A WELL-EARNED earned 1-0 win at Cheadle Heath Nomads combined with favourable results elsewhere mean Ashville will play a third season in the NWCFL next season.

Villa came into this game needing just a point before taking on bottom placed Market Drayton Town on Tuesday night at Ray Parker Stadium.

Thanks to injuries and suspensions, Ashville were forced to name a depleted squad to travel to Cheadle with manager Gary Jones named in the squad for the third game running. 

Both sides started off pretty evenly, Cheadle just about having the better of the early opportunities with Max Lewens pulling one wide from 20 yards after just three minutes for the hosts.

The following minutes saw the momentum swing Ashville's way with multiple corners and very good crosses being fired into the box. The first of these came after six minutes when Courtnell met a corner at the back post but could only direct it straight at Ryan Michael Forde in the Nomads goal.

Iacovou did slightly disrupt the Ashville forward momentum with a long range drive that was pulled wide to cap off a frantic opening 10 minutes. Just a couple of minutes later and Villa hit the bar. A free kick from the left hand side seemed to flick off a Cheadle head and off the bar before going out. A goal kick was awarded and Villa were left to rue another glorious missed opportunity from a set piece.

Joe Dulson was causing all sorts of issues for the Nomads back line and this was shown in the 13th minute when he did well to turn two defenders in the box before firing a shot over the bar whilst under pressure.

Ashville became the dominant team in the half, especially from set plays. This time a 17th minute corner was whipped across the face of goal and all that was needed was a touch but no one in white gambled and the opportunity passed.

Nomads were still a threat though and a near perfect counter attack proved as such just two minutes later. Max Lewens found himself in acres of space at the back post but Ebbrell was quick off his line to smother the ball before Lewens could shoot.

Lewis Moynes has been one of Ashville's most consistent and most impressive performers this season and it's a real shame he doesn't have more goals to show for it. He almost bookended his campaign in emphatic fashion just before the half hour mark though, rattling one off the bar from 30 yards out.

How Ashville weren't ahead by half time is a question even the smartest of academics might struggle to answer. Just four minutes after Moynes hitting the bar, Ashville saw a headed effort from a corner get cleared off the line. You just can't get much closer without scoring. Mind you at some points Ashville didn't do themselves any favours.

With 36 minutes on the clock Ben Greenop fizzed a cross through the corridor of uncertainty where Peter Morgan only had to get a touch on the ball to score, alas the winger did not react quick enough and the scores remained tied.

Barring yet another headed chance for Connor Courtnell that could only find the palms of Forde, Ashville were held back for the remainder of the half and the sides went in level.

Ashville started the second half a tiny bit more sluggish than they ended the first, the half time break seemingly coming at the wrong time for Villa. It wasn't long before they created their first opportunity though. A well worked throw in routine on the left hand side fell to Courtnell before the Ashville left back pulled the ball back for Josh Maldon. The captain for the day opened up the shooting angle inside the box but got under it big time and over it went.

Being a centre-back at Ashville doesn't seem like much of a fun gig at the moment. Tom Hartley, Michael Reynolds, Shaun Farrall and now you can add Lee Bridge to the ever growing list of defensive injuries at the club. The fact all of these are at the heart of Ashville's defence as well makes the issue all the more unlucky. The remaining two match day squads will certainly be interesting as some major rotation will be needed.

Just after the hour mark, Ashville finally broke the deadlock and after all the huffing and puffing of the first half it was a ghastly Nomads mistake which left the door wide open for Peter Morgan to walk in, make a cuppa, put his feet up and pop the telly on. A defensive miscommunication saw a Nomads defender collide with Forde, who came out to clear the ball, and Peter Morgan was on hand to take full advantage as he slotted home into an empty net to really rub salt into a very fresh wound.

It was just reward for a Villa side who had more than earned their lead. You make your own luck in football and this was perfect example of that old adage. They nearly threw it away just three minutes later though when Adam Sunners short sold Ebbrell with a back pass which gifted Dan Lewis with a beautiful opportunity to equalise. It was beautiful until Ebbrell brilliantly forced Lewis wide before completely shutting down the angle altogether leading to the Nomads forward only finding the side netting.

Ashville had to put up an all out defensive against a newly inspired Nomads attack for the remainder of the game, thankfully coming away without any major incidents outside of a few scuffed clearances. With a makeshift back line in place though it was a very impressive performance to keep Nomads from getting an equaliser.

In fact, Villa would almost double the lead in the final minute when Lewis Moynes found Ben Glover in space behind the Nomads defence and instead of taking it into the corner Glover drove towards the box, smelling an opportunity to seal the game. From there he found Ben Greenop with a pull back but Ashville's number 10 pulled it just wide.

There would be penalty appeals in stoppage time but quite honestly it perhaps should of been a yellow card for diving. Ultimately it was just waved away without either side facing punishment.

And there we had it, Ashville had secured safety and will once again compete in the NWCFL First Division South next season. It will be Ashville's third consecutive season at this level, another amazing accomplishment for the club.

It also means we once again have multiple Wirral representatives in NWCFL next season. There was further drama at the bottom of the table as 16th placed New Mills welcomed bottom placed Market Drayton Town at Church Lane. Market Drayton needed a win to keep their survival hopes alive but fell to a 2-0 away defeat. The three points for The Millers means that Market Drayton now can't catch either New Mills or Ashville.

Ashville can now go into the final two fixtures with a weight lifted off their shoulders and maybe we will see some less familiar faces get some development minutes before the players break away before coming back for pre-season training in July. Ashville will face the aforementioned Market Drayton Town at Ray Parker Stadium on Tuesday (8pm KO) before finishing the season on Thursday night, also at home, against Abbey Hulton United. Tickets for both of these fixtures are available at ashvillefc.com/tickets