Wolfenden double as FC United bounce back at Ashton

Two Matthew Wolfenden goals in the first 20 minutes saw FC United back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory at Ashton United on Wednesday night.

The Reds returned to league action following the disappointing FA Trophy defeat at Stamford on Saturday and they did so by picking up three points at Hurst Cross, a ground they’ve previously struggled at.

It was FC that started the game the strongest and it was no surprise that The Reds took the lead on 9 minutes when a Jon Worsnop clearance found its way to Matthew Wolfenden who raced clear and chipped the ball over the advancing Paul Phillips. FC were keeping the ball well, something they have failed to do to in previous games, and it was no surprise when the lead was doubled 10 minutes later.

The ball was played forward towards the Ashton defence where it dropped to Wolfenden who produced a fantastic chip from 25 yards that looped over Phillips and dropped into the corner of the net.

As the half wore on, Ashton found themselves in the game as ex FC striker Aaron Burns fired over from the edge of the box. This began a period of Ashton pressure which saw numerous shots and headers blocked including a great chance by Tom Baker who saw his shot superbly blocked by the United defence.

Five minutes after the restart the ball was played through to Burns who marginally beat Worsnop to it but was tripped by the keeper for a penalty. Worsnop saw yellow for the challenge and Burns confidently slotted the spot kick into the top corner of the net to bring Ashton back into the game.

Four minutes later, FC had a penalty of their own as Jerome Wright ran into the box. He seemed to be impeded with a slight shove in the back, he was then brought down and the referee pointed straight to the spot for a slightly soft penalty. Dean Stott took the kick but saw Phillips pull off a good save low to his right.

Stephen Johnson saw a shot just over the bar and a couple of crosses from the home side were dealt with well by Worsnop.
With nine minutes on the clock substitute Cedric Krou turned well on the edge of the box but saw his shot narrowly wide. A minute or so later saw Matthew Tierney make his return for FC after resigning for the club earlier in the afternoon.
FC held on well for the victory, including an inexplicable 6 and a half minutes of injury time which sets them up well for the visit of Eastwood Town on Sunday.

Report by Steven Wood.

Website Man of the Match: Dave Birch - Instrumental in allowing FC to keep the ball, especially during the first half and was a calm head when Ashton were piling on the pressure in the second half.