Black-day for the Ravens!

Report by David Robinson.

Ashton got back to winning ways in their first ever encounter with Coalville as a goal in each half from Jack Dyche sandwiched a Lee Gaskell free kick which proved enough to take all 3 points.

The visitors started the brighter as Karl Demidh’s header dropped to Brad Munn whose effort went narrowly wide for a corner and Massiah McDonald then went past Dominic Smalley but saw his cross side footed straight at Terry Smith by Dean Freeman. Nathan Watson then played a 1-2 with Demidh and reached the by line from where his cross was cut out by Smith before Lee Gaskell put a header on to the roof of the net from Lofthouse’s cross.

On 14 minutes the hosts moved ahead as Richard Smith won the ball in midfield and fed Dyche who turned back into the area before providing a decent left foot finish and it was the same player who won a free kick 25 yards out 9 minutes later allowing Gaskell to curl home a trademark dead ball effort midway through the half.

Town could have pulled one back on the resumption as Munn reached the by line and saw Demidh’s header only just denied by a fine save on the line by Terry Smith who then saved two follow up efforts from McDonald and Demidh before substitute Cavell Coo saw a skimming effort touched out for a corner.

With 10 minutes of the half gone the points were made safe as Gaskell’s left wing cross found Dyche squeezing his effort under Matt Coton but needing to be subbed as a result. Watson’s pass then saw Demidh with a good chance to open the Ravens’ account and the closest the Robins came to adding to their score was when Gaskell headed Smalley’s cross against the post after which a quick break by the visitors saw Alex Troke firing into the side netting.

Team: T.Smith, Smalley, Lofthouse, Mason, Cowan, Lees, R.Smith, Dorney, Gaskell, Banim (Coo), Dyche (Moses). SNU: Frost, Haining.