OS' LOSE OUT IN SEVEN GOAL THRILLER

The O's were poor in the first half and found themselves three goals behind by half time. A goal on fifty minutes gave them hope but a fourth Ashton goal seemed to finish Oldland off. However two late goals almost brought about an unlikely result but the O's couldn't work an equaliser.

With an early kick off, bright weather and more than 200 spectators in the ground, hopes were high of a decent match between the O's, riding high in seventh place, and Ashton who made the short trip around south Bristol. The game started at 1.45pm as part of the inaugural Groundhop 2015 weekend in the Toolstation League, the second of four games taking part today.

Both Connor Davies and Gary Shorney went close with volleys early on but they were rare chances in a below par Oldland first half display. They went behind on eleven minutes when Conor Biggins volleyed home and the same player added number two on the half hour, lashing home from a tight angle. Biggins claimed the goal though team mate Sam Skidmore looked to have got the final touch.

The O's pressed the self destruct button right on the half time whistle when Josh Dempsey gave away a penalty and Biggins made no mistake and completed his hat trick with a fine penalty.

After the break, Oldland top scorer Tom Morgan flicked a header home for his eighth goal in fourteen games and the strike breathed fresh life into the home side's legs, Shorney going close with a curling free kick that Lewis Coombes tipped over.

With twenty minutes remaining, a cross in from the left hand flank was headed home by Skidmore to make the score 4-1 to Ashton and the same player was then thwarted by Dempsey who made a decent save.

After David Stone, Oldland's star man, had driven over from the angle, he then reduced the arrears with two minutes to go, finishing well into the far corner. And when Stone added his second, and Oldland's third after a penalty was awarded for handball, it offered the possibility of an unlikely point. Goalkeeper Dempsey came closest to scoring with a header that was cleared away in stoppage time but ref John Ignat called time on an entertaining encounter that was closer than had seemed all match.