A dramatic late penalty saved a point for Ashton in their first ever encounter with their visitors from South Yorkshire after the Ducks had recovered from a two goal deficit in an all-action first half. The visitors were first to threaten as David Norris beat the offside trap with Simon Woodford blocking and Carnell needing to tip the rebound over the top. Will Beesley then forced a corner down the left wing for Ashton from which his subsequent effort from distance fell kindly in the area for Alex Johnson to tuck it away after 16 minutes. Four minutes later Liam Tomsett picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and made space before curling the ball perfectly into the top corner.
Just one minute later and a mistake by Dominic Smalley allowed Paul Clayton to stride into the area and pull one back with a confident low finish and just past the half hour matters were all square as a long ball put Nicky Walker clear and his cross was helped into this own net by Simon Woodford with Clayton waiting to pounce. Walker himself was then denied at the last by keeper Carnell with the home defence wide open but 4 minutes before the break Woodford conceded a penalty, bringing down David Norris and Spencer Harris put the Ducks ahead.

The second half was a less frenetic affair with the weather worsening by the minute and substitute Matty Chadwick slicing wide when well placed after a nice touch from Johnson whilst at the other end the offside flag pulled up Clayton after he had headed home Alexander Byrne’s cross. With most of the play towards the Shaw Lane goal, a succession of corners for the Robins then saw Mark Lees head one from Tomsett straight into Stewart’s arms but with 2 minutes left the latest corner saw Tom Eckersley pushed with Chadwick slotting home the equaliser and Johnson could still have grabbed a winner as his low effort came back off the left hand post with Stewart well beaten.

Team: Carnell, Smalley, Beesley, Eckersley, Woodford (Roberts 46), Chalmers, Lees, Tomsett, Johnson, Dyche (Chadwick 46), Evangelinos (Pilkington 62). SNU: Banim, Ollerenshaw.