After snatching a point late on in the match against promotion rivals Slough Town on Saturday, Daventry Town were looking for all three points at bottom of the table Ashford Town, but `The Ash Trees` who are now unbeaten in their last six matches, stunned the `Purple Army` by winning the game by 2 -1.

With Kettering and Dunstable Town both dropping points, it was an opportunity missed for Daventry to pull ahead of two of its promotion rivals. Playing eight matches in a week is clearly beginning to take its toll on the players, in a rather lack lustre display!

Daventry Town Manager Darran Foster would not accept any excuses for his team’s poor performance, `Ashford are an improving team, but that is no excuse for our lack of ideas and the absence of any passion from my players!

`It was tough losing Ashley Robinson so early in the match, just as it looked like he was getting the better of their defenders! `We created a few chances in the match, but we really must do better if we are to have any chance of winning the title. We were second best to a side fighting to avoid relegation at the foot of the table.

`No excuses, on the day we were beaten by a better side, we were very poor, which I am hugely disappointed about! `We will need to put in some much stronger performances over the next couple of matches, if we are to have any chance of moving up the table!

Ashley Robinson was substituted early on in the game, after a leg injury, his replacement Luke Keen almost scoring within minutes of coming on! Mykel Beckley had a shot blocked, but the ball rebounded back to him, his second cross went inches wide of the goal, with Luke Keen very close to getting a touch!

Ashford went ahead after 39minutes; Marcel Simpson was judged to have bought down an Ashford striker in the penalty box. James Awosifan duly stepped up and converted the kick, to put the `The Ash Trees` unexpectedly in front, against the run of play!

After the break, Guy Sanders came on to replace Ashley Deeney, but Ashford went further ahead when former Egham striker Tom Brunton scored after 55mins. You could almost hear the chatter of supporters from Kettering, Slough, Barton, Dunstable and Rugby, as their Twitter feeds went crazy!

Daventry replaced Mykel Beckley with Ryan Howell on the hour, as Daventry desperately tried to get back into the game, but it was keeper Richard Morris who was called upon to prevent Ashford from going three goals in front, Morris pulling off a fantastic save by diving full length across his goal to stop a powerful header from going inside his right hand post!

The referee awarded his second penalty in the 87th minute, after Ryan Howell was bundled over in the penalty area, striker Tommy Berwick stroked the ball home comfortably, to give Town some hope of saving a point, but it was not to be!

The alarm bells will be ringing at Communications Park, the Town have picked up just one point from their last three games, and this situation will need to be corrected at Chertsey on Saturday (22nd), before meeting second in the table Dunstable Town at Communications Park next Tuesday (25th.

Jim Davis
Sports Writer

Match Facts:
Ashford Town 2 Daventry Town 1
Tuesday 18th March 2014
Competition: Calor League Central Division One
Location: The Robert Parker Stadium, Stanwell, Middlesex.
Daventry: Richard Morris, Ashley Deeney (Guy Sanders 45mins), Ollie Wilkinson, Josh Blake, Marcel Simpson, Adam Confue, Josh O`Grady, Ross Oulton, Ashley Robinson (Luke Keen 21mins), Tommy Berwick, Mykel Beckley (Ryan Howell 60mins)
Goal scorers: Tommy Berwick (Penalty) 84mins
Man of the Match: Guy Sanders (Welcome back!)
In the book: None
Attendance: 85