When North West Counties League team Ashton Athletic decided to fast track there reserve team into the FA Lancashire Galaxy League, it was always going to be a gamble.

In effect the Galaxy league is used by Non-League clubs with football league ambitions to nurture up and coming players and develop them for the riggers of non-league and hopefully one day the football league. This attracts some of the top players who have unfortunately for various reasons failed to make the grade as full professionals but still want to play at the highest grade they can achieve , and so the quality of player and clubs involved is of a high standard.
Clubs pay some of these players quite handsomely, although not on par with premier
league , they can still receive a “nice little earner “.

Ashton Athletic Development squad Manager Roy Grundy and coaching staff Kevin Morris and Garry Williams have always maintained that the Development of this side was the priority in order to eventualy push them on to the first team. Having built a unique team they have after only 2 games turned some heads toward the Ashton Lion.
The majority of the squad last season played in the North West Youth Allience League, probably the best non-League development league in this area.With Ashton Athletics Under 18s winning the 1st Division, and Walshaw Sport Club runners up. Walshaw winning the cup competition, Ashton runners up ,saw both teams furlongs ahead of the rest playing football “in the right way”, by passing rather than the long ball game . The idea was to bring together the cream of these teams and offer them an opportunity to test their footballing skills at the highest possible level.
So when the Wigan side ran out against Staleybridge Celtic last week it was a leap into the unknown!
To a number of people the result was a surprise.6-1 to the Athletic. But to those whom have followed the fortunes of these young players over the last couple of saesons it was just the next step along the football road. The next result , a 4-3 win away to Blue Square North side Workington Town (some 3 hours and 3 divisions above Ashton ) proved that this group of talented youngsters can go along way in this beautiful game.
It may be a new season with plenty of football to play, but the way this campaign has started it will be an exiting one.