence had returned to the squad: “Obviously coming off the back of such a positive result at Winterton, all you want to do is for the next game to come along as quickly as it can,” he commented, “Confidence in the camp was high because that’s what winning games of football does to you. We were very much looking forward to going to Sheffield and the history that goes it, with them (Sheffield) being the oldest football club in the world. We were confident we could go there and continue our form and start to put a run of results together but the weather beat us. However when you see pictures of some of the places which were affected as badly as they were by Storm Babet and where a couple of people lost their lives because of it, football pales into insignificance.”

Saturday’s kick-off is 3pm.

By Brian Bennett

Connor Thomson was happy on Saturday night after he excelled on his debut for Ashington in their 4-0 win over Winterton Rangers.

After linking up with the Woodhorn Lane outfit on loan from Morpeth Town, the 27 year old striker went straight into the Colliers side for their important clash in North Lincolnshire – and made a sensational impact by scoring the opener early in the contest and later adding a second!

“As a debut it couldn’t have gone much better and I’m over the moon,” said Newcastle-born Thomson, “As a forward especially, you want to make an impact – either by scoring or claiming an assist – so for me to get a goal after six minutes gave me that confidence to crack on. My second from the spot was a pressure penalty – but you have to back yourself and I’m glad it went in. I took penalties for Morpeth last season and it’s something I like to do – so hopefully I can keep it up.”

Cramlington-based Thomson added: “I only knew a few of the lads beforehand but I loved every minute of my first game. I was delighted with the win even though we should have had scored more to be honest. I was looking to go on and get a hat trick but my legs started to give way a little bit and that’s why I came off – but I’ve scored two and I’m happy with that.”

Ashington FC coach Ritchie Hill said of Thomson: “He’s what we have needed and he made a great introduction. Connor just gives us a bit of everything. He’s strong; capable of winning headers; he’s quick and very direct and he’s previously played with Dan Maguire and Wilson Kneeshaw at Blyth Spartans so that helps. He just wants to play and he’s buzzing which is important. The management team at Ashington have been trying to get someone in to give us a bit of help at the top end of the field and Connor is a good fit. More importantly he’s a good lad and he’s fitted in well with the group.”

By Brian Bennett

Wilson Kneeshaw was named as the ‘Player of the match’ in Ashington’s 4-0 success over Winterton Rangers on Saturday – but the striker brushed the individual accolade to one side insisting that the overriding aspect was helping his side to a crucial victory.

Kneeshaw netted one goal and claimed three assists but he was also thwarted on several occasions by home ‘keeper Nathan Popple: “Obviously I have scored one and have assisted so I’ve helped the team,” he said, “I was disappointed that I didn’t get a couple more but the main thing today was coming away with the three points in what was a good performance. Now we can hopefully kick on and start moving up the table.”

For Darlington-born Kneeshaw, after receiving a pass from Nathan Buddle, his lay off which led to the opening goal from Connor Thomson took him back to his time with Blyth Spartans and Gateshead: “The three of us just linked really well,” he said, “I’ve known Connor from my days with him at Blyth and Gateshead so I know his game and what he’s about as a player – and the same goes for Nathan. I was happy for Connor to get off the mark and start his loan spell at Ashington with an excellent performance. He’s come in and brought something to the team straight away and obviously if I can assist and help with that then it’s really good.”

The 29 year old admitted that he has benefited by a change in mentality: “For my goal I was happy with the finish,” he said, “I changed my mentality over the past couple of weeks not to get down with myself because its been easy to do that in the past so I’ve been really trying to focus if sometimes things don’t go my way. Reflecting now I can look back on today’s game and say I probably should have scored in the first period but I got one in the second half – a left footer into the bottom corner – so I can’t complain.”