The Robins & The Nomads Settle For A Draw

The pre-season campaign finishes with a stalemate, as both teams are left contemplating what might have been a win if chances were taken.

Ashton hosted a different type of opponent on Saturday afternoon, as Welsh Premier League side, GAP Connah's Quay visited Hurst Cross.

The Robins started brightly, as continued pressure down both flanks meant plenty of chances in front of goal. The most notable was on the 25th minute, Greg Pearson fired a cross in from the left and Kayde Coppin timed his run perfectly, only to glance his header wide. The next highlight was on 32 minutes, as Brad Robinson broke from midfield on a counter-attack and was attacking The Nomads goal, until he took one too many touches and fired his shot straight at Terry McCormack, as the defence caught up.

Five minutes from the break, the visitors were saved once again by their goalkeeper. Another cross was fizzed in towards Richard Bennett who threw his head towards it, only for the ball to be blocked by the legs of McCormack.

As Ashton failed to capitalise on goalscoring opportunities; GAP Connah's Quay decided to punish the Hurst Cross faithful by a headed goal seconds from the half-time whistle. A good cross was floated in and as the defence failed to deal with it, it meant the No.5 took full advantage.

The second-half begun in similar fashion, with Ashton applying all the pressure, but this time with Lee Rick and Mark Haslam on the field instead of Gary Gee and Steve Halford.

More substitutions were made on the 52nd minute, as more chances were saved on the line, as well as more offside flags going up for the Ashton attackers. It was only a matter of time before Ashton found their equaliser, and this came minutes later in the form of the 'Trialist', who scored two goals in two-minutes. The first was from a brilliant Haslam pass, as he broke into midfield and slid the ball in for an easy side foot shot. The second was after a mistake in The Nomads defence and a powerful shot nestled into the bottom left-hand corner.

In a matter of minutes the game had a dramatic turnaround. As it calmed down, a host of subs were made by both sides. But, GAP Connah's Quay found their own equaliser, when Pearson and Phillips failed to deal with a loose ball, only for their No.20 to nip in-between them and tap the ball in. Minutes later Paul came off for new goalkeeper Josh Cook.

Both teams tried to find the third goal, and it was the visitors who came the closest, when their striker stayed on-side, skipped past Cook and shot on goal, only for Haslam to be in the right place at the right time and clear off the line for a corner.

Their wasn't much action after that, as both teams managed to hold on for a result that could've been a much higher score if chances were taken.

Starting Lineup: Phillips (GK), Coo, Pearson, Higgins (C), Halford, Young, Robinson, Gee, Trialist, Bennett & Coppin.
Substitutions (all used): Rick, Haslam, Chadwick, Hill, Pratt, Fitzgerald, Tuanzebe & Cook (GK).