Over the weekend, Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford made the trip to Hurst Cross, the home of Ashton United, to take part in a private training session over the international break.
The session was organised by local coach and former Mossley and Droylsden player Ryan Hopper, the owner of RH Elite Coaching, who approached Ashton United regarding the use of their facilities.
The club’s groundsman, Luke Sayle, says investment in the pitch over the summer has made opportunities such as this possible:
“Generous investment from the chairmen has allowed the pitch to get to a fantastic standard,” Sayle told the Reporter.
“I’m told everyone was very happy with what was provided on the day, and it’s thanks to them that we now have facilities that are suitable for players of this calibre.”
And it’s not just the pitch that has seen improvement over the off season- the club added a brand-new stand ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The new stand bears the name of Johnny Burke - The Robins' record appearance holder - who represented the club from 1953 through to 1964, making 410 appearances in the process. Johnny's son, David, and grandson, Jonathon, are also the current co-chairmen at Hurst Cross.
The new stand is the most obvious change but not the only addition to the Hurst Cross facilities - a new toilet block replaces the ancient facilities adjacent to the main stand and, on the opposite side of the ground, a new electronic scoreboard displays the pre-match team news and updates the score / scorers during the game.
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