Title hopes fade with shock loss against Ashton
SKELMERSDALE United suffered a huge shock on Tuesday night when they crashed to a completely unexpected 3-0 defeat at third from bottom Ashton Athletic.
all three goals came from local Skelmersdale player Josh Nicholson, whose brother Joe was in the Skelmersdale team.
The defeat leaves Skem – who had beaten Barnoldswick Town 3-0 on Saturday – with virtually no chance of catching North West Counties Premier Division leaders Macclesfield who would need to drop ten points from their last seven games for Paul McNally’s team to have any chance of catching them.
Further, Skelmersdale’s recent form after going unbeaten from September until January, has seen them lose four of their last seven league games.
With promotion now out of Skelmersdale’s own hands the season really is at a crisis point after at least a play-off position looking a near certainty.
It all started to go wrong in Ashton in Makerfield after just four minutes when a penalty was given away, up stepped Josh Nicholson and it was 1-0 to Ashton.
When, after 22 minutes, the Ashton captain made it 2-0 with a tremendous strike a stunned Skelmersdale were in big trouble.
The game was all over just after the hour when referee Tom Elliot awarded Ashton another penalty, this time Josh Nicholson saw his penalty saved by Skelmersdale goalkeeper Ben Barnes, however a determined Josh latched onto the ball and netted from the rebound for 3-0.
It isn’t all over yet for Skelmersdale.
If they win all their remaining five games, three at home, two away, they will make the second place in the table play-off position – providing Wythenshawe Town don’t win all their remaining eight league games.
Wythenshawe are still chasing a Wembley place in the FA Vase so it is a tall task for them to win those eight games, but Skelmersdale can have no more slip ups if they are to return to the Northern Premier League.
Aspinall, Brown, Dunne, Moran, White, McDermott, Ako, Harding, Bandell, Carr, Nicholson Josh ©, Subs Boyd, Thomas, Houghton, Brodie, Foulds
Barnes ©, Griffiths, Preston, Herbert, Grogan, Strickland, Morris, Sheen, Mitchley, Salkeld, Howard Subs Ellams, Adegbenro, Nicholson Joe, Croughan, Conteh
Tom Elliot
129
On Saturday, Skem had enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win against Barnoldswick with Danny Mitchley firing a brace inside the opening 20 minutes and Mikey Howard adding a third early in the second period.