Visitors Belper remain bottom of the Northern Premier League after a comfortable home win for the Robins at a freezing Hurst Cross.

Nathan Lowe was restored to the line up with Jack McKay dropping to the bench and the hosts got off to a flyer as 3 minutes in a neat pass from Harry Bunn picked out the run of Jason Gilchrist who rounded Tom Jackson to slide home.

Bunn had already fired over the top in the first minute after Lewis Thompson’s shot was blocked following a good break by Dale Whitham and Keilen Adams. The Nailers then won a corner which saw Curtis Burrows’ delivery cleared just in front of goal by Cole Lonsdale.

Gilchrist had another great chance on 18 minutes from another Bunn pass but fired wide of the left hand post and Burrows’ free kick then beat everyone and his resulting corner saw Rio Molyneaux glance a header just wide.

10 minutes before the break Nathan Lowe won a corner which saw his delivery helped goalwards by Bunn for Sean Newton to steer neatly into the far side of the goal and the interval arrived with Dale Whitham volleying Adams’ deep cross wide at the far post.

Ashton were back on the offensive after the restart and Lowe blazed over after Whitham had given him a clear site of goal. Ten minutes in and Tom Wilson picked up a loose pass from Gilchrist and strode into the area before hitting a fine effort against the post and midway through the half sub James Tague lifted a great chance on to the roof of the net after Molyneaux had capitalised on a sloppy pass.

Fellow sub Jake Avery then cut inside and sent a curling effort past the far post before Tague turned inside and hit the inside of the post with a low effort from 20 yards.

With the game wide open sub Rob Gulifoyle made a clean break through midfield but took too long allowing Ben Rhodes to intercept but immediately Bunn picked up a loose ball and advanced before providing a low finish and with a minute left the two subs combined for the visitors, as Avery converted Tague’s return ball to give them the consolation their second half display deserved.

Team: Scott, Milner, Newton, Lonsdale, Baird, Bunn, Gilchrist, Whitham (Baillie 74), Adams (McKay 62), Lowe (Guilfoyle 80), Thompson. SNU: Hobson, Regan.

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