Match Report

By Brian Bennett

Ashington threw away a golden opportunity to claim what would have been their fourth league win of the season against high fliers North Ferriby at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday.

After the visitors had been reduced to ten men early in the second half with Louis Kirk seeing red, the Colliers took the lead with a great strike by Josh Gilchrist.

But the Wansbeck outfit pressed the self destruct button with a sloppy piece of play which resulted in Charlie Clements scoring the equaliser twelve minutes from the end of the 90.

An uneventful opening period had been largely dominated by the visitors who ought to have gone ahead with the first chance of the game just past the quarter hour mark. Jack Walters whipped over a superb cross into the danger zone which was met by Lewis Dennison but the striker got his angles all wrong and directed his header wide of the upright.

Ashington responded and following a long throw in by Jay Hornsby, the ball went through a number of legs before it reached Ryan Wombwell. However the defender side footed straight to ‘keeper Ben Bottomley.

In the 26th minute, Tyler Jones was called into action, the home ‘keeper diving to his left to brilliantly tip over a free-kick by Elliott Walker.

Then on the half hour, Ashington should have broken the deadlock following a free-kick played down the right by Liam Noble.

Gilchrist got the better of a defender but when he pulled the ball across for Liam Henderson, the number ten stroked the ball wide of the far post.
After a mundane first half, there was an explosive start to the second. Within a minute, Noble was yellow carded for a shirt pull but sixty seconds later, ‘The Villagers’ had midfielder Kirk dismissed by referee Stephen Beresford following an off the ball incident near the touchline.

Wombwell volleyed a chance wide after a knock down by Henderson before Ashington went in front in the 57th minute following a counter attack.

Skipper Karl Ross charged through the middle before finding Jake Orrell who in turn sprayed the ball wide for Gilchrist who looked up and from fully 25 yards struck a venomous right footer which flew into the net past a startled Bottomley.

Twenty minutes from time, a significant turning point arrived. After a shot had been blocked, the ball ran into the path of Noble who from the edge of the area, tried to place his effort into the corner but saw it thud against the base of the post.

Eight minutes later, Ferriby drew level after Ashington had lost possession in their own half. The ball was played into the area where Clements calmly and skilfully dragged the ball back which gave him the space to steer a left foot shot wide of Jones and inside the corner of the net.

Henderson nodded over a cross by Noble but in the third minute of time added on, Jones made an outstanding save to preserve his side a point, tipping a 30 yards free kick by Walker onto the angle of post and crossbar with the ball going behind for a corner.