Josh Kay
MEET THE TEAM MATCHDAY REPORTER Late Grouse winner seals Ashby comeback! Sam Grouse's late strike from the edge of the area gave Ashby Ivanhoe their sixth successive league victory, in a match that saw the visitors come from behind once again to take all three points. In a first half which saw both sides struggle to create chances, Ivanhoe broke the deadlock 10 minutes from the break when Liam Donaghy's header was saved by the goalkeeper, only for Nathan McAllister to turn home the rebound from close range, his 2nd goal in as many matches. The lead was short-lived however, in added time captain Darren Whitley headered home the equaliser to bring the score level. Perhaps a fair reflection of what had been an even half. Cradley's skipper was to double his tally seven minutes after the break. Once again Ashby failed to defend the set piece and Whitley was there to head home for a 2nd time. Defeat would have been a disaster for Ashby who's next three games are against fellow playoff challengers. The visitors worked hard to find an equaliser but for much of the half it seemed that the hosts may pick up a surprise three points, as Ashby could not carve out many clear-cut chances. lvanhoe's efforts would pay off eventually though when Luke Thorogood equalised with a quarter of an hour left to play, but Ashby would still have felt a draw would have been two points dropped and pushed on for a winner. The winner would come five minutes from time, as a fantastic team move was capped
off by Sam Grouse's low driven effort, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and the hosts dejected. Ashby's players had been unhappy with the time wasting throughout the 2nd half by Cradley and it was clear by the huge reaction on the touch line that the visitors coaches felt that the goal was exactly what their side deserved. After the game Andy Gray expressed his delight with the result but was quick to turn his attention to the rematch with OJM, adding "If I was one of my players, I would be looking for a little bit of revenge". Ashby will be hoping to keep their strong run of form going against OJM on Saturday and avenge the 5-2 defeat they suffered earlier in the season.
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