Ashington 0-0 Winterton Rangers

Ashington 0-0 Winterton Rangers

NPL (North-East Division)

Tuesday 16th April 2024

Whatever the outcome for Winterton Rangers at the end of this season, this is a game they’ll look back on and probably see as a defining one.

On the plus side, they picked up a deserved point. Nobody in this league likes a long away trip to the North-East - especially in midweek, and even though they pulled off the shock of the season by beating Stockton Town on Saturday, I’ve got to be honest and admit that pre-match I thought Ashington would brush them aside quite easily.

How wrong I was because they gave a good account of themselves for the second game running.

However, as good as the point itself was, it ought to have been three because Winterton were the better team (certainly in the second half anyway where Harvey Cribb pulled the strings in midfield) and ultimately it’s missed chances which prevented them from heading back down the A1 with all three points in the bag.

And how important it could prove to be when you consider results elsewhere last night and the four-team scrap for survival where only two can be successful.

Initially, it looked as if Ashington would have a successful night because in the first 20 minutes they saw more of the ball, Winterton looked a bit vulnerable and left gaps that could be exploited, and although the hosts didn’t create any chances as such other than Nathan Popple saving routinely at his near-post, you felt that sooner or later if they got the final ball right then they’d have that gilt-edged chance they were looking for.

But as the first half wore on, Winterton got a foothold and had two big moments up at the other end - firstly as Craig Spooner cleared one off the line, and then when the ball dropped to Charlie Clements inside the box only for his touch to let him down in an agonising situation where, if he got it right, he had time and space inside the box to pull the trigger and probably score!

Ashington’s response was a shot which seemed to squirm beneath Nathan Popple in the Winterton goal only to go wide of the post and still 0-0 at half-time, the game was in the balance.

The visitors then stepped up and dominated the second half; creating three or four good openings where they just couldn’t get the finish right. Charlie Clements (I think) skewed a volley wide when in a good position inside the box, there were a couple more that trickled wide of the post, the best one came where the Ashington ‘keeper scrambled backwards to tip the ball over after having made an initial save from a corner, and when Henry Moore did everything right and got a header on target late on, it was tame and straight at the ‘keeper.

Ashington didn’t offer much whatsoever after half-time and Winterton deserved to win, but it wasn’t to be.

At any other time of the season this would probably feel like a point gained for Winterton - and the positives are there with the performance, picking up four points from two difficult games and registering back-to-back clean-sheets, but with Brighouse winning at Consett to climb out the relegation zone and boost their own hopes, there’s got to be a few regrets over those missed chances.

Can Winterton avoid relegation given they’re now three points from safety with two games to go? We’ll see. With Ossett losing 3-0 at Carlton Town last night when the scoreline could apparently have been much worse and the fact they’ve got to go to Hebburn next Tuesday (which will likely be a hammering), there’s still plenty that can change and goal difference might even come into play.

The one thing I’ll remember most about this game is how good Harvey Cribb was. 

Comfortably the ‘Man of The Match’ (nobody else was even close), he pulled the strings in the second half and was a big factor in Winterton getting on top, dominating, and he showed bucket loads of different qualities. From picking up the bits and pieces in deep positions to simplifying things really well at times with clever and short passes, reading the game to nip in and make lots of interceptions (evidenced four or five times) and then his passes which were all accurate - especially three or four long-range balls to feet, it was really good. It’s the sort of thing that makes a player shine and he put a right old shift in to stand out a mile on a bobbly pitch that can’t have been the easiest to play on.

All of it shows why he’s so highly-rated at Grimsby Town (where he’s on loan from), and if he can replicate this over and over again then he’s going to do well and will make a worthy addition for anyone higher up the pyramid in the future if/when he’s looking for his next loan.

There’s so many young players who can’t hold their own in mens football, yet he’s done that, dominated the game and I can’t help but be really impressed by what I saw so he deserves the praise for a very mature performance.