By Brian Bennett

Mourners said a fond farewell to former Sunderland AFC footballer Cecil Irwin last week.

The Ellington-born defender passed away last month at the age of 83 and the chapel at the Northumberland Woodland Burial & Crematorium at Felton was full to capacity when a service to remember and celebrate his life was held on Friday.

When Irwin made his debut against Ipswich Town in 1958, he was only 16 years and 166 days old and became the youngest ever to play for the Wearsiders. He is now the fourth youngest.

A right back, he went on to make over 350 appearances for the club and in 2023 was inducted into their Hall of Fame

After his playing career, Cecil moved to Yeovil Town where he was player manager before he came back home and took over a similar role at Ashington FC.

He returned to the Colliers as manager on another two occasions and in the 2000/01 season, led the club to promotion to the first division of the Northern League. Cecil’s team went up as champions after a memorable night when they beat Alnwick Town 1-0 with the goal scored by his nephew Marc Irwin.

Former Colliers chairman Ronnie Routledge who was a goalkeeper with Sunderland then Bradford, recalls that he provided the transport to take Cecil to Sunderland in those early years: “I took him to the club for training when he was only 16,” said Routledge, who lives in Ashington and is now 87 years old, “He was a nice lad and I had a lot of time for him.”

Alf Marchetti was on the committee during the days when the club played at its former home at Portland Park when Cecil came in as manager. He said: “Cecil was a lovely bloke. He was good to work with, was very approachable and you could ask him anything.”

Stephen Williams was handed his first team debut at Ashington by Cecil and recalls: “I played for the reserves and then I got a call up on a Wednesday night to play at West Auckland – and that was my debut. Cecil was player/managerand I think we won the game. We were also the victors in a pre-season tournament at The Stanks at Berwick when I’m pretty sure that Cecil played for us.”

Williams, who will be 69 in a couple of weeks’ time, added: “Cecil was very, very honest and very likeable. He was great with the younger lads, was very humble and was just a very nice person. Even when you saw him on the street or in the newsagent’s shop in Ashington which he ran with his wife Margaret, he always had time for a chat. There was no edge about him and he was really bothered about the community.”

In their final game of the season just ended away to Bradford Park Avenue, the players of Ashington FC wore black armbands and a minutes’ applause was held before kick-off as a tribute to Cecil Irwin – who was a true legend.

By Brian Bennett

Manager Nick Gray spoke highly about Josh Gilchrist and Karl Ross who picked up the awards at Ashington Football Club’s presentation evening which was held in the clubhouse on Friday.

The event was well attended and hosted by interim chair Nicola Sanders-Cooper where volunteers and supporters as well as the players and management, were acknowledged for their services. There was also live music from Outnumbered Band Page.

Whilst skipper Ross was voted as the Supporters Player of the season, Gilchrist scooped the trophies for the Players Player of the season; Manager’s Player of the season as well as being the top goal scorer.

Gray said: “I’ve known Josh since he was 13/14 years old. He was at Newcastle United and was on a par with Elliot Anderson and whilst Elliot has moved onto Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, Josh has had a more challenging time. Josh has always had the ability. I worked with him when I was manager at Whitley Bay then he joined Dunston UTS which I thought was good move for him. However, he wasn’t getting the minutes he wanted so I brought him to Ashington – and we were fortunate to get him. He has come in and has turned in eight out of ten performances and is getting more consistent. He’s the 11^th or 12^th top goal scorer in the league and that’s credit to himself. Josh went into the deep end and has scored some important goals for us. He’s had a fantastic season and the awards he has got says everything about him.”

He continued: “For the Manager’s player of the season there were a couple of candidates in the running but Josh has taken the accolade and he’s probably delighted to get the award as players’ player as its voted by your colleagues. However, all of these awards cannot be won without the other players – and I always remind players of that. For me there’s still a lot more to come from him and as long as he wants to keep working hard, I’m sure he’ll get better and better.”

Gray said about Ross: “When Liam McIvor and I came into the club at Ashington, Karl was injured but we could tell straight away that he was a leader because he was always around the group. Despite being sidelined, he was a very good help to us and to be fair he’s had a good season. Karl also comes into the bracket where I believe there is a lot more to come from him. We tried to rest him with his injuries but we couldn’t. However, I think we’ll see a better Karl Ross come back next season with the rest which he’ll now get. He’s happy at the club and has already committed to us for next term which says something about him. He’s a winner; he knows the club and wants to do well and if we have 11 Karl Ross’s on the pitch we’ll be okay.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC skipper Karl Ross picked up the Supporters Player of the season award at the presentation ceremony in the Woodhorn Lane clubhouse last Friday.

The long serving midfielder said afterwards: “Obviously I’m delighted to get the award. I think it’s special because it comes from the supporters who pay their money every week to watch you and for them to vote for me feels like a big achievement. I can’t thank them enough – they’ve been absolutely brilliant with me week in, week out in the 5-6 years I’ve been at the club. They are special because even when we don’t play well, we get applauded off which is undeserved but that’s what they want to do. I had no idea about the award – it came as a surprise – which makes it all the better.”

It was quite a week for 26-year-old Ross who was a member of the ‘Team Newcastle’ side who won the Emirates 5’s – a five-a-side tournament: “Someone from the Northumberland FA got in touch with me about playing for ‘Team Newcastle’ at St Georges’ Park, the England hub in Burton upon Trent,” he said, “They invited me down and for the experience it was a no brainer to accept. The teams represented four cities – Newcastle; Birmingham; Manchester and London – and all included one ex pro. Ours was Shola Ameobi. The facilities are second to none and it was an unbelievable experience – and to top it off we won the competition!”

So, what was it like being in the same line up as former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi? “Shola is 43 but he’s still got the quality,” said Ross, “I’m a Magpies fan so it was all a little bit surreal. It was great because Jermain Defoe, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ben Foster – the other ex-pros who played – as well as Shola were humble and made time for everyone. It was a great experience and one which I’ll never forget.”

By Brian Bennett

He scored a hat trick for Ashington in their 3-2 NPL East Division victory over Bridlington Town at Woodhorn Lane at the beginning of November – and Josh Gilchrist was celebrating on Friday night after bagging another treble!

The midfielder turned striker scooped three awards – Players’ Player of the season; Manager’s Player of the season and top goal scorer – at the Presentation evening hosted by the Woodhorn-based club.

It’s an amazing story for the 22-year-old who signed for the Colliers and was so determined to succeed that he offered to play for nothing for the first few weeks!

“I’m delighted with all three awards,” said a smiling Gilchrist, “For the Manager’s player I can’t thank Nick (Gray) and Liam (McIvor) enough – they’ve been great with me this season. No-one really understands the cold nights in December what those guys put into the job in terms of hard work and commitment – it’s not easy when we all have different jobs. For the Players player, I thank the lads because it’s a 100 per cent top award. The lads have been great this season because we have had some tough times and it’s been hard work. We had to dig deep and we had one task – and that was to stay in the league which we’ve done. At times, we had our backs against the wall but everyone stuck together and we came through it.”

Did Gilchrist have any idea about getting the prestigious Players’ Player trophy? “Possibly I did but I thought there was few other players who would be in the running,” he added, “I have scored goals in games over the season which have been vital and where we have picked up points whether it be from a win or a draw. However, it’s not just a one man band – it’s the 11 players you are playing on the pitch with.”

Gilchrist came through the ranks at Newcastle United at the same time as Elliot Anderson: “Elliot went in one direction but I didn’t make it as much as I would have liked,” he said, “However, Nick (Gray) and Liam (McIvor) had a little bit of faith in me and it’s hard to play at this level. They brought me in from Dunston UTS and I said to them ‘I haven’t found my feet at Dunston UTS, give me two or three weeks where I don’t need to be paid but let me show you what I can do on the pitch – and I feel as if I have done that more than capable this season.”

He went on: “Essentially, I’m more of an attacking midfielder than a striker – but I’ve also played as a nine. You play against the big lads and I’ve found myself getting in and around them as well as behind them – and I am happy to do that.”

By Brian Bennett

Nick Gray and Liam McIvor spoke in unison after a goal early in the second half by Josh Gilchrist had brought their side a 1-0 victory over Bradford Park Avenue.

The result saw the Colliers complete the double for the season over ‘The Avenue’ following a 1-0 win back in September and afterwards Gray and McIvor said: “I think the fans have been fantastic whilst I’d also like to thank all the volunteers and everyone behind the scenes. The fans have come down to Bradford today where there was nothing at stake to show their commitment and for me this season they have stuck with us. They could have turned against us but they didn’t. The fanbase has been fantastic. Monday’s defeat against Heaton Stannington was a tough one to take for all concerned but I cannot thank them (the fans) enough. Through thick and thin they have been brilliant so the win today was for the supporters for what they have given this season. There was about 60 or 70 fans who never stopped backing us. They deserve this and this is what football is for – the fans.

Gray added: “We have finished our programme with a win. Again we were down in numbers which we have been for the last few weeks with a lot of players injured whilst others have been playing on empty and credit to them. I thought today we rode our luck a couple of times but when we got our noses in front we had to dig in and I’m delighted that we kept a clean sheet and that we got the three points.”

He continued: “For the first 10-15 minutes we were all over the place. We tried something different and it wasn’t working out so we changed it and we then looked a lot more comfortable. Bradford Park Avenue had a couple of opportunities from corners but I thought we dealt with them quite well. They were getting a little bit of movement in the middle of the park which we identified at half time and to be fair after that they didn’t get on the ball and their midfield players didn’t find that space so it’s a pleasing day. The season is over – now we’ll see what the future brings.”

Josh Gilchrist’s deflected goal won the contest and the striker got a pat on the back from his manager: “I’ve been saying all season that we don’t shoot enough so credit to Josh,” added Gray, “He pulled the trigger and yes it took a deflection but it was already on target.”

McIvor added: “It was an excellent three points. As Nick says we tried something new and we need to work on it a little bit more on the training pitch. We went back to what we know and I thought we were good.”

The Ashington players wore black armbands and there was a minutes’ applause as a tribute to Cecil Irwin who passed away at the beginning of the week and Gray added: “Cecil Irwin bless him – I know some of the family and all my thoughts are with them.”

By Brian Bennett

Nick Gray openly admitted that the season just ended has been the most challenging of his management career.

Gray said after Ashington’s 1-0 win at Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday: “It was a nice way to finish the season off but on a personal note, this year has been the most challenging season for me. It hasn’t been enjoyable at times. I’ve made mistakes and I think the club have made some mistakes as well and we’ve got to learn and go forward as a club. Football is my release and it hasn’t been at times this year. It’s been hard to take – and at times it has also been for my assistant Liam McIvor.”

He continued: “At this level, it’s been a tough, tough season. There have been a lot of changes during the campaign. No disrespect but we have made mistakes with some of the lads we have brought in whilst on the other hand, we have made some great signings. It’s hard to change things and I look at myself and I’ve got to see whether people take information on board from me or not. The club deserves to be at this level but there are lessons to be learned from everyone – but let’s enjoy the day and see what tomorrow brings.”

McIvor said: “On the season – it’s been up and down. There have been some hard games where we have been poor. There have been some good ones too – this is a good day – and special mention to Max Monaghan who is only 18-year-old and who did very well. We need to be on the same page. This is an unbelievable club with an unbelievable fan base and we need to make sure lessons are learned from this season and give them (fans) something to cheer about. We need to make sure we tidy things up on and off the pitch to give them that success.”

By Brian Bennett

Ashington manager Nick Gray and skipper Karl Ross have paid tribute to Gary Ormston who has announced his retirement from football at the age of 41.

Ormston played the last game of his career – which stretches 25 years – for Ashington against Bradford Park Avenue at the Horsfall Community Stadium on Saturday which the Colliers won 1-0.

Gray – who made Ormston captain for Ashington’s final home game against Heaton Stannington on Easter Bank Holiday Monday – said: “I’ve known Gary for a number of years. I’ve been involved with teams playing against him but I’ve always admired him as an opposition player. It’s been good to work with him this year because he’s been great on the pitch and in the dressing room. He’s a fantastic person who has had a glistening career. He’s won just about everything you can in non-league football and he’s been a fantastic ambassador over the years.”

Skipper Karl Ross said: “I could talk all day about Gary. He’s only been at Ashington a year and a half but it feels like ten years! From a personal perspective he has helped me so much to improve as a player and I would describe him as one of those that you don’t meet very often in football.”

He continued: “On or off the pitch he’s one of the nicest lads you could ever wish to meet and he’s everything you could ever want as a player coming into the dressing room. He’s encouraging, he’s loving, and he helps you through things but he’s also hard on you because he knows what you can do.”

By Brian Bennett

Gary Ormston said he got emotional when his footballing career came to an end at Bradford Park Avenue’s Horsfall Community Stadium on Saturday.

The Ashington defender looked back on the game which the Colliers won with a goal by Josh Gilchrist and said afterwards: “The football was quite decent and we played all right. It’s a 4G pitch which is a good surface and I know we’ve been brushing relegation but we proved that we can hold our own at this level.”

On the decision to hang up his boots, Ormston said: “Nick (Gray) and Liam (McIvor) have been brilliant with me since I told them I was retiring. There’s a lot of people say there shouldn’t be a lot of sentiment in football – but actually there is and people play with a bit of sentiment. Nick told me that after 60-65 minutes I was going to come off and as the time got nearer, it started to get a bit more emotional for me. Early in the second half, I had an opportunity and I desperately wanted to score. I knew where my family were and I think if that had gone in, I would have just ran off the pitch there and then!”

The Ashington players and management formed a Guard of Honour for Ormston before he left the pitch and he added: “I didn’t realise they were going to do the Guard of Honour. I wanted to thank the fans who were great when I went off and I was tearing up. Former chairman Brian Shotton and my wife Gemma came over with a few others and it was teary. Brian said to me “It feels like you have been with us for ten years not a year and a half” which is quite a statement and it will probably stick with me.”

He continued: “I have made so many friends and this is what football is about. I said in the dressing room ‘I know it’s been a tough season but stick with football because it opens up so many doors and so many avenues.’ I’m quite a humble person and not one for the limelight but my wife Gemma told me ‘Celebrate a good career. You have touched so many people’s lives so go and embrace it.’

Ashington AFC are delighted to confirm our season ticket and matchday admission prices for the 2025/26 season!

As we prepare for another Northern Premier League campaign at Woodhorn Lane, we are pleased to offer great value once again – with our early bird season ticket offer returning and affordable matchday options for fans of all ages.

Matchday Admission Prices 2025/26
• Adults: £10
• Concessions: £6
• Under 16s: £4

Advance Purchase Prices (online up to 1.5 hours before kick off):
• Adults: £9
• Concessions: £5
• Under 16s: £3

Season Ticket Prices 2025/26
A season ticket remains the best value way to support the Colliers, covering 21 home league games including any pre season fixtures.

Ticket Type	Full Price	Early Bird Offer (until 31/05/2025)
Adult	£160	£140
Senior Citizen	£95	£85
Student (proof to be provided on collection)	£95	£85
Under 16	£63	£21

Under 16 Early Bird Special
This year, an Under 16s early bird season ticket is available for just £21 — that’s £1 per game!

Early Bird Deadline
The early bird window is now open and runs until 31/05/2025
Make sure you take advantage and save even more by buying early!

How to Buy
• Online: https://ashingtonafc.ktckts.com/package/asnhst2526/season-ticket-202526

Payment Options
We are pleased to offer supporters more flexible ways to pay for their season ticket:
• Pay in full at the time of purchase
or
• Spread the cost across three instalments.

Further details on instalment dates will be provided when purchasing your season ticket.

Thank you for your fantastic support. We look forward to welcoming you back to Woodhorn Lane for another season!

By Brian Bennett

Gary Ormston will wave a fond farewell to his playing days on the football pitch when Ashington travel to face Bradford Park Avenue in their final league match of the season tomorrow.

The midfielder has announced that he will hang up his boots after the final whistle at the Horsfall Community Stadium and as he reflected on the last 25 years he said ‘It’s been some career and I’ve had some incredible experiences but I just thought now was the right time to retire from the game.”

Born in Newcastle, Gary who is 41 has achieved what all non-league players yearn for. He’s played at Wembley and got an FA Vase winners medal; as an avid Newcastle United supporter, he describes an unforgettable night when he won the Northumberland Senior Cup whilst also being part of a league championship side and having had success in other cup competitions.

“At 16 I got a scholarship YTS at York City,” he said, “It was pre-season and my mam and dad took me to Newcastle Central railway station – and I then realised I was on the way to adulthood. After two years at York, I joined Dunston then I dropped down to Heddon on the Wall where my old schoolteacher was the manager but I got demoralised with football. When I got my love back for the game, I signed for Consett where I played over 300 games for them back in the good old Belle Vue days then onto Whitley Bay where I won the Vase.”

“I returned to Dunston, and as you creep over the age of 30 you start to get written off so you spend your time proving people wrong a little bit,” he said with a wry smile, “I then moved to North Shields and had a good spell there. I was approaching near late 30’s and you keep saying to yourself “I’ll see what I’m like and have another year” – but I have never signed a contract and if I felt okay it was a case of ‘let’s go again.’

Ormston lists winning the Vase as one of three distinct highlights during his career. “I was 27 at the time and it was my biggest achievement,” he added, “It was the whole thing – because you’re riding along on the crest of a wave. Whitley Bay had already won the competition twice in as many years. My best mate David Pounder joined Whitley Bay as well but you don’t think that they’ll get to a third consecutive final at Wembley. Paul Chow scored near the end as we beat Coalville Town 3-2.”

He continued: “I would say the best achievement was winning the Northumberland Senior Cup at St James’ Park against a Blyth Spartans side who were brilliant at the time. It was an unbelievable night for me and my family. We got battered early on before I opened the scoring at the Gallowgate end from the edge of the box where I curled the ball into the bottom corner. It remains as being the best game of football I ever played in.”

He added: “The third highlight was when North Shields won the Northern League first division title. We had a really good side and we played Whitley Bay on a Bank holiday Monday. We had to win or draw to clinch the league title – and we came out on top with a 3-1 scoreline. I netted the third with a penalty right in front of our fans and the celebrations were incredible.”

He went on: “I have played with some phenomenal players and it’s been some career. I’ve been very fortunate because I haven’t had a bad injury in 25 seasons and never missed a pre- season. To retire from the game is not a decision which I have taken lightly because I’ve been thinking and talking about it with my friends and family. I fancy doing a bit of hiking and trail running and I’ve also signed up to do the Great North Run this year plus another couple of things. Football has opened up so many doors and we have been to so many wonderful places – like Market Harborough – and even the last few years with Ashington I’ve been to Belper and my family have come along.”

He concluded: “There have been some incredible experiences and things which I’ll never forget – but I think the time is right to give my wife Gemma, biggest fan Sommer as well as my family and friends a bit more of my time. It’s like passing football over to the youngsters and letting them crack on with it.”