A goal from Tom Darkins and 2 from Tom Bonnick were enough to give Ashton a well earned 3 v 2 victory and end Burscough's unbeaten league run.

Yet again Ashton were forced into some positional changes as only 11 players were available to face the top of the league opposition. The game saw the first starts for Phil Armistead and Anthony Gambino upfront.

Ashton were ahead early on when Tom Darkins cleverly headed on Matt Wiggins effort at goal to leave the keeper with no chance.

It didn't take long for the visitors to draw level. Stuart Hames was unable to clear a 50-50 ball from inside the 6 yard box which bounced kindly for the striker to finish easily past Chris King in goal.
Burscough were gifted their second. A poor ball out of defense straight to the feet of the opposition striker put them through 2 on 1 and their clinical finishing showed why they were unbeaten in the league coming into this fixture. 

Ashton came in at half time and were not down beat. The lads knew that if they carried on applying the pressure and winning their individual battles then the chances would come.

The red's belief paid off and they were soon level. A Ben Grimshaw free kick was parried away by the keeper into the path of Tom Bonnick who tapped it into the net from 2 yards out.
At that point Ashton looked like the more confident side and Burscough's only notable effort on goal drew a fine save from Chris King.

The chances came in their numbers and Ben Grimshaw was twice denied by good saves from the keeper after breaking free down the left hand side.

With 20 minutes remaining Tom Bonnick finished well from close range to regain Asthon's lead. Another free kick was well delivered into the box and Tom struck well under pressure after controlling the ball on his chest.

Ashton remained in control and were never really put under any pressure in the closing stages of the game. If anything they could have confirmed the win if they had been a little more clinical in front of goal.
The constant threat from Ben Grimshaw and Tom Bonnick proved that Ashton's game plan of using the width will create the best chances to score goals. 

A well earned victory by 11 Ashton-on-Ribble lads up for the battle lead by Man of the Match Tom Darkins.

An opportunity to continue the good run of form against Frenchwood this Sunday. I hope to see a good turn out at training this Wednesday as we look to end the season on a high.

The final 3 fixtures for the season are now online.