Match Preview

Ashington AFC (A) – Tuesday, 9th January

The Opposition
Like Belper, Ashington AFC were established all the way back in 1883.
Early years saw them competing in the Northern Alliance and East Northumberland League.
They won the Alliance in 1914 and gained promotion to the North Eastern League.
They were then elected to join the new Third Division North of the Football League in 1921.
After spending 8 seasons as a League team they finished bottom and and re-entered the North Eastern League but at Division Two as the top division was full.
1927 saw a trip to the FA Cup 3rd Round, losing to Nottingham Forest.
They remained in the NEL until it folded in 1958.
The 1960s saw them flit between the Midland League, Northern Counties League (founder members), Wearside League and North Regional League before becoming founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968.
They resigned due to costs after one season and again moved around leagues in the north.
They remained back in the Northern League from 1970 all the way up to last season, when they defeated Glossop North End 3-0 to gain promotion to the NPL Division One East.

The Colliers were the team to watch in the early stages of 2023/24, opening the season with a 4-0 win in the FA Cup over local rivals North Shields and a 4-4 draw at home to Brighouse to open the league campaign.
A shaky run followed where they failed to score in five games out of six which left them just outside of the relegation zone.
It's been a season plagued by inconsistency and at home they haven't won, drawn or lost more than 2 matches in succession.
Heavy wins at home to Carlton and away to North Ferriby in November were followed by a four game winless streak which ended at home to Hebburn on Boxing Day, the last match they played.

Manager Ian Skinner took the reigns in April 2019.
Connor Thomson is top of the scoring charts this season with 11, Wilson Kneeshaw has 10.

After a mixed start to the season, they sit mid-table with the following record:
P 19 W 7 D 3 L 9 F 36 A 34 Pts. 24
13 of those points have come at Woodhorn Lane.
The average attendance at home games is 523, bettered only by Stockton Town and North Ferriby (Belper sit 5th in this regard) and the season high saw 696 saw them entertain Consett.

The Nailers
After a poor November with three defeats in a row, the festive period was much improved with 1-1 draws against Grimsby Borough and Sheffield sandwiched by good wins over Winterton and Grantham.
The returning Brodie Litchfield has hit the ground running with three goals and the last fixture of 2023 saw a great team performance and comprehensive victory with a brace for Danny South as 515 fans saw out the year at the Raygar Stadium.
Belper remain in the playoff positions, 4th with a record of: P 20 W 11 D 3 L 6 F 44 A 31 Pts. 36.
Six of those wins and twenty of the points have come away from home.
Kevin Bastos remains clear as top scorer with 14, with 2 of the next 3 in the list (Johnson & James) no longer at the club. Phil Watt has 6 and Brodie Litchfield is already 5th in the charts with 3.

Head to Head
This will be a first meeting between the sides.
The return fixture from today is scheduled for Saturday, 16th March.

Form Guide (League)
Ashington AFC - (18 Nov) WLLLDW (26 Dec)
Belper Town - (21 Nov) LLWDDW (30 Dec)

Team News
Ben Rhodes is likely to miss out through injury again.

Permutations
If Belper win and Pontefract don't then the Nailers will climb to 2nd.
Two of the three teams directly below are in action this evening and could leapfrog us.
Ashington could go as high as 10th with victory.

Match details
Ashington AFC vs. Belper Town
Northern Premier League Division One - East Division
Tuesday, 9th January 2024 – 7:45pm kick off
Woodhorn Lane
Ashington
Northumberland
NE63 9FW
Tickets: Adults £9, Concessions £5, U16s £3. Tickets are £1 cheaper online and in advance here: https://ashingtonafc.ktckts.com/event/asn2324home09/ashington-afc-vs-belper-town

Follow the match
Live commentary is available with Tom on Radio Belper Town - https://radiobelpertown.mixlr.com
Full coverage on X (Twitter). Team news, HT & FT scores on Facebook.
Match reports to follow on the website and in the Non-League Paper.

Elsewhere in Division One East

There's plenty of midweek action in the NPL East.

Tuesday 9th January
Dunston vs. Sheffield
Liversedge vs. Consett AFC
North Ferriby vs. Grimsby Borough
Pontefract Collieries vs. Newton Aycliffe

Wednesday 10th January 2024
Cleethorpes Town vs. Ossett United