COLLIERS EASE PAST GUISBOROUGH

Ashington 3 Guisborough Town 1 – Division One Cup quarter final:

The scoreline tells the tale – in the end it was a fairly comfortable victory for Ashington against a Guisborough team that looked as though they were suffering from end-of-season tired legs.

The Colliers didn’t have to be at their best to progress to the semi-final.  The four goals were by far the best part of the match.

Ashington No. 7 Craig Spooner clearly had his shooting boots on.  He rounded off an early promising move with a shot saved by Town keeper Robert Dean diving down to his left.  He went one better four minutes later.  The ball was sent into the Guisborough six yard area, punched away by Dean only to fall to Spooner who fired a first time shot into the net.

Two minutes later he was at it again, with another crisp strike and goal – on the end of a pass by Benjamin Sampson, taking a touch before hitting the ball straight and true.

Meanwhile Guisborough were struggling to get going and it wasn’t until the 36th minute before they had their first decent effort, a long ball up to Cole Kiernan, with the No. 9 taking a touch to control the ball and then spinning and shooting, but he hit it left of the goal.

Spooner’s opposite number – No. 7 Joseph Bartliff – got them into the match a couple of minutes before half-time.  The ball was only partially cleared by the Ashington defence, falling to the Guisborough skipper who hit a sweet volley.  Colliers keeper Adam McHugh got a hand to the shot but couldn’t keep it out.

Guisborough No. 2 Benjamin Jackson was their most lively player, providing an attacking option down the right.  In the opening 15 minutes of the half he had a shot curl outside the left post and then another shot blocked at the near post by McHugh.

In between those shots, Spooner had another first time effort stopped by Dean and the tie was wrapped up in the 67th minute at the second time of asking.  Sampson’s first shot was blocked by centre back Callum Martin; the ball came back to the No. 8 who didn’t miss when given a second chance.

For the last 20 minutes the visitors showed a bit more urgency and drive without ever looking as though they were going to find another goal.

In the 89th minute there was the usual (and boring) melee of players after a lunging tackle by Ashington winger Luke Salmon, for which the No. 11 was shown a red card.

The Colliers meet Consett in next week’s semi-final.

Mike Snowdon