ASHINGTON 0 WHITLEY BAY 1
Saturday 16th March
A second half goal from Stephen Ramsey was enough to secure all three points for Whitley in a wind affected game at Ashington. After snow and heavy rain had battered the region earlier in the day, great credit was due to the Woodhorn Lane groundstaff for producing a playable pitch on a day when the local non-league programme was decimated.
Playing into the wind in the first half, Whitley started strongly with former Collier Luke Salmon prominent in their attacks down the left but Ashington gradually worked their way into the game, enjoying the larger proportion of possession. Their best chances of the game came in the 19th minute when Dan Lister pushed a shot wide before producing a vital instinctive save, pushing a close range effort from Brandon Morrison over the bar. That was about as good as it got for the hosts, as Whitley defended solidly then finished the half on top. A 38th minute free kick from Craig McFarlane flew narrowly wide then two minutes later Salmon struck the bar with a shot that had Grant beaten before the rebound was put behind for a corner.
Almost immediately, Ben Sampson raced away downfield for the Colliers but blazed his shot high over the bar but it was Whitley who nearly snatched the lead a minute before half time when Luke Taylor’s header from a right wing corner was pushed over the bar by Grant.
Two minutes after the restart, Salmon went close but was thwarted by Grant as he attempted to squeeze the ball between keeper and post. Play was largely confined to the Ashington half but a darting run from Sammy Perez briefly threatened but he lacked support and Whitley quickly played the ball back downfield, aided by the strong wind.
Ashington suffered a blow when defender Thomas Lycett suffered an injury and had to be helped from the field. Whitley’s joint top scorer Andrei Ardelean, who started the game on the bench, was introduced eleven minutes into the half and quickly made an impact with a threatening cross that was put behind for a corner on the left. Captain Peter Glen-Ravenhill took the flag kick and floated the ball into the six yard box where Stephen Ramsey rose above the home defence to head home and give Whitley a deserved lead. They were in control of the game now and should have doubled their advantage nine minutes later when Ardelean was played through on the edge of the box. Seeing the danger, Grant raced off his line and attempted to punch the bouncing ball clear but only succeeded in knocking Ardelean to the ground. Referee Martin Conroy immediately pointed to the spot and showed Grant a yellow card though some in the ground felt that it could have been red for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.
The experienced Ashington keeper then redeemed himself by saving Dan Wright’s penalty. The save kept the Colliers in the game and briefly seemed to give them renewed belief but battling the wind they struggled to make any real impression on the Bay defence. Indeed, it was Whitley who posed the greater threat and pinned the home side in their own half for much of the final quarter of the game. They had further chances to put the game beyond the hosts notably when Salmon tried a spectacular scissor kick but the ball flew over the bar, then Grant finger tipped the ball just over the bar under pressure from Ramsey.
In stoppage time, Perez made one last attempt to rescue a point for his side but Lister was alert to the danger and was quick to reach the ball, ensuring a rare clean sheet for Whitley, who deservedly ran out winners and thereby maintained Nathan Haslam’s unbeaten start as Bay manager. The victory, Whitley’s first at Woodhorn Lane in six years, lifted them one more place up the table to 12th, four above Ashington. Both sides have just four games remaining.
WHITLEY BAY: Lister, McFarlane, Cooper, Christensen(R Redford 76mins), Anderson, Taylor, Glen-Ravenhill, D Wright, Ramsey(J Wright 83mins), Brannen(Ardelean 56mins), Salmon
Substitutes not used: Martin, Hassan
Cautions: Taylor, J Wright
Referee: Martin Conroy
Attendance: 292
