Ash United 4 New Milton Town 5 (26th November 2022)
On nearly any other day, being third from bottom and scoring four against the league leaders would be a good day. Similarly, being top and rattling in five against a team in seventeenth would have signalled a routine afternoon for table-toppers New Milton, but in reality it was anything but.
With a cold and gloomy afternoon forecast, I nearly didn’t bother with the short trip to Ash. I was almost tempted by a trip to Aldershot v Southend, about a mile the other side of a motorway junction which was built over a stock car racing track I visited a few times in my youth. Watching the World Cup was another option, but I am glad I went, even if going by the size of the crowd, quite a few others picked alternatives for their Saturday afternoon.
Normally a ground such as this, located in a small modern housing estate, nestling among the small mock-Tudor semis, with not much more to it than one atcost stand down one side, wouldn’t be high on my list. It had, however, been recommended as being worth a trip. A high hedge on two sides, plus trees valiantly clinging to their remaining autumnal leaves like someone out of the shower protecting their modesty with a small towel, gave the ground a more homely look. Adding to this, were more houses in the far corner, older, and not unconvincingly pretending their design dated to the middle ages.
This game was a step 6 fixture, and after a little banter and encouragement from the players as they walked out from the corner, you don’t really expect much in the way of singing from the crowd. Ash though, have one extremely enthusiastic supporter who sang almost non stop for the entire game. True, most of the chants were unique, and were put to tunes that only seemed to exist in his head alone, but you have to commend his commitment, especially in a season like the one Ash are having.
I would have to guiltily admit that was one reason for me going, with the division’s second worst defence hosting the best attack, was that a few goals seemed likely, even if not how I imagined.
Given the relative positions of the two clubs in the table, few could have foreseen the way the game started. New Milton had put the ball in the net vry early on, albeit a fair time after the whistle had gone, before Ash had mounted their first serious foray into the New Milton half. That first attack though saw the away keeper stranded, and an Ash chip into the net saw them take an early lead. Within a couple of minutes that lead was doubled when a cross was turned in at the near post.
For New Milton, probably expecting a routine away win, this was something of a shock, completely throwing them off their stride, and they wouldn’t really look convincing for the rest of the half.
Despite that, they did go in at the break on level terms. A rather soft looking penalty after about half an hour gave them a lifeline, and as Ash played deeper and deeper, it was a question of whether the visitors could turn their territorial advantage into clear chances.
Shortly before half time they did. A cross from the left was met for a perfect low angled header back across the keeper to equalise, although the amount of space he was given won’t have pleased the home management.
With the gent’s toilet next to the home dressing room, a half time visit offered the chance to hear that displeasure first hand. All I can say is that had the people in that changing room been on a sponsored swear, Frimley Park Hospital, up the road, would probably be taking delivery of two new incubators on Monday.
The home mood probably wasn’t helped by New Milton taking the first chance of the second half, splitting the defence and knocking the ball past the keeper to give the visitors the lead for the first time.
The expectation would probably have been for New Milton, having broken Ash’s resistance, to have pulled away. Ash had a resilience that belied their position though, and crashed in a low shot into the far corner to make it 3-3. Just a few minutes later Ash were back in front, to the disbelief of some of the visiting players, and no doubt to a fair chunk of those watching too.
This time though, perhaps because they had scored three goals already, New Milton didn’t seem quite so unsettled by this setback. Ash battled hard, but the visitors always looked the most likely to get the game’s eighth goal. Ash would just be disappointed that it came from another penalty. No doubts about this one though, and even though the home keeper got a strong hand to it, he couldn’t quite keep it out.
Now it was just a case of whether Ash could hold out for the point they no doubt felt they deserved, or if New Milton could get the winner they would have felt their play merited.
When clubs are struggling, life can be cruel, and that point was snatched away from Ash in injury time. Like New Milton’s 2nd goal, the winner was a fine header directed back across the keeper, although questions might again be asked about marking.
It was a strange one. New Milton will probably feel they let themselves down in a number of areas, but walk away delighted after the dramatic win.
Ash, despite a battling display, scoring more goals than they can have dreamed of against the league leaders, would have been dejected. If they can play like that though against lesser teams than New Milton, they ought to start climbing the table soon enough. Despite the anger of twice throwing away the lead and losing, I would hope the Ash management team would have told they players the same. I suspect though that they would have said it using rather more words beginning with ‘F’.
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