Details
| Date | Time | League | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27/12/2025 | 15:00 | The Pitching In Isthmian Football League - South-Central Division | 2025-2026 |
Ground
| Racecourse Ground 3G 11-a-side |
|---|
| Sunninghill and Ascot, Ascot, Windsor and Maidenhead, South East, England, United Kingdom |
Report
ASCOT HELD BY HARTLEY WINTNEY
Seasonal stalemate earns first draw
Ascot United drew a league game for the first time of the season against play-off chasing Hartley Wintney on Saturday. In a close affair, The Yellamen might have nicked all three points late-on, although defeat would have been harsh on both sides
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Ascot’s contrasting league form had seen them win eight of eleven home games this season with a near-mirror opposite trend on the road. Fortunately, they were back at The Racecourse after three successive road trips, and in their way were Hartley Wintney.
The ‘Row, who had ex-Yellamen Joe Gater and Connor Holland in their ranks, had faltered slightly of late, but it would still be a tough task for the home side who added Quaye Vine into their squad alongside brother Lucias as they sought three festive points; Andrio Brandao unavailable alongside the injured George Franklin, Kie Plumley and Fope Deru.
Chances at a premium in evenly-matched first half
In an eerily subdued first half atmosphere, both sides shared four chances as Ascot started well before the visitors came back into it.
Lucias Vine would head wide at the far post just five minutes in, although it would have needed to have been some header to get enough purchase back on the ball and loop it back over Nicky Jupp in the visitors’ goal.
Jupp was, however, in action in the 24th minute when he got down well to save Tyrese Osbourne’s low shot across him from a tight angle – Osbourne and Harvey Harry had done -well to regain possession near the half-way line – before the visitors finally showed more intent.
Home defender Josh Edwards’s fine block diverted Kyen Nicholas’s shot away from danger in the 29th minute before the same striker might have made more of a close-range effort that stand-in ‘keeper Sam Swyer gathered straight down his middle, and that was it as the sides changed ends.
More of the same in second half
The second period was even tighter and only sprung to life when respective ‘keepers Jupp and Swyer made routine saves in quick succession to deny powerful drives from Osbourne and Nicholas.
Jupp then made an awkward-looking save to get his body behind Khalid Simmo’s shot midway through the half after Babs Dehghani had done well to fashion space for a cross from the right, but it was nip-and-tuck until the fourth of five added minutes. This time, man-of-the-match Kai Allsopp superbly won possession in his side’s final third, threaded a fine pass through to substitute Quaye Vine, and although he was shepherded away from danger, he managed to dig out a rasping shot that Jupp beat away for a corner.
But that was the closest he and his side came and the points were shared; a deserved clean sheet to-boot for the impressive Swyer.
Ascot United: Swyer, Murray (Dehghani 46’), Rohart-Brown (Lamb 92’), Edwards, Fraser, Sankoh, Allsopp, Simmo, Osbourne (Pache 63’), L. Vine (Q. Vine 75’), Harry (Kamara 59’).
Venue: The Racecourse Ground, Ascot
Attendance: 176
Weather: 7c, overcast
Reporter’s star man: Kai Allsopp (Ascot United)
Entertainment: 3
Away fans estimate: 25
One-word summary: Fair