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Non-league Football: Ashton close in on dream

ASHTON United are just 90 minutes away from ending a decade of UniBond League promotion anguish - but sad Radcliffe must try again next season.

The Hurst Cross Robins, who have just finished third in division one for the sixth time in 10 years, sailed through to the league's first-ever play-off final with a 3-1 home win over Spennymoor in front of a season's best Bank Holiday crowd of 407.

Ashton now face a trip on Thursday to Bamber Bridge, who wrecked Radcliffe's hopes of glory by beating them 3-2 in extra-time after Lee Potter and Jody Banim had twice fired Boro in front.

First-half strikes by Chris Cornelly and Phil Denney put Ashton on course for victory, but they needed an injury-time goal by Lee Blackshaw to seal it after Spennymoor had reduced the arrears with a last minute penalty conceded by Dean Johnson.