Subs: Steph Gretton, Stuart Barry

Goalscorers: Strange (2), Smith, Ireson, Doo, Edwards

Referee: Alan Stringer
 
Match Report from Nick Addison:

Upper Beeding     6-3       Ashington
Smith (48)      H-T: 0-1 Anderson (35)
Doo (65) Bowring (60)
Ireson (75) Campbell (88)
Strange (78) (90)
Edwards (89)
 

"In hindsight", explained Beeding Manager Mick Barry, "it was a tactical
error on my part to switch to a flat back four on Saturday." The loss of
experienced defender Steve Barber (work commitments) gave Barry the option
of recalling Steve Gretton to his starting line up or opting for a 4-4-2
formation with Jamie Ireson  and Gary Salter at the heart of the defence.

Barry chose the latter and watched in disbelief as his two full backs, Glynn
Edmonds and Mark Salter, charged forward at every opportunity leaving his
back line to be cruelly exposed on three separate occasions.

But it was not all bad news for Barry as his midfield of Paul Barker, Sean
Edwards, John Burgess and David Smith tortured and tormented Ashington with
a superb demonstration of passing and movement.

It all looked so easy for Beeding as they carved Ashington open in the early
stages but Smith, Lee Strange, Matt Doo, Sean Edwards  and Gary and Mark
Salter all spurned glorious opportunities to finish the game as a contest
before half time.

Instead it was Ashington who took the half-time advantage when a long
clearance caught Ireson and Gary Salter static. The bouncing ball also
deceived Keeper Scott Redfern as he rushed from his area and the ball
bounced over him, leaving Giles Anderson the simplest of tasks to tap the
ball into the empty net.

Barrys' interval lecture seemed to have had the desired effect three minutes
into the half when Strange retrieved a lost cause and found Mark Salter to
cross from the left, Edwards' header was blocked but in the ensuing
scramble, Smith calmly  stroked the equaliser past Mickey Lech in the
Ashington goal.

Any thoughts of an avalanche of goals was quickly dispelled as Beeding found
Lech in commanding form. After 60 minutes Strange found himself in space on
the right and cut in to thrash a vicious shot against the bar. The rebound
hoiked clear some 60 yards was missed by completely by Redfern and Craig
Bowring followed the ball in the Beeding area to side foot the First
Division visitors in front again.

Barry was pulling out what little there is left of his hair. He replaced
Edmonds with Steve Gretton as Beeding searched again for a way back into the
tie. This time they did not have to wait long. Within five minutes  Mark
Salters dipping cross shot was turned over by Lech and Salters' delivery
from the ensuing corner was met powerfully by Doo to level things up again.

Ten minutes later it was almost deja - vu as Mark Salters' corner was this
time headed on by Edwards and Ireson's shot was adjudged to have crossed the
line

Barry took off Doo and sent on fresh legs in the shape of his seventeen year
old son Stuart. Within a minute of his being on he had nutmegged the
unfortunate Si Farhall, raced past Dave Laker ad clipped the ball in for
Strange to head past Lech for 4-2.

Barry senior was looking more relaxed. But there was worse to come. With two
minutes remaining, a harmless ball bounced on the edge of the Beeding box,
Gary Salter's header back to his goal keeper was woefully short and Johnny
Campbell nipped in to slide the ball past the shell shocked Redfern.

Within a minute parity had again been restored when Stuart Barry found Smith
in the Ashington penalty area and his square ball was met by the right foot
of Edwards, leaving it to nestle in the far corner of the net.

As the game move into stoppage time Gretton's through ball was left by both
Laker and Farhall but not by Strange who tucked Beedings sixth in between
Lech and his near post.