Ashington v Guisborough Town (Division One Cup Quarter Final)

Report

The perverse nature of footballing fortunes was never more amply illustrated last night as Guisborough Town disappointingly relinquished their place in this season’s First Division Cup when they lost 3-1 at Ashington on Tuesday.

Just over a fortnight ago, the Priorymen hammered Ashington 6-1 in a scintillating league victory at the Northumberland side. Bu on this occasion they never really recovered from the shock of finding themselves 2-0 down to Ashington after just 15 minutes’ play. Ashington looked hungrier for it from the start, probably still smarting from that 6-1 thrashing at the hands of the Priorymen in mid-March – what a difference a couple of weeks can make in fickle old football!

Guisborough Manager Steve Bell commented after the game:

I thought we were poor and lacklustre throughout the match. We missed a good opportunity to progress into another Semi-final and I told the players afterwards it was simply not good enough.

We missed some key players yes – but I’m not bothered about that. The team that won wanted it more on the night, so good luck to Ashington.

The home side served notice on the Priorymen as to their attacking intentions after just four minutes when they had the ball in the net but a linesman’s flag came to Guisborough’s rescue. Alas it only took Ashington another nine minutes to grab the lead when following a free kick on the left the ball fell kindly to winger Craig Spooner and he drilled the ball low into the corner of the Guisborough net to make it 1-0 to the home side.

And it was Spooner again who made it 2-0 to Ashington on 15 minutes when he fired home from 20 yards out into the corner of the Guisborough net.

NARROWLY WIDE

Spooner then went close to completing his hat-trick in the 22nd minute but his shot from the edge of the penalty area went narrowly wide. Shortly after that Guisborough ‘keeper Robert Dean saved his side from going 3-0 down when he acrobatically dived to hold on to an Ashington shot heading for the corner of the net.

Guisborough’s first real chance didn’t come until the 35th minute when striker Cole Kiernan controlled a great through ball on the edge of the Ashington penalty area and he swivelled smartly to crash a shot on the volley a whisker wide of the post. That near miss seemed to spur Guisborough at last and in the 40th minute they got back into the game with a superb goal from skipper JJ Bartliff who rifled home a terrific 18-yard volley just inside the Ashington left hand post to make it 2-1 and that’s how it stayed until the half-time interval.

For the first 20 minutes or so of the second half play swung from end to end but too often Guisborough’s passing was too strong and too long for their front players to latch onto. Then on 65 minutes Ashington got a decisive third goal when Ben Sampson was somewhat fortunate to get a rebound and he lashed the ball home inside the far left Guisborough post for 3-1 to the home side.

That’s how the scoreline – in front of a crowd of 265 – stayed to the final whistle but Ashington finished with 10 men when Luke Salmon was sent off for a second yellow card a minute from time. Guisborough’s reward if they had got through to the Semi-final would have been a mouth-watering match against current league leaders Consett.

The Priorymen’s next match is in the league away at Whickham this coming Saturday, 9 April (KO 3pm).

Report: Bill Perfitt