By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ian Reid, chair of the Ashington Supporters Club, reflecting on the last five years has said that Ian Skinner has gone out on a high.

In his own words in an open letter to the club’s social media, Skinner waved ‘goodbye from the touchline’ as manager following Thursday’s 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United U21s in the semi final of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup but added that ‘it’s not necessarily farewell.’ The club announced that Skinner will ‘maintain a role as a Director’ at the Woodhorn Lane based outfit.

Mr Reid, chair for over ten years said: “I can understand why he (Ian Skinner) has decided to step down from the manager’s role because he has got a lot on his plate. However, I think he has gone out on a high and we all applaud him for that. He won us a couple of pieces of silverware with the Ebac Northern League Division One Cup as well as the Cleator Cup plus the memorable run we had in the FA Cup last year and of course getting the club promoted into the Northern Premier League at the end of the season. That away game when we won the Inter Step play off final against Glossop 3-0 was the highlight – but to be honest for me, it is also the stand out moment over the last 50-60 years. Even supporters who have been going to matches for a long time have said that was a massive highlight because it was another step up the rung.”

He continued: “The only other occasion which would run it close was winning the Northumberland Senior Cup in 2013 when we defeated Whitley Bay at St James Park. On that night it was one of the best footballing performances which I had seen by an Ashington side for a long time.”

He added: “Off the field, Brian Shotton also deserves the maximum amount of credit. When he took over as chairman five years ago, it was at a difficult time but with his drive and enthusiasm, he got other people on board to help him and the club have gone in one direction. The players who were brought in wanted to play for the club and we stayed up that season – and we just seem to have pushed on from there. It’s been like going up a hill – but on a motor cycle and not walking and we’ve advanced very quickly.”

On Friday morning, the club announced that Andy Coyles and Richie Hill – assistant manager and coach respectively in the management team alongside Skinner – had been appointed to take over in the joint role as head coaches.

Mr Reid said: “All the lads I’ve been speaking to are all quite happy because Andy (Coyles) and Richie (Hill) are two good lads plus its continuity within the club. Personally speaking I think it’s an ideal appointment and the thing that stood out for me is that the pair must have the club at heart. They wanted the job; they are both Uefa ‘A’ licence coaches and are prepared to travel from Richmond every week – and you cannot ask more than that.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Skipper Karl Ross spoke of the heartache within the dressing room after Ashington had lost their semi final of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup against Newcastle United U21s at Woodhorn Lane on Thursday night.

The Colliers went down 2-1 and Ross said afterwards: “Walking into the dressing room at the end of the game, all of the lads had their heads down and were gutted because Newcastle have come here and we’ve played them off the park. Not many teams will do that to them – but for their two goals, they had that little bit of quality.”

Ross added: “Even trailing 1-0 at half time we spoke about it could be our last 45 minutes of the season. Therefore we had nothing to lose but to go out and give it our all. Jay Turner-Cooke scored with a free-kick into the top bin and there’s nothing you can do about them. After that it was just about going for it in the final 25 minutes; throwing everything at them and seeing what they’d got.”

He continued: “Things didn’t go for us like the drop of the ball, or the ball not bouncing for us but it was just good to see the lads go for it and I was proud of them all. We are a really close group – the closest group I’ve ever been with – so leading them out was a proud moment for me.”

Ross paid tribute to the supporters in a record breaking attendance of 1447 at Woodhorn Lane: “Every week the fans come out in their hundreds and to smash the previous best was just fantastic,” he said, “They really are our 12^th man because you can hear them every minute. The fans are what make the club and we as players thrive off it – so on behalf all the lads, I’d just like to thank them for all of their support because it means a lot to us.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Naturally disappointed after his side had lost their semi final in the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup 2-1 against Newcastle United U21s, Ashington manager Ian Skinner praised his entire squad for a spirited performance and said they ‘gave everything.’

Quality strikes from Dylan Stephenson in the first period and Jay Turner-Cooke shortly before the midway point in the second half put the young Magpies into a 2-0 lead before Dan Maguire reduced the arrears within a couple of minutes.

Ashington then threw everything at their opponents but just fell short.

Skinner said afterwards: “It’s a little bit strange because we’ve lost the game and an opportunity to get into a final at St James Park which would have been an unbelievable way to end the season but I’m sat here quite relaxed because the boys gave everything and I just thought every single one of them was excellent.”

The boss was happy with how his side began the game: “I thought we started really, really brightly and probably should have gone ahead when Wilson Kneeshaw has had a great chance and you would back him to score. We’ve had some great play and then Connor Thomson has had another opportunity when you would also fancy him to find the back of the net. However, Newcastle scored against the run of play with a ball over the top and Dylan Stephenson has run through, applied a great first touch and a great finish. Dylan has scored lots of goals for whilst on loan at South Shields towards the back end of the season and he’s a good player. I thought it was a little bit unjust and the game developed into a more even contest. We were looking to get the ball down and play whilst they (Newcastle) were looking to stretch our back line with Stephenson running in behind.”

Addressing his players during the interval, Skinner said “It was a case of saying to them ‘we’ve got 45 minutes to extend our season and I don’t want you to come in at the end with any regrets so go out there and give it your best shot’- and I thought they literally did go out there and they gave it everything. We took the game to Newcastle in the second half but then found ourselves 2-0 down. We got caught a little bit on the break but take nothing away, it’s a great finish into the top corner for their second goal. However, I just felt at times we wanted that extra touch or we wanted the perfect shooting opportunity and when you play against lads who are as sharp as they are (Newcastle), that extra touch gives them that split second to get a block in or get behind the ball.”

With the score at 2-0, Skinner to his bench and recalled the game between the two sides two seasons ago: “It’s funny because I turned to the dugout and said we came back from being 2-0 down to draw 2-2 the last time – only to go out on penalties – and within three minutes we had pulled one back through Dan Maguire who has been in good form over the last few weeks of the season. Again that shows the heart and the size within the group. Then we’ve really thrown everything at them. When you look at a team of their stature, they have felt the pressure and it shows you that we had them on the back foot really. Again we could have taken one or two more shooting opportunities and we’ve had some chances – with one blocked deep into injury time plus a penalty shout. But listen, every player in that dressing room tonight can be proud of the performance they’ve put in and they literally did leave everything out there but unfortunately we fell just short.”

The game was witnessed by a record breaking attendance of 1447 and Skinner added: “It was a magnificent crowd with great support as usual but it didn’t surprise me in the least that the previous highest (attendance) was surpassed. To be honest, I think they would all go away slightly disappointed that we lost the game – but as I walked around the pitch at the end, every supporter had nothing but kind words and positivity for the display that they had just watched by us against a good Newcastle side.”

Ashington FC are delighted to announce our new management team as Andy Coyles and Richie Hill, as they will be stepping into the head coaches’ roles for the upcoming 2024/25 season.

Having previously served as part of the management team along with outgoing Manager Ian Skinner, Coyles and Hill are already well-acquainted with the club. Andy and Rich have shown a clear understanding towards our fans passion and loyalty surrounding the football club and acknowledge in full, the demands of the Northern Premier League.

Andy, a Uefa ‘A’ licence coach, is an assistant professor and practitioner in sport coaching/PE at Northumbria University in Newcastle, and away from Ashington is the head coach of the England Universities National Team. Andy was also part of the club’s promotion success during the 22/23 season working alongside Ian Skinner.

Richie, also a Uefa ‘A’ licence coach has previous experiences at Hartlepool United FC followed by Spennymoor Town, where he was involved in their successful youth set up. In addition to that, Richie has also spent time at Middlesbrough FC’s academy where he was their lead U14’s-U16’s coach.

Andy and Richie share the same beliefs and values surrounding the game, and their strong working relationship will bring great enthusiasm and energy to the football club.

Both coaches’ have a wealth of experience of the non-league landscape and have previous experience of working together at Consett AFC.

Our new management team outlined “we are both delighted and honoured to be appointed as the new management team, here at Ashington. We know that the club has a proud history and we regard it as an honour and a privilege to be appointed at such an exciting time, both on and off the field. We have by far, one of the best supported clubs in the North East and we are both looking forward to sharing this journey together.”

Ian Skinner commented on the appointments, stating, “The decision to retain Andy and Richie reflects our commitment to building on the successes of last season and our survival at this level. Their understanding of the club and the league, coupled with their connection with the dressing room, was exactly what we were looking for.”

Brian Shotton added, “we had a meeting with some of the new board members to get to know Andy and Richie, it was clear following discussion straight after the meeting that this was the direction we wanted to head. They had answers to all the questions we had and aligned with where we saw the club headed next season. Last season was a difficult one with the rising costs around the club, which were generally out of our control, therefore having a coaching team bought into our overall mission for Ashington was key for us.”

As we push forward in a new chapter, we extend our gratitude to Ian Skinner for his contribution to the club as well as steering us into this league as a manager. Skinner will maintain a role as a Director at the club.

We look forward to next season to continue the journey and maintain the legacy of Ashington FC.

We are expecting a crowd close to capacity this Thursday so it will be a busy night. Please give this a read before coming to the game to ensure you know what the crack is.

TRAVELLING & CAR PARKING

Ashington AFC wishes to be a responsible community organisation and a good neighbour to all residents living locally. The Club would make the following appeal to anyone attending the Semi Final fixture on Thursday 2nd May and would like to thank you all in advance for your cooperation.

Whilst there are a limited number of car parking spaces at the club, the anticipated crowd will mean they will fill up early, we would urge anyone who is able, to leave their car at home.

Regular Bus Services running to Wansbeck Hospital include the

1 Blyth, Bedlington Station, Stakeford, Lynemouth, Ellington, Creswell and Widdrington

X21 Newcastle, Bedlington, Stakeford and Newbiggin by the sea

There is also considerable car parking in Ashington Town Centre and you can walk to the ground in 20 minutes from there.

Please do not block the highway or any drives or garages locally.

FOOD & DRINK

The clubhouse is located on the first floor of the main stand. As we expect the match to be busy there may be queues. Our staff will be working hard to serve as quickly as possible, please bear with them as they do so.

Tommo’s Pit Pony Can Bar will also be open and is located on the North East side of the ground in the black container. The bar will be selling cans of beer, lager, cider and soft drinks. This is CASH ONLY!

Katies Kitchen will be selling food as usual on the East Side of the ground behind the net.

The Hatch on the side of the main stand will be selling hotdogs and nachos.

PROGRAMMES

Printed match programmes will be available just beyond the turnstiles and can be purchased at a cost of £2. Whilst we will be printing more than usual, these may run out, so get them early.

50/50 DRAW

Our 50/50 Draw tickets will also be available inside the ground on Thursday night with half of the ticket sales going directly into the prize pot. We expect this to be of high value so get your tickets to be in with a chance of winning.

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC skipper Karl Ross has said that his team mates will have their minds entirely focussed on the task which lies ahead – nowhere else – when they face Newcastle United U21’s in the semi final of the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup at Woodhorn Lane on Thursday night (7.30pm kick-off).

Last Saturday the Colliers won for the first time in six games when they brushed North Ferriby aside in their last league fixture of the season in the Pitching In Northern Premier League’s East Division.

The Wansbeck outfit ran out 2-0 winners and the result prompted Ashington-born Ross to say: “We enjoyed the day – but we’ve put that behind us now and it’s all about us focussing on the Newcastle game. It’s a great incentive knowing that the final will be held at St James’ Park and I know the lads would love to get through and play there because it’s something which players all dream about. However we’ve got to put that to the back of our minds and fully concentrate on Thursday’s clash which we are really looking forward to.”

The midfielder is looking for a noisy atmosphere from the home supporters: “Our fans have been unbelievable for us all season and they will come out in their hundreds,” he added, “We want them to get behind us because they are a great 12^th man and can spur us on.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Ashington FC manager Ian Skinner has described Thursday’s semi final clash against Newcastle United U21s in the Newcastle Flooring Northumberland Senior Cup as being a ‘tough test – but nevertheless a winnable one.’

Following a run of four defeats in five matches, the Colliers got back on track at the weekend when goals from Andrew Cartwright and Dan Maguire secured a 2-0 victory over North Ferriby in their final game of the season in the East Division of the Pitching In Northern Premier League.

Skinner said later: “Returning to winning ways last Saturday was all part of the plan. We asked the lads to go out and play with a bit of freedom and to get back to the levels which we were capable of and to send the fans home happy. We achieved our goal – and now everybody will be really excited about Thursday night. There will be a big crowd inside the ground and the support will be fantastic – just like it was today against Ferriby – and we’ll be working hard on how we are going to tackle what will be a tough test – but nevertheless a winnable one.”

He continued: “Obviously I would like the boys to be able to go to St James Park for a final. However we’re certainly not getting ahead of ourselves and we’ll be taking things one step at a time because will Thursday night be easy? No. Will we try and tackle it with everything we’ve got? Yes – and hopefully on the night it will be good enough.”

The boss added that the Woodhorn Lane fans can play an integral part: “Our fans are always important,” he said, “They come and sing and shout and bang the drum and it’s great. The lads love it and long may it continue. To be honest, it’s a club where they need each other – the players need the fans and the fans need the players to show that they care on the pitch and I think when you get both, you get a real feel-good factor about the place. There was a little bit of that today (against North Ferriby) because we managed to get back into the groove. The fans sang their hearts out for the entirety and it leads to a good positive environment – so hopefully Thursday night can be a repeat of that.”

Kick-off is 7.30pm

On Saturday night, a special presentation was made to Brian “Scoop” Bennett who has reached the massive milestone of 50 years with Ashington AFC.

Brian started reporting for the Chronicle back in the 74/75 season in what turned out to be a 6-2 home defeat to Consett. This didn’t deter him from the role however and over the 50 year spell, he has seen three promotion seasons, two relegation seasons, four FA Cup runs which ended at the 4th Qualifying Round as well as two Northumberland Senior Cup titles. Could his 50th year also be the season in which he sees his third?

On receiving the award on Saturday evening, an overwhelmed Scoop could not thank the people of the club more for all the support they have given him (we still say he has given us more than we have given him) as well as paying a special tribute to his long suffering wife and son, Janet and Jonny who have had to endure all the ups and downs that come with being part of Ashington Football Club.

Brian also acknowledged that Vince Gledhill had been instrumental in securing his involvement here at Ashington. Back in 1975 he had asked Brian to come across to cover games for the local paper, but at the time Brian had recently started covering Bedlington Terriers (booooo!) for the local press. Vince, if you’re reading this Ashington AFC are forever in your debt!

Scoop, a massive thank you from us all!

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Connor Thomson claimed the award of top goalscorer when Ashington FC held their presentation evening in the function room at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday night.

And afterwards, the 28 year old – who is on loan from Morpeth Town – could not disguise his delight on several fronts.

Thomson bagged 17 goals, one more than fellow striker Wilson Kneeshaw to lift the award and he said afterwards: “It wasn’t something which I thought about when I joined Ashington but by the end, I had a good idea that I had finished top of the pile. Obviously I wanted to make an impact but to come away as top goalscorer in the time I have been with the club, I’m buzzing about it. I have only been here for six months so to get the award is unusual because some of the other lads have been for the whole of the season.”

Newcastle-born Thomson continued: “It was all about how quickly I gelled and how quickly I fitted into the team and straight away, I struck up a good partnership with Wilson (Kneeshaw). The benefits came from the rest of the lads where they were really putting the ball on a plate for me to put into the back of the net.”

He continued: “All of the players and the staff have been absolutely brilliant with me and consequently I’m absolutely loving my time here. From my point of view, it was all about scoring, assisting and helping the team but the journey which I’ve been on has been nothing short of incredible. We are all good mates – not just on the pitch but off it as well – and the environment in the changing rooms is great.”

By Brian Bennett | Photo: Ian Brodie

Wilson Kneeshaw struck at the double at Ashington FC’s presentation night on Saturday as he won the Management team’s Player of the Year and Goal of the season awards.

And afterwards the 29 year old striker paid tribute and couldn’t thank the management team of Ian Skinner, Andy Coyles and Ritchie Hill enough for giving him a ‘new lease of life’ at Woodhorn Lane.

Glancing back Kneeshaw said: “I was with Newcastle Independent – a club in the Northern Alliance League. I was with my friends who run – as well as play for – the club and I was turning out on a Saturday just to pass time to be honest. If they needed a player, I would help them out whenever I could other than that I had dropped out of football because I didn’t really want to play. However, Ashington manager Ian Skinner, his assistant Andy Coyles and coach Ritchie Hill gave me a new lease of life and I’ve got to give them all the credit for bringing me to the club and giving me an opportunity. I came to Woodhorn Lane late pre season and even had words with the boss after a few games at the start where I didn’t really play too well. It would probably have been easier for me to step away from it all as I was commuting three times a week from Darlington which is an hour and a half travel. However, I’m thankful to the trio that they’ve repaid me with the love that obviously I feel like I’ve given them to be honest. It’s just been pure respect to them this season from me and in the dressing room we have become such a close knit group. As I’ve grown into the club, the fans and the background staff have just made it such a welcoming place for me and I just feel so grateful. It’s been amazing and to get the management team’s Player of the Year is unbelievable.”

Of the superlative strike against Belper Town which clinched him the Goal of the season award, Kneeshaw chuckled: “It wasn’t captured on the veo! I remember we played really well that game and the score line could have been greater but I was just happy that I got the goal. I don’t get too stressed about awards – although it’s a pleasure that I’ve picked up two – and I’m a bit taken aback by it all to be honest. It’s not about me – it’s about the management team, the background staff and the fans and I just want to repay the staff for the loyalty they have given me.”

He went on: “I would love us be challenging and to win promotion and I want this team to really, really fight for it because I know that if we do that, the fans will fight and the background staff will fight even more than they are already doing – so next season is the push.”