Ashton United Updates

[ashtonsnapper]

I think everyone from Ashton enjoyed the hospitality shown off the field on our first visit to The Grove, and your club earned our respect after the speed and manner of the reaction shown by players, coaches and supporters following the serious injury to our skipper / your opening goalscorer. (Broken cheekbone and fractured eye socket BTW, but reasonably OK otherwise.)

The pitch wasn't brilliant but no complaints - it was the end of February when all said and done; when you live halfway up the Pennines you get used to it.

The pitch, coupled with that devilish gusty wind, led to both sides making mistakes, which (for me) resulted in an entertaining game regardless of the result. The fact that we scored three absolute blinders swung it our way in a close game.

If we're both in this division next season then I will look forward to my next trip to yours, just hoping the motorway linking our bit of Manchester and the M6 is open next time!

Had a quick word with your photographer, nice guy - very welcoming / helpful also - here's a few of my grabs from the game... let me know (gently) if I've mistaken any of your lads in the descriptions.

http://www.evostikleague.co.uk/photos.p ... &id=564966

Good luck for the rest of the season.

[lutleyyeltz]

Now that is exactly what following non-league football is all about.
Thanks for the kind comments and good luck to you, too.
Let's hope that your skipper recovers quickly and retains his good looks!

[yeltz85]

Hear a lot about our pitch lately
Obviously it's not ideal, but watch Blyth v Stamford and Grantham v FCUM on You Tube and then tell me ours is worse

I'm not going to say our pitch is worse, but it is in a really bad state. Hence the negative comments. Obviously its not to blame for our result yesterday because both sides are in the same boat when it comes to playing on it, so to speak. But the state of pitch is awful. If you had told an Ashton fan yesterday that we had re-turfed the goal mouth in front of the shed end in July, I imagine they would have had a hard time believing you.

Look at half the pitches in the Northern League and tell me that most of them are better. Take a look at Frickley, Blyth, Grantham, Tividale, Leek (One game in Feb), Sheffield (Lots of postponements) and many more. Have a look at Kiddy Harriers too...

Only those pitches that have a lot of £££ spent on them are in top nick. Nantwich and Curzon come to mind. Curzon recently spent a lot in the last month having special machinery come in to renovate it with a band of volunteers.

We have one man working on our pitch, gaining knowledge as he goes on.

Open message to everyone... As ever the club needs volunteers, if someone is interested them I am sure Ant would like a couple more hands to help him with the pitch. Especially on match days, divot replacing etc. I'm sure lots of people will come forwards to help as ever...

Drop me an email at info@ht-fc.com and I can get it arranged.

Guesty

[RobYeltz]

Hear a lot about our pitch lately
Obviously it's not ideal, but watch Blyth v Stamford and Grantham v FCUM on You Tube and then tell me ours is worse

I'm not going to say our pitch is worse, but it is in a really bad state. Hence the negative comments. Obviously its not to blame for our result yesterday because both sides are in the same boat when it comes to playing on it, so to speak. But the state of pitch is awful. If you had told an Ashton fan yesterday that we had re-turfed the goal mouth in front of the shed end in July, I imagine they would have had a hard time believing you.

Look at half the pitches in the Northern League and tell me that most of them are better. Take a look at Frickley, Blyth, Grantham, Tividale, Leek (One game in Feb), Sheffield (Lots of postponements) and many more. Have a look at Kiddy Harriers too...

Only those pitches that have a lot of £££ spent on them are in top nick. Nantwich and Curzon come to mind. Curzon recently spent a lot in the last month having special machinery come in to renovate it with a band of volunteers.

We have one man working on our pitch, gaining knowledge as he goes on.

Open message to everyone... As ever the club needs volunteers, if someone is interested them I am sure Ant would like a couple more hands to help him with the pitch. Especially on match days, divot replacing etc. I'm sure lots of people will come forwards to help as ever...

Drop me an email at info@ht-fc.com and I can get it arranged.

Guesty

Great post!

If I could add to that though Guesty, it would be helpful if the goalmouths weren't used at half time by the subs or during the pre match kick in. I'm not just suggesting it happens at just our games either, clearly it is being used when other games take place on the pitch. The shed end once again is considerably worse than the Stourbr*dge Road end, doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out why.
As ever, no criticism of Ant intended, and he does a good job all things considered.

[old git]

100% agreed Rob
I would go further though.
This modern obsession by coaches/managers/trainers to perform full scale matches from about 1.45 through to 2.30 is what really kills pitches.
On quite a few occasions recently at 1.00 Ant has done a fine job and the pitch looks great. Fast forward an hour and by the time the paying punters arrive all they see is a cabbage patch with tram lines where 'shuttles' have been performed, and small churned up brown patches where five a side games have taken place.

[Yeltz27]

Great comments by RaidenYeltz and dazzzlingdazza true Yeltz men to the end of time.

It is curious that you consider people who are abusive to fellow fans to be "true Yeltz men"

[JohnC]

I know Ant has had words on several occasions only to be ignored. He us as frustrated as us. The half time I am on about.

[KenR]

Thanks for your generous comments Ashtonsnapper. One thing I've noticed since we transferred to the Northern League is welcoming and complimentary opposing supporters are towards us. I cannot remember such camaraderie when we drove down the M5 in the Southern League. Regarding the match , I don't think we played well enough to deserve anything from the game but could consider ourselves unlucky with have three cleared off the Ashton line and conceding three "blinders" which on another day could have gone over the stand.

[gingeryeltz]

Thanks for your generous comments Ashtonsnapper. One thing I've noticed since we transferred to the Northern League is welcoming and complimentary opposing supporters are towards us. I cannot remember such camaraderie when we drove down the M5 in the Southern League. Regarding the match , I don't think we played well enough to deserve anything from the game but could consider ourselves unlucky with have three cleared off the Ashton line and conceding three "blinders" which on another day could have gone over the stand.

Being the big Blue nose that you are Ken - did you mean Peaky Blinders?

[KenR]

Gingeryeltz, me a bluenose ? wash your mouth out with sulphuric acid.