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Tuesday 1st April - Frickley Athletic 1-0 Ashton United

On a wet and windy Tuesday evening the Blues gained three more vital points in their quest to preserve their UniBond Premier Division status to move six points clear of third-bottom Gateshead.

Phil Sharpe made four changes to the side from Saturday, bringing Kieran O'Brien and Duncan Richards in at left and right wing-back, respectively whilst Phil Lindley came back into midfield and Adam Russell replaced Curtis Bernard up front.

The Blues thought they had taken the lead after just 4 minutes when Lee Morris headed in Adam Russell's right wing cross but the goal was ruled out for offside.  A minute later Ashton made their intentions known when Craig Fleury found space inside the box to volley over from 15 yards. Ashton 'keeper Danny Trueman was then lucky as he dropped a high ball into the box under pressure from Russell but the striker couldn't quite get enough strength on his pass to reach the unmarked Gary Hatto. Hatto went close on 18 minutes when he beat Trueman with a drive from almost on the byline but the ball landed on the roof of the net. At the other end, a swift Ashton counter attack led to Steve Smith playing in Jamie Miller but Mark Samways came out quickly to block well at his feet. On the half hour a partly cleared corner fell to Ashton's Darren Royle who hit a strong 20 yard shot which Samways held well. Six minutes before the break Ashton had a great chance to take the lead when Paul Marquis was adjudged to have handled a Smith cross from the left in the box and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.  Fleury stepped up to take the kick but Samways got down well to block, leaving Mark Hancock to clear the loose ball for a corner. The Blues broke straight from the corner with Lindley carrying the ball down the right before crossing to Steve Woolford who dummied for Russell whose shot went high and wide. Right on the stroke of half time Smith put an Ashton free-kick just over Samways' crossbar.

Just two minutes after the break it was the Blues' turn to earn a penalty when Antony Jackson headed the ball between two Ashton defenders for Russell to run on to but he was brought down with the referee again quick to point to the spot. Skipper Hancock stepped up to take the kick but blasted it high and wide of the left hand upright. But 5 minutes later Hancock turned from villain to hero as he pulled off  great sliding tackle to deny Fleury as he looked to get clear in the box. The Blues went close again on 64 minutes when Jackson's 25 yard shot was spilled by Trueman, allowing Woolford to push the ball past him but he could only turn and shoot wide from a tight angle. On 72 minutes Miller blazed wide for Ashton whilst just minutes later Trueman miss-kick as he came out to clear a long ball from substitute Curtis Bernard but, thankfully for Ashton, the ball didn't run kindly for the Blues. Bernard did well when he turned his marked on half-way before sprinting clear down the left to send over a cross which Trueman collected at full stretch. Lee Calvert was unlucky for the visitors on 79 minutes when he broke from midfield to lead a 3 on 2 assault on the Blues defence before seeing his 20 yard shot sip inches over the bar. Then, three minutes later, another wuick Ashton break saw Miller get  half a yard on Marquis but he dragged his angled shot across the face of goal from 12 yards. Finally, the Blues got the breakthrough on 84 minutes when Bernard's ball into the box was miss-kick by two Ashton defenders as they failed to clear, leaving HATTO to nip in and shoot past Trueman from 12 yards.

Frickley Athletic : Samways, Richards, O'Brien, Woolford, Jackson, Marquis, Hancock, Lindley (Bernard 60), Morris, Russell, Hatto (Gowen 88). Unused sub. Daly 

Ashton United : Trueman, Garvey, White, Calvert, Riordan, Royle, Fleury, Rowe, Miller, Challender, Smith. Unused subs. Carty, Morris, Dormer

Attendance : 158

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