Kevin Phillips looking ahead despite late defeat to Ashton United

Ashton United hosted the league leaders, South Shields, last night and the fixture was honours even until the Robins snatched a dramatic late winner from debutant Ekow Coker, who scored from a corner two minutes before full-time.

Speaking after the game, head coach Kevin Phillips claimed that his team looked tired, but emphasised that there was no excuse for the performance.

"I'm disappointed, especially coming off the back of the weekend [South Shields 4-2 victory against Nantwich].

"We knew it was going to be a tough match, on a cold Tuesday night, the pitch was terrible but we knew that so there was no excuse.

"I think we looked tired... the performances that we have had lately, we have had to dig really deep, especially at the weekend.

"Too many of us were below par this evening, and they [the players] will admit that themselves."

Phillips went on to praise Ashton's dogged performance: "We knew it was going to be a battle.

"They were probably a yard quicker than us tonight and on reflection, they deserved the result," he added.

The Mariners remain at the top of the Premier Division, three points clear of Buxton, and with 10 games remaining, Phillips proclaimed that his focus is solely on the weekend's away tie against Stafford.

"It's just about recovery now [for the players] and getting them right for the weekend. We will reflect on tonight's game and we'll be ready for Saturday.

"It's going to be another tough match with similar conditions [like Ashton] down at Stafford, so we have got to be ready for it."

Meanwhile, Ashton's victory over the Mariners is their second consecutive victory, moving them up five places in the league table to 13th, just one point behind Basford United who sit on 40 points.

The Robins will look forward to another home fixture this weekend as they host Stalybridge Celtic.

Photo credit: South Shields