Buxton v Ashton - match report

Martin McIntosh’s side slipped down to ninth in the Evo-Stik Premier Division standings whilst the visitors ensured their unbeaten start continued.

The Bucks boss admitted his side were second best on the night.

He said: “I have no complaints. I thought they did a job on us.

“They counter-attacked well and got men behind the ball.

“I wouldn’t say they had an abundance of chances but we certainly didn’t ask enough questions of them.”

Buxton started sloppily on a rainy night at the Silverlands and surrendered the first chance of the night when Gary Gee was afforded too much time and space before wastefully blazing over.

The hosts slowly worked their way into the game but without the potent Lee Morris, sitting out the first of a three-game ban, they struggled in the final third.

Matt Thornhill saw a shot blocked in the area before another shot at goal was gathered at the second attempt by Paul Phillips in the Ashton goal.

Shortly after Craig King, impressive as ever, played a neat chipped through-ball to Leon Osborne but the former Bradford man scuffed his shot across the face of goal.

The Bucks’ back four, which was unchanged for the third game running, had largely looked comfortable until a mazy run by Carlos Logan was halted at the last second by the rejuvenated Ash Palmer.

That run was to prove the foreplay to the opening goal and from the resulting corner Ashley Young was alert to flick the ball past Andy Warrington inside the area.

The goal seemed to bring out the belief within Ashton and the rest of the half saw them pepper Warrington’s goal with a number of efforts.

The second half started as the first had ended, with the visitors well on top.

Warrington had to be alert to drive away an acute drive from the left before Derek Niven and Spencer Harris produced key blocks.

Warrington then pulled off the save of the night with a brilliant one-handed stop to deny substitute Joe O’Neill who had weaved through the Bucks’ rearguard.

The introduction of Mark Reed, on for Osborne, saw a step-up in terms of the Bucks attack and it paid dividends on 75 minutes when they drew level, albeit with a scruffy goal.

A ball was whipped into the area by Steve Istead and struck Ashton’s Chris Lynch on it’s way past Phillips.

Moments later Warrington had to be alert to tip a daisycutter free-kick around the post.

With the game coming to a close, the Bucks looked worthy of a point but Ashton had other ideas as a hanging ball to the far post picked out O’Neill who nodded past Warrington.

In a late bid for a second equaliser, McIntosh threw on Jack Broadhead as an emergency striker but Ashton held out to make it eight games unbeaten and stretch the Bucks’ winless home run to three.

Buxton: Warrington; Black, Green, Palmer, Harris; Thornhill, Niven, Istead; Osborne, Dean, King.