Official Frickley Athletic Website

The Blues started life after Billy Heath on the wrong end of a 7-2 scoreline at Ashton United this afternoon. The Blues started well, surging into a 2-goal lead through Danny Walsh and Richard Tracey but defensive errors led to Ashton pulling back to 2-2 before half time. Once Ashton scored their third after 70 minutes the floodgates opened and the Blues finished with ten men as Neil Redfearn was sent off.

The caretaker management team of Chris Hilton, Jon Hood and Steve Robinson were without Dean Jones who was ill and Chris Gowen who was unavailable due to work commitments, whilst Hilton himself was suspended and Robinson served the penultimate day of his 35 day ban.

Leading by two goals, Frickley saw the tables turned with a vengeance on their visit to Ashton in the UniBond Premier Division and also finished with only ten men. Nothing is going right for the Blues although new signing Neil Redfearn drilled a 35 yard free-kick inches wide in the eighth minute before they opened their account three minutes later. Carl Wood picked out Richard Tracey whose first time shot from just inside the penalty area was blocked by Town keeper Damian Rooney, while Nathan Hotte's effort from the rebound was turned off the line by Billy McCartney before Danny Walsh hit the target from six yards.

In the 31st minute, a free-kick on the left from Steve Ball was headed across goal by McCartney and dropped to Tracey who slotted it in from eight yards to improve the visitors lead. Five minutes later Ashton reduced the arrears, Ian Bennett curling a 30 yard free-kick just inside the far post, and they got on terms in the 38th minute, a cross from the left being missed by Ball and knocked in at the far post by Mattie O'Neill.

While the home side came more into exchanges after the interval, the Blues managed to keep them in check until the 70th minute when a cross from the right found Bennett unmarked at the far post and he stabbed the ball past Jon Hood. This signalled a bonanza for Ashton while Frickley were left stunned and shocked. Matty O'Neill struck again in the 75th minute, while substitute Ian Howarth latched onto a cross from the right to head in their fifth goal four minutes later. Redfearn was shoulder to shoulder with Ian Fitzpatrick in the 80th minute as the latter tried to get in a shot before being brought down, which led to Redfearn receiving a red card and Billy McCartney converting the resultant spot kick. Four minutes later, Howarth picked up his second goal after being found unmarked at the back post by a cross from the right

Official Frickley Athletic Website

www.frickleyafc.co.uk