Resurgent Reds travel to Ashton for six-pointer

FC United travel to our local rivals Ashton United, in the hopes of making it back-to-back wins in the league for the first time since early November.

This game could see us finally move out of the relegation zone and put some much-needed breathing space between us and Ashton.

The last game for the Reds see us keep up this unusual trend of picking up more points away from home, as we beat second place Bradford Park Avenue, in a performance which showed that our season was far from dead and buried, despite four consecutive league defeats games since the 2-2 draw at Leamington.

Goals from Chris Sharp, Jack Banister and top marksman Kurt Willoughby gave us that priceless and much needed win over a side with promotion ambitions.

It was the first away win in the league since the 3-1 win over Hereford more than tow months ago and the first away win in all competitions since the 2-0 win over Mossley in the Manchester FA Premier Cup, which came just three days after the three points at Hereford.

It’s worth noting that Neil Reynolds’ first few games in charge of FC United were characterised by those away victories in early November and the win last week could spark another mini run which would probably go a long way come the end of the season.

It is no secret we need to improve defensively, having conceded 51 goals this season and having not kept a clean sheet since the 2-0 win over Curzon Ashton in December.

On a positive note, we are coming up against a side in Ashton United who currently have the worst defensive record in the league. The Robins come into the game having lost three games on the bounce and they sit in 21st place in the league after 25 games. They are currently four points behind the Reds with a game in hand, so a win for us could see us move seven points clear.

For Ashton, their last victory was against their crosstown rivals Curzon Ashton in December having gone five previous games without picking up a single point and since that win over Curzon they have lost their last three games.

Saturday’s game kicks off at the traditional and supporter friendly time of three o’clock and come 5pm may know whether or not the win against Bradford Park Avenue was a one-off or, hopefully, the start of a sequence of great results for the Reds. Bring on United.