NPL Premier Division: Ashton United 3-1 Radcliffe
The hosts racked up their fifth successive win as they beat another in-form team in Radcliffe at a drizzly Hurst Cross. The Robins unsurprisingly fielded an unchanged line up from the Basford win and moved straight on to the attack as two minutes in Ben Hardcastle hit a loose ball narrowly wide of the right hand post.
It was Hardcastle again in the action after ten minutes as his fierce snapshot was held at the second attempt by Belford but three minutes later his run into the area saw him pushed over by Adam Dawson with the resulting penalty from captain Brewster coming back off the underside of the bar – Ashton’s second successive miss from the spot.
At the other end Grant shot right across goal after a break by Thornley but just past the half hour the hosts got the breakthrough their play deserved as a mistake in the visitors’ defence saw Tom Warren nip past Ben Rydel and guide his shot home. Radcliffe made a couple of changes at the interval but it was Hardcastle again on the offensive as a throw in saw his snapshot held low down by Belford before he dragged a low effort wide.
Just past the hour the Robins won a free kick for handball just outside the area and Adam Senior’s back post delivery was headed back across goal by Sam Baird for Florian Yonsian to help it home for his second goal in as many games. Taylor’s effort then needed to be touched away by Martin in the home goal but shortly afterwards sub Navarro was brought down in the area by Senior with Grant emphatically reducing the deficit.
Some clever game management saw Ashton take the game into added time where Tom Bentham played in Hardcastle whose deflected shot was cleared off the line by Rydel but he was not to be denied as a loose ball allowed him to round Belford and fire into the unguarded goal.
Ashton Utd: Martin, Senior, Spratt, Tomsett (Sheridan 65), Baird, Coates, Macadam, Brewster, Yonsian (Bentham 67), Hardcastle, Warren. SNU: Abadaki, Ntula, Raynes.
Picture by John porter
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