LANCS CUP

On a sunny afternoon Ashton Athletic's Under 18's began their defence of the Lancashire Cup. A trophy they have won for the past 2 seasons.
AFC Barrow were a quality side and the tactical battle between the sides was intriguing to watch.
The long trip for the away side didn't seem to affect Barrow as they started very brightly and for the first 10 minutes were mostly camped in the Ashton half.
Thankfully we grew into the game and started to get the ball wide and in particular Alex Ashby got behind the Barrow defenders and put in some strong crosses, but we couldn't just get on the end of them.
One first half goal settled it and Ashby broke through again shooting straight at the keeper. The ball rebounded off the keeper and it was difficult to see who got the final touch, but the ball ended up in the back of the net and after the game the goal was claimed by Alex.
Half time saw 5 changes from Ashton and the team continued to play well but both sides found clear cut chances hard to come by.
Jake Taylor in particular shone at right back for Ashton, having his first game back after illness but all the players from both sides contributed to what was a really entertaining battle.
Well done to all concerned and we look forward to the next round.