Robins Decimate Sorry Badgers

Report by Dave Robinson

Ashton completed their second thrashing this season of a poor Eastwood team as in-form striker Aaron Burns ran riot and helped himself to a quadruple. After visiting captain Shaw had had a free kick pushed around the post by Phillips he then saw another effort held by the keeper at the foot of the post. In between, Hogan’s pull back from Burns’ cross ball saw Matty Kosylo’s effort blocked. Lynch then headed home Cladecott’s free kick unchallenged but was flagged offside.

With 17 mins gone, Johnson was tripped in the area and Burns converted easily for the opening goal. Eastwood attempted to level matters up as the ball broke to Nightingale in the area and he chipped his effort over Phillips but also wide of the target. Burke then picked the ball up in midfield and hit an instant left foot pass out to Kosylo who cut inside and finished easily to double Ashton’s advantage.

Tom Baker then provided a crossfield pass to Johnson who cut inside but dragged his effort wide of the near post but it wasn’t long before Burns was back in the action as he calmly converted a second penalty awarded when Troke handled a cross into the box to make the game safe before the interval. He then sent in a high cross which was dropped by McKenna under pressure from Hogan leaving Burns with a simple tap in to complete his hat-trick. On the stroke of half time he could have added another but prodded his effort just wide having been played in by Alex Frost.

Elliott shot well wide for Town having won the ball in midfield after the break but at the other end the ball broke to Kosylo by the byline and he helped it across goal for Burns to score again with a simple header. The second period was inevitably petering out with such a one sided scoreline and Burns was denied from close range before being substituted ahead of the visit of FC United on Wed. Winger Piliero played the ball inside to Clarke who shot narrowly wide although Phillips may well have had the effort covered before he too was substituted.

Replacement Barlow then set up Kosylo whose chip wasn’t high enough to beat KcKenna, but there was still time for Barlow to beat the offside trap and race clear before finishing confidently to compete the scoring. Town’s day got even worse as Shaw was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Kosylo, Barlow heading narrowly wide from the resulting free kick.

Team; Phillips, Frost, Caldecott, Burke, Robinson, Lynch (Harrop), Kosylo, Baker, Burns (Barlow), Hogan, Johnson (Mulholland). SNU Beattie, Peers.