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Robins boss looks to end home spell with three points

Gavin Browne
16/ 4/2008

ASHTON United manager Danny Johnson is looking for his players to finish their home season with three points against Gateshead on Saturday.

The Robins head into the final two games of the UniBond League Division One North campaign in mid-table with Johnson believing his side are safe from the drop despite one of the tightest divisions in years.

His belief was boosted by United’s 2-0 victory at Hednesford Town last weekend, a difficult task on paper made all the more arduous by a selection nightmare for Johnson.

He said: "I had three phone calls on the morning of the game; Danny Caldecott told me he had the flu, Ryan Moore phoned up and said he had a back injury caused by doing something at home, and then Steve Aspinall got recalled by Altrincham, so I had to pull a couple of lads in who’d been loaned out and we went down there with 12 men. It was an awesome win and performance though, probably the best performance of the season because of the situation.

"Hednesford are a decent side, so to go there and win 2-0 was a great team performance. A lot of things came together, and if we can take that into next season, I think we’ll be OK.  I’d imagine one victory kind of secures our future in the league next year, but I don’t think we’re going to go down now."

With Gateshead playing Buxton as the Advertiser went to press on Tuesday night, it was possible that Saturday’s visitors would arrive at Hurst Cross having wrapped up third place in the table.  Having drawn 1-1 at Gateshead earlier in the season, Johnson knows to expect a tough encounter.

He said: "They destroyed us for 45 minutes at their place if the truth be known but we defended resolutely, came out for the second half and sestroyed them. We know what they can do but they know what we can do. We live in hope that they will have got third place by the time they come to Hurst Cross and will take their foot off the gas, maybe winding down and not wanting to get too many people injured."

It is hoped that Caldecott and Moore will be fit in time for Saturday, although the likes of Matthew Flynn (suspension), Dean Canning and Steve Garvey (both holidays) will be unavailable for the Robins.