Ashton United vs Matlock Town FC
Ashton United
1Hurst Cross
Northern Premier League
Matlock Town FC
1Match Report
ASHTON UNITED 1-1 MATLOCK TOWN
Marcus Marshall’s third goal of the season earned top of the table Matlock a valuable and hard-earned point at foot of the table Ashton in what proved to be the Gladiators most difficult game of the season so far.
Marshall struck twenty minutes into the second half to cancel out Josh Wilson’s strike from the penalty spot which had given the Robins a 41st minute lead.
So Matlock dropped their first points of the season, but remain in pole position and are yet to concede in open play with both of their goals against being spot-kicks.
Few would deny that the battling hosts deserved their point, and many of home persuasion would maintain that they deserved all three.
The Gladiators were again without Luke Dean with fellow midfielders Nathan Whitehead and Jack Rea joining Dean on the casualty list. It meant first starts in Matlock colours for Jordan Sinnott , Spencer Harris and Josh Lacey while Friday’s loan signing, forward Luke Rawson from Chesterfield, began his second spell with Matlock on the bench alongside Andrew Wright and Piteu Crouz.
Matlock made the brighter start against an Ashton side relegated from National League North at the end of last season and seeking their first win of the season.
Scott Smith drove wide in the 5th minute when the Robins could not clear a Marshall cross effectively. Then two minutes later goalkeeper Jon Worsnop saved a Marshall shot after promising build-up play led by Jordan Sinnott.
But Ashton might have taken a 10th minute lead when the giant and formidable frame of Jon Stewart advance doff his line to block from Wilson after the Gladiators had been opened up through Nicky Clee’s ball in from the right. Then Stewart was well placed to hold a strike from Connor Hughes with both teams seeking the initiative, Ashton at this stage looking the more likely scorers.
Lacey blasted over the bar from distance after neat approach play from Marshall but with four minutes of the half remaining, Adam Yates brought down Hughes to concede a penalty. WILSON stayed calm to send Stewart the wrong way and slide the strugglers in front.
Stewart was called into action almost immediately after the restart to keep out a cross from Hughes before the ball was scrambled clear. It then required a fine challenge from Dwayne Wiley to halt Steven Tames.
Dan Bramall, who thus far had been quiet, found room on the left to force a corner which was cleared before Ashton could so easily have doubled their lead on the hour, Wiley making two excellent blocks, the latter one from Tames being almost miraculously scooped off the line.
Matlock wasted little time in shaking things up by making three quick substitutions and they quickly equalised, MARSHALL rising to nod in a Bramall centre from six yards in the 65th minute.
As Andrew Wright mentioned afterwards, “we ought to have gone for Ashton then” but things didn’t quite turn out like that.
After Crouz shot at home custodian Jon Worsnop three minutes after the leveller, Ashton coped relatively comfortably with Matlock’s attacks, although both sides came close as the contest reached its climax.
A far post header from Yates dropped inches wide following an excellent Marshall run on the right before a swift Robins break saw substitute Aaron Smith’s shot bounced behind off the top of the crossbar.
The last chance to decide the contest came a minute into five added minutes at the end, Marshall knocking a first-timer wide from Stewart’s gigantic punt.
So Matlock had to settle for a point as this league again proved that any team can compete with any other on their day. They needed to defend well and did, with James Williamson and Wiley outstanding in the centre.
Matlock missed Dean and Rae in their engine room and would probably be more pleased with the point than Ashton, whose display was certainly not one of a bottom of the league outfit. They remain in the bottom three but will soon move up the league with more performances like this.
ASHTON UNITED: 1 Jon Worsnop 2 Curtis Obeng 3 John Pritchard 4 Gianluca Havern 5 Jonathan Hunt 6 Sam Sheridan 7 Nicky Clee 8 Chris Rowney (15 Liam Tomsett 87) 9 Steven Tames (14 Aaron Smith 79) 10 Josh Wilson 11 Connor Hughes (12 Callum Dolan 66) Other subs: 16 Simon Woodford 17 Jonty Cotton
MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Jon Stewart 2 Adam Yates 3 Ben Gordon 4 Josh Lacey (12 Andrew Wright 63) 5 James Williamson 6 Dwayne Wiley 7 Scott Smith (14 Piteu Crouz 63)8 Spencer Harris 9 Marcus Marshall 10 Jordan Sinnott (15 Luke Rawson 61) 11 Dan Bramall Other subs: 16 James Tague 17 Ben Morris
REFEREE: Alan Bennett (Wigan) ATTENDANCE: 202 BEST GLADIATOR: Dwayne Wiley