Ashton Athletic 1 - 3 Flixton FC

NWCFL First Division North | Brocstedes Park

We made it three league wins in a row with a 3-1 victory away at Ashton Athletic, sealed by two late goals in a dramatic finish.

There were also debuts for Will Callighan and Benni Smales-Braithwaite, with both named in the starting XI.

We made the breakthrough in the first half through Ash Cata, who opened the scoring in the 18th minute to give us a 1-0 lead. We took that advantage into the break and continued to create opportunities after the restart.

Ashton found their way back into the game through Joshua Brierley in the 73rd minute, setting up a tense final period with the scores level at 1-1.

But we finished the game strongly. Aaron Dwyer restored our lead in the 88th minute before debutant Benni Smales-Braithwaite capped off the afternoon with his first goal for the club in stoppage time.

Two late goals secured a 3-1 win and another three points on the road.

Team News

Starting XI:
Cameron Mason, Louie Holden, Will Callighan, Jeffry Edos Oni, Jacob Ngoy (C), Jordan Butterworth, Benni Smales-Braithwaite, Isaac Graham, Lewis Byrne, Aaron Dwyer, Ash Cata.

Substitutes:
Josh Wood, Jack Ward, William Mendy, Henry Brown, Olly Irwin.

Match Statistics

Despite having less of the ball, we created plenty of opportunities throughout the game:

• 43% possession

• 17 shots

• 18 total attempts

• 179 completed passes

• 84% of passes completed in the middle third

• 3 goals scored

Our possession was also weighted towards the front of the pitch, with 49% in the middle third and 29% in the attacking third, as we continued to push for the goals that eventually arrived late on.

Looking Ahead

There’s little time to dwell on Saturday’s victory as we’re straight back into league action as we travel to face Woolton at the Simpsons Sports Ground, looking to build on three consecutive league wins.

Woolton vs Flixton FC
Wednesday 16th September | 7:45pm kick-off
Simpsons Sports Ground.