Yellows hit top form

Ashton Athletic took to the field with new signing Gareth Grant who as joined from fellow NWCFL side Runcorn Town FC making is debut following a hamstring injury he picked up in the FA Vase game while still at Runcorn. With Mark Bailey the unfortunate player to make way for the powerful striker in the only change from the eleven that played so well at Bootle on the Tuesday night.
The game started in frantic fashion with the big strong Alsager Town side getting the ball forward at the earliest opportunity and trying to play on the second ball. The yellows however were more concerned with a passing football game that the visitors were finding hard to match. After Alsager cleared a fast Ashton attack away for a corner they then found themselves a goal down after 4 minutes when from the resulting corner the defenders header fell to the left foot of Connor Gately who dispatched a Scholes like volley into the top corner of the goal from just outside the penalty area. Again Alsager resorted back to playing the long ball and trying to press high up the field, this was to prove there un-doing on 41 minutes the yellows broke away and the ball was quickly played through for youngster Mason Ryan who coolly stroked the ball into the bottom corner with the visitor’s keeper left stranded once again. Just on the 45 minute mark the Ashton goalscorer clashed knees with the visitors left back and the injury was to force him off just after half time with Danny Smith replacing him, who himself had been missing through injury.
The second half got underway with the visitors again trying to press high up the field in the hope of trying to push the yellows backline on to keeper Dave Moran but with Rob Flint and Mark Rogers in total control it seemed only a matter of time before the yellows scored again. But the next bit of action was an over the top challenge by the visitors centre half that left youngster Martyn Jackson needing a visit to hospital gladly only bruising and nothing broken as first feared.
Danny Smith was giving the Alsager skipper all kinds of problems with his pace and should have added to the score but shot tamely at the keeper, again it was the lively forwards pace that created another opening but is cross was cut out just before Gareth Grant could make contact with the ball. But the lively Smith was not to be out-done and got the goal his display deserved when a fast counter attack resulted in him placing the ball in the keepers bottom right hand corner on 75 minutes to make the score 3-0.
The game was put to bed when in the 87 minute Connor Gately finished a cross from Danny Smith by smashing the ball into the top corner and give the score line a more realistic look about it.
FT 4-0
Another big game to come on Saturday when Squires Gate visit Brocstedes Park in a real six pointer.