Up there with the legendary 6-2 Charity Cup performance against Sneyd Park and the 2010 GFA Cup win, this was surely one of the finest victories in Ashley's history - a 5-0 drubbing of Downs League high-flyers Clifton St Vincents.
On a mild, overcast day, Ashley kicked off against what little brightness peaked through the clouds on a similarly boggy pitch to the previous week.
All the pre-match indications hinted at a tough, arduous afternoon but Ashley began the match on the front foot, closing down the CSV midfield and preventing their defence from having time on the ball.
Joe Hill caused them endless difficulty as he nipped at heels and made piercing runs in behind, but it was the midfield four who initiated the domination which lasted for the whole 90mins.
It took a while before the breakthrough though and when it came, Ashley needed a slice of good fortune.
After good play from Ben West down the right, he found David Brown in a central position, from which a swirling chip over the CSV defence had them back-peddling and in trouble.
Drifting in between them was Max Turner who managed to get a right boot on the ball before it deflected over the keeper and into the net, 1-0.
As Ashley pressed for a second, CSV started to give away needless free kicks and when Michael Chappell received a shove in the back just outside the box, they had their next opportunity.
Chappell picked himself up to deliver and, instead of floating the ball above the sea of bodies waiting in the box, decided to fire it in hard at the keeper - another deflection from a purple shirt directed the ball through the keeper’s flailing hands to make it 2-0.
All the while, the team joint top of the league with Torpedo struggled to find their strikers as each long ball forward was dealt with effortlessly by Ryan Barnes and captain Dan Scoins.
They gave each other time to bring the ball down and instigate attacks from deep as pre-match talk of Vincents’ dangerous new forwards was quickly forgotten.
Half time couldn’t arrive soon enough for CSV, and having talked about expecting a strong reaction to the 2 goal deficit, Ashley were surprised to find their opposition more lethargic and directionless than before the break.
The team in red and white took advantage of this and after yet another good move Turner found himself racing into the box ahead of the opposition defenders.
The keeper managed to shepherd him left of goal but with sumptuous footwork he turned and delivered the ball on a plate for the supporting Chappell to tap in his second, 3-0.
The central midfield pairing married James Hosking’s tireless ball-winning and domination in the air with Brown’s terrier-like pressing and creativity on the ball.
They were feeding a left side of Grant Nichol and Chris Barrett, who together caused the Vincent’s right flank constant havoc.
From here Ashley won countless corners and another free kick in a dangerous position, however this time Chappell couldn’t find the target.
The match having now seemed a foregone conclusion, Vincents suddenly received a lifeline – in keeping with the Ashley players’ relentless effort without the ball, Hill found himself tackling back in his own 18-yard box, but couldn’t prevent tripping one attacker and giving away a penalty.
Struck hard to Paul Freeman’s right, the spot kick was parried back out to the taker, who duly sliced the rebound over the bar!
Despite missing, the opportunity lifted CSV momentarily, and after a decent move around the fringes of the area, they found space to hit a shot goal bound – with the ball sailing for the top corner, Freeman launched himself airborne and palmed it safely away to crown a masterful display between the sticks.
Minutes later Ashley were on the attack once more, with West and Turner involved again on the right hand side, pulling apart the defenders before supplying Brown 25-yards out.
Despite taking a bobble or two on its way to him, Brown took one look up before striking the ball toward goal – it lifted, curled and dipped over the keeper into the far corner to the sound of whoops and whistles from the crowd, 4-0!
After Nichol made way for Andy Sweetenham to help shore things up for a second clean sheet in a row, Ashley secured a fifth and final goal following another piece of tenacity in the midfield – Chappell won a header which the Vincent’s centre-back pairing failed to deal with, and the ball ran through for Hill to latch onto.
With the keeper bearing down on him, Hill polished off an outstanding Ashley performance by sliding it neatly into the corner of the net, 5-0.
Man of the Match
Although every player performed well, particular praise from team mates was offered to David Brown (4 votes) and James Hosking (6 votes) – Ashley’s man of the match!
