Keeper sees red as Ashington concede four at home to Liversedge

There was an explosive start to proceedings when the home side were reduced to 10 men as early as the fourth minute with keeper Dan Staples receiving his marching orders following an off the ball incident.

The visitors were awarded a corner and before it was taken, referee Thomas James called Staples over then brandished a red card.

The decision was to have a massive impact – and two goals in three minutes shortly afterwards saw the visitors take a stranglehold on proceedings.

Central defender Ben Williams donned the goalkeeper’s jersey but was picking the ball out of the net 10 minutes later when a right foot curler by Desmond Amponsah crept inside the far post.

Jack Crook added a second, hammering the ball home on the half volley from the edge of the area.

Williams made a block to deny Jack Carr, but Ashington’s 10 men were certainly giving their all and on the stroke of half time they strung together a great move which ended with Bailey Geliher’s flick going just wide after he had latched onto a cross from the right by Andrew Cartwright.

For the start of the second half, Paddy Almond took over in goal from Williams and Ashington made a decent start.

A great diagonal pass from Gary Ormston found Cartwright on the right and when he played the ball across, Geliher’s effort was deflected behind for a corner.

Then a free kick by Josh Gilchrist was met first time by Harrison Clark, but his shot was tame and went straight to keeper Luke Jackson.

In the 53rd minute, Ashington’s already massive task took a further twist when Carr was brought down just inside the area by Clark and Alfie Raw netted from the resultant penalty.

Five minutes later, an 18-yarder from Clark rattled the post, then the Colliers had shouts for a penalty claiming that substitute Michael Ndiweni was being impeded at the same time as he had a shot which lacked power and was fielded by Jackson.

Substitute Chinedu Osadebe went close before Mitchell Akresi added a fourth for the visitors, minutes after being introduced, when he fired home inside the upright.

The scoreline flattered Liversedge with the 10 men of Ashington putting in a whole-hearted shift despite suffering a dismissal so early in the contest which changed the whole complexion of the game.

Speaking after the game, assistant manager Liam McIvor said that the early red card for Staples ‘killed the game’ as a contest.

He said: “The sending off killed the game straight away.

“After three minutes and 18 seconds, everything which you have planned for and have trained for all week goes out of the window.

“The lads put in a good shift, as they do every week, but Liversedge have scored four – and we concede easy goals.

“To be honest since Nick (Gray) and I took over, we’ve yet to see a team score what we would class as being a good goal against us.”

On Saturday (December 7), Ashington are away to Grimsby Borough.