MATCH REPORT
 
Ashton Athletic 2 Whitchurch Alport 1
 
Whitchurch Alport's three game winning streak away from home ended at Brocstedes Park when Ashton Athletic came from behind to win with a late goal. Dan Skelton had fired the Reds into a first half lead but Adam Gilchrist levelled soon after and Joshua Nicholson grabbed the winner with three minutes left.
 
The players and spectators superbly observed a minutes silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday but there wasn't much to remember from an uneventful opening 25 minutes, before Nicky Porter clipped the top of the Athletic crossbar.
 
With six minutes to go before the interval, Skelton rifled into the bottom corner of the net when the hosts only half cleared a Porter free kick. But just three minutes later Callum O'Connor went to sleep allowing Joshua Nicholson all the time in the world to cross the ball, and Adam Gilchrist tapped in from inside the 6 yard box with no Alport player in sight. And it could have got even worse for Alport soon after when a cross to the back stick found Adam Howard who couldn't miss. Standing two yards out with all the time in the world to cushion his header into the empty goal, he incredibly put his effort onto the post. It was the miss of the century and the hugest of let offs for an Alport side who looked shaky all of a sudden, particularly after having taken the lead.
 
At the resumption Reds keeper Dave Parton had to be at the top of his game to make several decent saves to keep his side in it and Ashton also rattled the woodwork when Nicholson looked set to score. Twice in fairly quick succession Matty Ashbrook netted only to be denied by a linesman's raised flag, but really it was hard to make a case that Alport were unlucky. So when Nicholson scored after 87 minutes it paved the way for a deserved three points for an Ashton side who had already frustrated Whitchurch at Yockings Park, when the two sides shared a point each on the opening day of the season.