WORKSOP TOWN 2, ASHTON UNITED 0
Ashton United defeat at Pitching In Northern Premier League, Premier play-off spot rivals Worksop Town was especially disappointing given they were up against 10 men for more than half the match at the Windsor Food Service Stadium.
The Robins remain third in the table, but Town remain hot on their heels and now only one point behind in fourth spot.
Ashton were without leading scorer Darius Osei with Jason Gilchrist deputising and within three minutes a fired up Vaughan Redford received a yellow card for protesting a foul which was to have repercussions later for the hosts.
Ten minutes in, Alex Byrne headed Louis White’s near post cross past the post and five minutes later he missed the far post from Josh Doherty’s delivery.
Two minutes later, Luke Burke picked up Byrne’s return pass and saw his left-foot effort come back off the inside of the post.
After Redford’s pass had sent Mason O’Malley too wide his cross was eventually headed at Robins’ keeper Jordan Eastham by Liam Hughes – the footnote to which was Redford preventing Eastham’s clearance and receiving a second booking.
Hamza Bencherif then cleared Sean Newton’s cross for a corner which ended with Burke’s shot being cleared off the line by keeper Tommy Taylor and only a last-ditch challenge from O’Malley denied Burke in the area from Hardy’s pass.
The home side could have had the last word in the six added minutes as Joe Leesley forced a low save out of Eastham after Hughes had won the ball.
Within five minutes of the restart, the Tigers moved ahead as a throw-in saw Aleks Starcenko turn sharply before providing a low finish into the far corner.
Byrne then saw his cross bring a tip over by Taylor from Gilchrist’s header and Leesley’s attempt from half-way went well wide after he dispossessed Hardy.
With 20 minutes left, Byrne’s snapshot hit the angle of post and bar, and Burke saved Ashton as Starcenko fired a cross having evaded Newton.
With 10 minutes left, Hardy’s shot was cleared off the line after a combination of the substitutes Tom Denton and Donald Chimalilo had headed a deep cross back to him.
Burke was then penalised for fouling Hughes as he tried to latch on to Jordan Burrow’s cross with the former picking himself up to convert from the spot.
Despite eight minutes being added on, Ashton could come no nearer than Newton’s back-post header being saved from a corner and White forcing a rebound wide after a good save from Byrne’s shot.
Ashton United: Eastham, Rose (Denton 66), Doherty (Chimalilo 73), Newton, Burke, Baird, Byrne, White, Hardy, Rowe, Gilchrist. Subs (unused): Bjork, Cowan, Effunuga.
Attendance: 624.
Report: David Robinson