ASHTON UNITED 2, SALFORD CITY 2
Manager Steve Cunningham was happy with Ashton United’s 2-2 draw against Salford City in their opening pre-season friendly.
“For the first game, there were a lot of positives,” said Cunningham.
“There is always rustiness, but I was pleased with the first half when we should have had three or four goals and put the game to bed.
“We made nine changes in the second half which was more like a training session.”
Cunningham has retained 14 of last season’s squad which cruelly lost to Worksop in the play-offs, admitting it has been hard to banish the pain.
He said: “That hurt us, but we are determined to give it another good go.
“There is a lot of fire in bellies after what happened in the last game of the season.”
Cunningham was without four regulars against Salford – Sam Baird, Luke Burke, James Hardy and goalkeeper Jordan Eastham who has signed permanently after bis release by Blackburn Rovers.
Fair play to Cunningham for allowing 10 of the 11 trialists to be named which prevented so many friendlies descending into a farce.
In the starting line-up were Luca Navarro who has spent the last five seasons at Radcliffe and Willem Tomlinson who has played first-team football for Blackburn Rovers, Mansfield Town and Chorley.
Darius Osei, Alex Byrne and Navarro all wasted clear-cut chances before Ashton took the lead in the 38th minute.
Navarro was bundled over by centre back Loick Ayina with Navarro sending the keeper the wrong way from the spot.
Both sides fielded much changed line-ups from the restart and the Ammies, watched by Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, equalised within five minutes.
Ashton keeper Connor Eastham did well to push a shot from Ruben Butt around the post for a corner from which Alfie Henderson delivered a pinpoint dead ball to the far post where Australian youth international Jai Curren-Nicholls headed home from close range for his second goal pre-season.
Cunningham’s side regained the lead in the 57th minute when Osei, last season’s top scorer, powered home a near-post header from a free kick.
Salford levelled again mid-half when Will Wright raced on to Butt’s through ball, twisted and turned past a defender before firing home a low shot across the face of goal in off the far post.
As both sides continued to make changes, the match petered out in the final quarter.