| A youthful and experimental Ashford side were edged out by a strong Staines Lammas First Team in a feisty game on a windy Thursday evening. The ex-Ashford brigade at Lammas continues to grow, with former Reserve Team midfielder Jamie Redrup and Youth Teamer George Jennings both turning out for the Combined Counties League side. Ashford had planned to include Gavin Smith and the Bamford brothers in their line-up to get the three men fit after their return from family holidays, but all three were ruled out after feeling sore in the warm-up. The early exchanges were cagey and the first chance of the match went to Ashford's Moses Phillips, who shot straight at the home goalkeeper. Although Lammas should have scored with a nineteenth minute free kick which was headed wide by an unmarked forward, it was Ashford who dominated possession in the first half. Somewhat frustratingly for the travelling support, having the ball didn't not equate to generating lots of chances, with a header across goal from Reece Jackson and Adam Foulser nodding wide at a corner being Town's only noteworthy efforts in a twenty minute spell in which the Tangerine clad youngsters were in control of the game. Despite the cordial relations between the two clubs, there were some solid challenges flying in, and Lammas were harshly ordered to substitute Steve Willmore, after the former Tangerine tangled with Phillips, who himself was booked just before half time, along with a Lammas midfielder after the referee decided that prevention wasn't better than cure after all. With Ashford failing to take advantage of their good spell, it was inevitable that the home side would have a purple patch of their own and goalkeeper Dan Cox made two fine saves before Lammas took the lead in the final minute of the first half. This time, the young stopper was powerless as home striker Craig Masham found space and headed home whilst unmarked. Ashford made a number of substitutions at half time and one of the replacements levelled the match four minutes into the second half. George Baldock took advantage of a skied clearance to burst through and head the ball over the goalkeeper for an instinctive finish. Moments later, Lammas struck the bar with a venomous volley but Martin Jackson then went close for Town with a 25 yard volley of his own.. Just after the hour, Lammas regained the lead when Ashford failed to deal with a corner adequately and the ball was crossed back in and headed home at the far post. Shortly after that, the referee put the seal on a performance riddled with inconsistency and poor positioning when he awarded Ashford a free kick when a Lammas player had been pushed to the ground! Apparently it was because the offending Lammas player had sworn at an opponent but only he really knows why it was awarded. The contentious set-piece was in a dangerous position and Martin Jackson very nearly equalised from it. The game petered out after that, although Paul May replaced Dan Cox for the final twenty minutes and Jimmy Brazil should have levelled the scores with ten minutes left when he somehow sent a free header wide of the post. Although Ashford continued to pass the ball well and one particularly good move allowed Baldock to get a shot in which was blocked, the home side played out for the win. With a number of unfamiliar faces looking to impress Glynn Stephens, this was a valuable workout for Ashford, with lots of positives to take into the run of matches which lies ahead. | 
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
