Ashton completed the double over their visitors and thus ensured that the battle for the play off places will go to the last game of the season. Ashton welcomed back Joe Connor following injury and Chris Baguley returned in midfield with Mark Lees dropping to the bench and it was the hosts who went straight onto the attack as Gary Gee won the ball in midfield which lead to Martin Pilkington firing his effort right across goal.
Baguley then played a good ball through to Pilkington who was forced wide but won a corner from which James Dean saw his effort close in deflected out for another corner. With the Robins dominating it was little surprise when the opening goal arrived on 17 minutes as a long ball from Cavell Coo split the Yeltz defence and Pilkington was on hand to turn it past the onrushing King. Coo then exchanged passes with Dean before seeing Paul Marshall’s goalbound effort blocked but the second goal wasn’t far away as Liam Brownhill’s hanging corner was headed home from by the penalty spot by captain Jay Gorton.
The home defence had been largely untroubled to this point but had a scare as Phillips’ attempted clearance was intercepted by Chiriac with the ball rebounding back to the keeper and the second period then took on the feeling of the inevitable with the outcome already decided. Pilkington did his best to add to the scoreline turning sharply into the area before forcing King into a low save after which Joe Connor, fresh from being nominated in the Evostik Premier Division team of the year, headed Brownhill’s corner just across goal.
A poor clearance by the visitors then saw Dean’s speculative effort just cleared from the goal line by Bradley Lewis before Dean’s knockdown was lashed home spectacularly from 30 yards out by Baguley. Halesowen were denied even a consolation goal as Brownhill’s short back pass was seized on by sub Tyree Clarke with the ball rebounding to Daniel Bragoli who lobbed the rebound wide of the open goal.
Team: Phillips, Coo(Mason), Brownhill, Gorton, Connor, Haining (Lees), Marshall, Gee, Pilkington (Lindfield), Baguley, Dean . SNU: Chadwick, Morning.
# | Team | Pl | Pts |
1. | Darlington 1883 | 46 | 104 |
2. | Blyth Spartans | 46 | 99 |
3. | Salford City | 46 | 90 |
4. | Ashton United | 46 | 87 |
5. | Workington | 46 | 86 |
6. | Stourbridge | 46 | 84 |
7. | Frickley Athletic | 46 | 77 |