Tuesday 26th December 2006 - Ashton Athletic 1 Ashton Town 2

This first “Derby” meeting since the 1985/86 season produced a frantic contest that had every incident possible to keep the sizeable crowd riveted to the last minute. What with an own goal; a penalty awarded but missed and then one not given; two red cards and a few yellow thrown in for good measure - all was normal in this full bloodied fixture and long may it continue.

Both sides had their moments in the game but it was Town who made the most of their more limited time in the ascendency as two goals in a fifteen minute period in the middle of the first half was enough to secure the victory.

It was the home side however that started the brighter as some sharp passing moves through the midfield created early openings and after 4 minutes Steve Bennett played in Paul McVeigh after good work by Matt Mahoney, but McVeigh’s cross/shot ran wide, and just beyond the advancing supporting players. McVeigh repeated the feat, getting in behind the Town defence but his cross once again just eluded Steve Bennett at full stretch. A superb back to front passing move then gave Mahoney a sight on goal but his effort was well saved by Town keeper Danny Vickers.

By this time the tackles were flying in as the visitors tried to get a foothold in the game and the referee needed to have a few “chats”. The stoppages in play prevented the home side from maintaining the momentum of the opening period and gave the visitors the breather they needed to regroup and then started to play themselves.

Jon Bullough was played in, down the Town left having got on the “wrong” side of full back Steve Wallace but his effort was placed just wide. Then in the 15^th minute a superb cross from the Town right by Paul Crewe caught Martin Rigby facing his own goal on the six yard box and his attempted clearance was sliced and ended up in the top corner of his own goal. 0-1.

This early goal energized the Town players and they started to press the home side defence and midfield, preventing the free flowing passing that had been evident earlier in the game. This pressure soon paid off as a well taken corner swung in by Matt Gregory was not headed clear and the loose ball fell kindly for Lee Skett who smashed the ball in from close range 0-2.

The Latics rallied towards half time as a Mahoney free kick fizzed over the bar and then in the 36^th minute a superb overhead kick by McVeigh struck the bar with Vickers stranded. HT 0-2.

The second half got under way with the hosts on the front foot and from the first attack in the 46^th minute McVeigh was taken down in the box by an untidy challenge by Ross McNair and the referee pointed to the spot. Interference by the referee on the placing of the ball no doubt unsettled the penalty taker, Steve Wallace and although his effort was well struck it was within the reach of Vickers who did well to block the shot. The rebound appeared to be heading for McVeigh to finish but at the last moment a recovering defender pulled him off balance and toed the ball to safety. McVeigh claimed for a second penalty but the ref gave a goal kick – perhaps Macca should have pitched for a corner instead?!

This missed opportunity could easily have put the home side into a downward spiral but the developing team spirit prevented this and for the vast majority of the second half Town were pinned back in their own half fielding wave after wave of attacks.

In the 48^th minute another Mcveigh volley direct from a corner flew just wide and then a series of long throws put Town under great pressure, with Steve Bennett coming closest, latching on to a flick on by McVeigh but the shot at the back post was steered wide.

Bennett then returned the favour in the 60^th minute with a cross that found McVeigh just inside the box but his volley lacked power and Vickers saved the effort.

Fresh legs were introduced by the home side and this gave then another push and almost paid dividends as Dan Hitchen broke into the box but his attempted lob clear the bar.

Town were being restricted to sporadic breaks with a Mike Rhead long range effort failing to trouble Hewitt in the Ashton goal, and Ryan Thompson should have done better by playing in the unmarked Phil Howard instead of shooting himself after surging forward down the right. A run of consecutive corners gave the Town defence a breather for a few minutes but that was the lull before the storm as the home side flooded forward again.

A speculative long range cross come shot cleared Vickers but glanced off the top of the bar to safety. Then came the Latics due reward as a superb free kick from Matt Mahoney found Bennett stealing in beyond the back post to square the ball to Sharpe whose first time finish on 76 minutes gave Vickers no chance. 1-2

With tails up the home team pressed forward and Sharpe should have had his second when Rothwell played his trademark diagonal pass that cleared the last defender and reached Sharpe 8 yards out but he mistimed the header after being slightly unsighted, and the effort was saved by Vickers.

The added pressure on the Town back line frustrated their midfield and this showed itself fully when a recklessly late challenge earned Town’s Lee Skett a straight red card from referee Hussain, and reduced the visitors to 10 men.

Dan Hitchen again created space in the box but shot over the top and as the match entered the last 10 minutes on a rare break for Town Adam white was opulled back by the referee for a professional foul on the half way and his second yellow of the game resulted in an automatic red that evened up the sides.

The home team continued to pour forward and as time ran out Vickers was forced to make a brilliant flying save from a Matt Mahoney shot that was bound for the top corner. The final chance fell to Town however as Phil Howard took advantage of a one on one situation to drive the ball towards goal, however Hewitt was up to the task, despite his relative in activity in the second half, tipping the ball over the bar for a corner.

As the corner was cleared Mr Hussain blew for full time, giving the visitors the three points. FT 1-2

Town’s MoM award went to Jon Bullough for the speed and agility of his attacking play especially in the first half, although the sterling performance of Town skipper Ross McNair was a close second. For Ashton Athletic another quality performance in the midfield by Matt Mahoney and solid defending by Mike Watson was just eclipsed by another Captain’s knock by Steve Rothwell.

On Saturday 30^th December the first team travel to Norton United for a 3pm kick off, whilst the Reserves are at Home to Daisy Hill also 3pm.

Saturday 23rd December 2006 - Holker Old Boys 2 Ashton Athletic 2

Ashton made the long trip to Barrow to face Holker Old Boys and welcomed back striker Paul McVeigh for his first game in the first team since the shoulder injury sustained in the 2-1 win against Runcorn on 2^nd December.

The inclusion of McVeigh gave the team more presence up front, than was evident in last week’s game frustrating 0-1 defeat against Blackpool and allowed more varied attacking options throughout the game

Ashton showed their eagerness to take the points in this game with some competitive challenges in the early exchanges however Holker responded in kind albeit looking somewhat heavy legged, probably as a result of their Lancs Cup exploits on Thursday evening at Morecambe.

With both teams keen to impose pressure on the ball carrier, the result was a scrappy opening 15 minutes only punctuated by a good effort by Pete Tarpey cutting in from the left, well saved by Sam Stephens, and then for Holker Southward had two speculative efforts that flew over the bar.

The first clear cut chance fell to Ashton’s Matt Mahoney latching on to a superb defence splitting pass from Adam White, but his shot, although powerful was too close to Stephens who saved well. This gave Ashton some momentum and on 21 minutes another slide rule pass from the midfield found McVeigh breaking clear of the Holker defence with a well timed run, and a low driven finish gave his team the lead.

No sooner had Holker kicked off then they were caught square again with Steve Bennett breaking clear but his effort struck the post after a slight deflection off the recovering defender to deny Ashton a 2 goal lead.

This missed opportunity served to galvanise Ashton’s efforts forcing Holker to play a long ball game, which in general surrendered possession to Ashton and allowed a 15 minute onslaught on the home goal.

Another Steve Bennett effort after a goal mouth scramble produced another good save by Stephens but a slipped pass to Tarpey, free at the back post, might have been a better option. Then the influential Mahoney broke through from the midfield and placed another firm shot just wide of the target.

Bennett again drove forward giving his opposite number a torrid time and it was Bennett who combined well with Mahoney, with a great lay off that allowed Mahoney the time to strike on goal which was well blocked by the Holker defence at close range.

Holker only managed one passing move in this period, as a good break down the right by the overlapping Robinson found Southward in the box but good defending by Steve Rothwell prevented him from producing an equalizer. HT 1-0

Holker raised their game in the second half with the Holker centre half Mark Daly in particular deciding to try to play football rather than just launching the ball and finding target man Southward with increasing accuracy. It was Ashton however who had the first chance after 50 minutes as a cynical foul by Robinson, pulling Mahoney back just as he broke through on goal resulted in a free kick on the edge of the box. Fortunately for Robinson the referee adjudged that the covering defender had just got close enough to prevent a red card. From the free kick Mahoney’s superb effort struck the inside of the post, bounced across the face of the goal and away to safety, with Stephens a spectator.

Holker were now starting to play & Southward’s control and shot from 25 yards was well saved by Joe Brobbin and from a couple of corners he was also kept busy, punching clear with his defence on the back foot for the first time in the game.

Then in the 56^th minute Ashton broke out as a McVeigh header played in Bennett down the right and but his shot went wide.

In the next Holker attack an incident that changed the game as Holker youngster Low cut in from the left across the path of Mike Watson whose clumsy challenge seemed to clip Low marginally before toeing the ball away but the referee, who was closest to the incident felt otherwise and waved play on.

The Holker players were up in arms at the perceived injustice and this fired them up into greater endeavour. After 60 minutes the concerted effort finally paid off as a great ball in from the Holker right flank found the ever dangerous Southward on the edge of the box in too much space, and before he could be closed down he fired the ball past Brobbin to even up the scores.

Holker increased the pressure and the momentum and forced Ashton back, however Ashton’s counter attacking play is a major threat and in one move Mahoney was released down the right and was brought crashing to ground by Houston and the Referee correctly awarded a penalty. Up stepped right back Wallace, who despite some petty interference by the referee calmly slotted the spot kick into the bottom corner to reinstate Ashton’s goal advantage in the 68^th minute.

Undeterred and to their credit the enthusiastic Holker pressed forward and shortly afterwards a superb diagonal ball from centre half Daly got behind the Ashton defence and found Hudson breaking from midfield. As Hudson’s touch seemed to be too heavy and took him wide of the goal Wallace saw his chance to cover and force Hudson away from goal. As the players went shoulder to shoulder the Holker player fell to the ground and to Ashton’s amazement the referee pointed to the spot – clearly not wishing to hear a repeat of the level of abuse he had received following his earlier decision not to award a spot kick. Bamber successfully converted the chance with a powerful shot into the roof of the net.

In the final ten minutes both teams could have taken all the spoils as for Ashton another Steve Bennett effort was saved by Stephens and then a driving run from skipper Rothwell showed his superb fitness levels breaking clear of the Holker defence only to have his cross cut out superbly by the covering defence with Ashton players bursting forward in support.

For Holker a driving run by Bamber was covered by Rothwell and it was disappointing to see Bamber fall to the ground with the minimum amount of contact clearly seeking to gain from even more festive spirit from the Man in Black!

A full time score of 2-2 is not ideal for either Club in the scrap for points but with both teams fielding a plethora of youthful players the future looks bright for both Clubs if the lads stick at it at this level of football, and are given the opportunity to do so.

Ashton’s man of the match was given to Steve Bennett with young midfielders Matt Mahoney and Adam White along with Ashton’s defensive rock Steve Rothwell hot on his heels for the Award. Paul Southward’s influence especially in the second half earned him the Holker award.

On Boxing Day Ashton entertain near neighbours Ashton Town at Brocstedes Park – 3 pm kick Off and then on Saturday 30^th December travel to Norton United for a 3pm kick off, two crucial matches that will mould the rest of the season.

On Saturday 30^th December the Reserves are at Home to Daisy Hill - 3pm.

Saturday 16th December 2006 Blackpool Mechanics 1 Ashton Athletic 0

If this match was a Boxing contest it would have been over at half time with the home side flat out on the canvas. However unbelievably, and despite Ashton’s dominance throughout the vast majority of the match, it was the Mechanics that snatched all three points converting the only clear cut chance they created in the full 90 minutes.

Blackpool have been suffering with injuries in recent weeks but credit to their players as they dug deep throughout the game with Ian Flannery, Jon Moffat and the outstanding young keeper Josh Wood coming to the rescue on several occasions.

Blackpool’s limited threat came from set plays with the aerial threat of Ian Flannery keeping Ashton’s defence on its toes, along with an occasional counter attack, however the strength of defending meant Ashton’s keeper had a very quiet afternoon.

In the first half Blackpool’s only efforts of note were speculative crosses into the box that were easily dealt with by a determined Ashton back line, whilst the over worked Mechanics defence was at full stretch.

Ashton’s first effort came from a 5^th minute corner with Martin Rigby heading over the top from close range Then a great passing move, switching play through the midfield allowed Pete Tarpey to find Steve Bennett who, breaking through on goal was dragged down inches outside the box. From the resulting free kick Tom Potter worked the keeper but could not beat him.

Potter was making great progress down the left wing finding 2 or 3 superb crosses, one of which fizzed across the face of the goal, beat the keeper and went inches beyond two advancing Ashton players with the goal gaping.

The midfield duo of Mike Winer and debutant Matt Mahoney were winning everything in midfield and Mahoney came close with a great 25 yard shot that flew just wide, after disposing his opponent in the final third.

Steve Rothwell’s long throws were also piling on the pressure for the Blackpool defence, with several goal mouth scrambles ensuing, but unfortunately for Ashton the loose balls would not fall kindly and keeper Wood was on hand to snuff out the danger or the Mechanics managed to clear their lines.

A short corner then created another opening at the back post for Rigby who latched on to a Steve Rothwell flick but put his header over the top at full stretch.

Potter again made in-roads down the left producing another quality cross that forced Flannery to use all of his stature to nick the ball away from Tarpey at the near post.

As half time approached, Mahoney poked the ball over the bar from close range, latching on to Tarpey’s corner driven in to the near post. Then just before the break Ashton were awarded a free kick just outside the box and a well hit shot beat the keeper at last, only to be denied by the upright, with the rebound running away to safety.

As the teams walked off the home support breathed a sigh of relief and were heard muttering that they had been battered and needed to lift their game. HT 0-0

The home team did fight back early in the second half but Ashton continued to dominate possession. As another switch in play seemed to be building pressure nicely on Blackpool a misdirected pass from Mike Winer was intercepted by the energetic debutant Phil Iannou who in turn broke through on the Ashton defence. A well timed run and pass reached striker Mick Howarth who cut inside, wrong footing the recovering Ashton defence before driving the ball across the face of goal and into the bottom corner away from the despairing dive of the otherwise inactive Ashton keeper Brobbin after 54 minutes.

Un deterred Ashton continued to press forward and more good passing between Potter and Tarpey produced a cross into the near post that found Steve Bennett whose toe poke was well saved Wood. Then a Steve Bennett cross was superbly cut out as the Ashton attack move in. Wood then made two great brave saves coming out at the feet of Ashton’s strikers to prevent a strike on goal.

The introduction of fresh legs gave Ashton another boost as first Adam White and then Dan Hitchen unleashing shots that forced keeper Wood into action again.

Then came a moment of controversy as referee Mark Green disallowed what appeared to be a perfectly good equaliser for a foul on the keeper. Pete Tarpey delivered a corner directly onto an Ashton head and only after the ball had hit the net was contact made with the keeper who after struggling to get to the flight of the ball fell to ground theatrically.

Despite this additional set back and with time running out Ashton poured forward and seconds before the final whistle Mahoney pounced onto a loose ball on the edge of the box but unfortunately the strike was off target and Blackpool held out for all three points, after a great rear guard action. FT 1-0

Phil Iannou, creating the Blackpool goal as well as making many crucial defensive challenges received the MoM award for the home side whilst Steve Rothwell’s commending performance won him yet another reward for his efforts for Ashton.

Meanwhile the Reserves won convincingly against Nelson Reserves by 5-2 thanks to a hat trick from Paul McVeigh and one each for Richard Sharpe and debutant Louis Hughes.

On Saturday 23^rd December the first team make the long trip to Barrow to take on Holker Old Boys whilst the Reserves entertain Oldham Town Reserves, both will be 3pm kick offs.

Then on Tuesday 23^rd December, what is sure to be a Boxing Day cracker as local rivals Ashton Town will make the short trip to Brocstedes Park for the first senior game between the two local clubs for more than 20 years. The kick off will also be 3pm and a bumper crowd is anticipated, particularly with tickets for the Man United v Wigan Athletic game on the same day being in such short supply.

END

Saturday 9th December 2006 Ashton Athletic 1 Cheadle Town 1

Cheadle came to Ashton clearly determined to take the three points and a bright start enabled them to dominate possession in the opening exchanges. Fortunately for Ashton the defence was in similar mood and prevented the visitors a sight on goal.

Gradually Ashton gained a foothold in the game and once in the ascendency dominated both territorially and in possession. This enabled a series of openings to be created the first falling to Steve Bennett in the 6^th Minute, well found by a defence splitting pass by Mike Winer however from a tight angle he pushed the shot wide.

Pete Tarpey was causing the Cheadle right back some major problems and in the 8^th Minute he cut in field and placed a shot inches wide. Peter Woodcock then latched onto a Tarpey corner but the return shot-come cross flashed across the face of goal without troubling the Cheadle keeper.

Tarpey then tricked his marker and cut the ball back to the supporting Aspinall but his weak shot was easily cleared by the defence.

Pete Woodcock was in the action again on the end of some good passing football but his shot on the turn went over the bar.

Cheadle were being forced to play on the counter attack with Arron Riley looking particularly threatening down the right flank. Dean Martin was also a handful for the Ashton defence and he forced a good save from keeper Joe Brobbin on the turn. Then from only the third meaningful attack in the 34^th minute full back James McDonough gave Tarpey a taste of his own medicine beating the Ashton winger to a defensive clearance. A couple of touches enabled him to surge into the Ashton penalty area and release a mis-hit shot that went through a group of players and under the body of keeper Brobbin to give Cheadle an undeserved lead.

Ashton rallied well and more good work by Tarpey in the 38^th minute as he produced a cross that zipped across the face of the goal but just out of the reach of the advancing Ashton players. HT 0-1

The second half was largely one-way traffic as Ashton pinned down Cheadle in their own half with occasional counter attacks down the right wing through Riley the only real threat form the away team. A powerful run by Ashton’s Mike Winer after 49 minutes looked promising as he burst forward but instead of working the keeper he unselfishly tried to play in the supporting Pat Aspinall but defensive cover snubbed out the attack.

Ashton piled on the pressure and this eventually produced reward as Steve Bennett cut in from the right and produced a left foot drive that found the bottom corner levelling the scores in the 55^th minute.

Two good efforts from the edge of the box by Adam White after good interplay with Mike Winer went close but then the game became very disjointed as several injuries on both sides prevented any kind of momentum from being built up.

As the weather worsened and the wind and rain intensified passing football became increasingly difficult and as the game seemed to be stuttering to a draw a bit of Simon Gallanders magic in the midfield produced a one on one chance for Richard Sharpe but the keeper stood tall and Sharpe’s effort was blocked.

Ashton continued to press forward in the final minutes but Cheadle’s defence stood firm and both teams had to settle for a point. FT 1-1

Match Photos, courtesy of, and can be viewed on:-

www.bubbleshare.com/album/97282/overview

also see

www.cheadletownfc.blogspot.com/2006/12/on-second-day-of-christmas

Meanwhile the Reserves match at Chadderton ended in yet another draw as Paul McVeigh’s double strike secured an away point and lift them out of the bottom two.

Next week the first team travel to Blackpool Mechanics whilst the Reserves entertain Nelson FC, both are 3pm kick offs.

Tuesday 5th December 2006 Reserve Team Manager Appointed

The Club has moved quickly to appoint Steve O'Hara as the new Reserve team boss following the recent departure of Tony Ennion.
Steve will work alongside first team managers David Powell and Steve Pilling and comes to the Club with Coaching experience at Marine FC and with the Vauxhall Motors youth team.
Steve will take charge of the reserves with immediate effect and will be supported by Lee Blackshaw or "Deckers" as he prefers to be called. Last saturday's stand in manager, John Hankin, who did a sterling job guiding the team to a 2-2 draw at Cheadle Town reserves, will also be on hand to assist as necessary.
The first test for the new men comes in the form of a Reserve Division fixture away to Chadderton FC this Saturday and they will no doubt be looking to get off to a flyer.

Saturday 2nd December 2006 - Ashton Athletic 1 Oldham Tn 4

North West Counties Football League Division 2 Trophy

Oldham completed a hat trick of wins for the season over Ashton and in doing so progressed to the next round of the Divisional Trophy, although but for several hotly disputed refereeing decisions the end result might been different.

Both teams started brightly, putting together some good passing moves, but it was Oldham who were just edging things in the possession stakes and this allowed them to exert some pressure on the Ashton back line.

Ashton conceded several unnecessary free kicks and corners, one of which was played into the box in the 14^th minute but also not well dealt with by the Ashton defence and the loose ball was driven across the 6 yard box and striker Darren Scanlon was first to the cross to give the visitors the lead.

Ashton fought back and won a number of free kicks themselves with Simon Gallanders coming close with couple of well struck efforts. After 25 minutes Pete Woodcock was played in down the Ashton right by Steve Bennett and the cross found Tom Potter who slipped at the final moment and the opportunity was lost.

Oldham’s David Bowker had a shot well saved by debutant keeper Joe Bobbin in the Ashton goal, and then Darren Scanlon struck again as a cross field ball was badly judged by the Ashton defence and after some good footwork Scanlon cut inside the box and unleashed an unstoppable shot past Brobbin.

Oldham were bouyed by the 2 goal lead and went to kill off the game as Jon Phillips and then Bowker and lee Scanlon fired in long range shots but the first was easily saved by Brobbin and the others were off target.

Ashton responded in kind as good wing play by Tom Potter was followed by a great cross form the dead ball line pin pointed onto the head of Pete Woodcock whose powerful header went agonisingly wide after 43 minutes.

HT 0-2

The ideal start to the second half for Ashton as a powerful run by Pete Woodcock put Oldham on the back foot, and it was Woodcock whose aerial presence created an opening for Wallace as his well timed run onto a flick header from Woodcock put him in the clear, and allowed him to slot the ball into the bottom corner and reduce the deficitin the 55^th minute.

Then came the first of a series of refereeing decisions which changed the complexion of the game and had the home side’s team, managers and supporters perplexed. A seemingly harmless ball into the box was well claimed by Ashton keeper Brobbin under challenge from striker Darren Scanlon who theatrically fell to the ground holding his head. The referee seemed to be playing on but then noticed his assistant flagging. After consultation and to everyone’s amazement the referee awarded a penalty, however it was the Ashton players who were subsequently celebrating as Elstrom Die failed to find the target with the resulting spot kick.

Ashton’s efforts were rejuvenated and almost drew level as another Pete Woodcock header played in Steve Bennett and whose thunderous volley rattled the cross bar with the Oldham keeper Blair stranded. Unfortunately the rebound fell to safety for Oldham.

Ashton were building up a head of steam but this was instantly let off as the referee failed to penalise a clear tackle from behind on Woodcock, and as the players waited for the whistle substitute Wayne Ware was played through and he lobbed the advancing Brobbin to increase Oldham’s lead in the 68^th minute.

Ashton were again up in arms after 72 minutes as Tom Potter was scythed down in the box and the referee waived play on. Shortly afterwards, another Simon Gallanders powerful free kick from the edge of the box once again just cleared the bar with the goalkeeper in no man’s land.

Then from a break away down the Oldham left the game was killed as Elstrom Die was given too much room to cut inside and curl the ball into the top corner to give the visitors the comfort of a three goal lead.

Ashton battled on gamely and had another blatant penalty turned down as Richard Sharpe was hauled to the ground on the penalty spot as a free kick was played into him by Steve Wallace.

On the balance of play Oldham probably deserved their win but if the 3 crucial refereeing decisions had gone in Ashton’s favour instead of to Oldham then who knows how the game might have developed.

Tim Buxton was awarded Oldham’s MoM by the Ashton management with a great defensive performance award whilst Oldham’s managers gave Ashton’s award to Simon Gallanders.

Meanwhile the Reserves returned from Cheadle with a very creditable draw all the more rewarding as they had 4 under 18's making their debuts for the team. Two goals from Daniel Hitchen secured the point, and it was also good to see him back in action for the Club. Pleasing also that Gary Woods got back into action after his injury lay off

Next Saturday 9^th December 2006 the team are at home to Cheadle whilst the Reserves travel to Chadderton, both are 3pm kick offs.