Report

Consett were made to pay for missed chances as they lost 3-2 at home to Ashington, who picked up their first win in five games.

Manager Tony Fawcett made three changes to the side which had drawn with Newton Aycliffe in the previous home game. Arjun Purewal, Wil Shaw and Ben Ramsey returned in place of Matty Slocombe and Jack Gibbons (both suspended), and Ben Milburn, who picked up a knock on his comeback in the previous game.

The visitors took the lead after just 24 seconds with possibly the quickest goal ever seen at Belle View Stadium. They attacked down the right and a cross found Wilson Kneeshaw, whose shot was saved by James Anderson, but the ball broke for Paul Van Zandvliet to score.

Consett tried to respond immediately, with Jake Jensen setting up Kaleb Young, but the midfielder’s effort from distance was well off target.

On six minutes Ashington goalscorer Van Zandvliet went down after what looked like a trip, but instead found himself being shown a yellow card for diving.

The big No 8 was proving a thorn in Consett’s side, and tested Anderson in the 13th minute with a low shot which the keeper did well to turn round the post.

Consett had a great opportunity to level on 19 minutes when Kieren Aplin’s pass left Wil Shaw with just the keeper to beat, but he rolled his shot wide of the far post.

Ashington should have doubled their lead on 37 minutes when a swift move down the right sliced Consett apart, but when the ball fell to Van Zandvliet he ballooned his shot from the edge of the box high over the bar.

As half-time approached Consett started to threaten at last. They might have had a penalty when Kieren Aplin was pushed in the back as he went for a diving header from Ramsey’s left-wing cross, but strangely no one even appealed for it.

Then Calvin Smith was unlucky not to level with a well-struck 25-yarder which keeper Karl Dryden tipped over the bar as it headed for the top corner.

But from the resulting flag kick the Steelmen managed to level the scores. Dryden punched Jake Orrell’s corner away, but onl as far as Ramsey, who cleverly squared to Shaw. The No 10 fired in a low shot which the keeper could only parry, and the rebound went on off the following-in Dan Capewell‘s knee.

Half-time: Consett 1 Ashington 1

Ashington had dominated the first half, with their veteran ex-Consett midfielder Gary Ormston pulling the strings and Van Zandvliet a constant threat, but but Consett stepped up a gear after the break, and were on the front foot for most of the second half.

Sub Charlie Watt missed a golden chance on 69 minutes after Ben Ramsey got to the byline and pulled the ball back for him, and a minute later the visitors regained the lead when ex-Consett man Charlie Exley fired in through a crowd of players.

Consett’s reply was immediate, with Dan Capewell stabbing in his second goal of the game from a couple of yards out after Dryden spilled a corner and Arjun Purewal helped the ball back into the danger zone.

Ramsey fired over the bar from 25 yards as Consett pressed for another goal, then Dryden made amends for his earlier error by making a vital stop from Zak Atkinson after the sub was played in for a one-on-one.

Atkinson headed wide from the resulting corner, then Dryden denied Jake Orrell, whose well-struck shot looked like it was heading inside the post. Capewell was denied a hat-trick when his header was cleared off the line by Exley, and Atkinson hit another effort just wide as Consett piled on the pressure.

The winning goal came in the 85th minute when Ashington staged what was a rare attack in the last 20 minutes, and Connor Thomson‘s shot took a huge deflection off a defender and looped over the stranded Anderson.

Consett threw everything at their visitors, with Ramsey shooting straight at Dryden, Orrell seeing a shot blocked by some determined defending and Capewell glancing an injury-time header tamely at the keeper, but it was to no avail, and Ashington held on to avenge their August Bank Holiday Monday defeat at Woodhorn Lane.
MATCH REPORT: GARY WELFORD
PICTURES: KENNY TAYLOR & KEITH MARLEY