Ashton Athletic F.C.

History

The club was formed in 1968 as a Sunday league side in the Wigan Sunday League, winning every division in successive seasons before moving to Saturday football in the Warrington & District League. Success there led to joining the Lancashire Combination in 1978, but the club struggled, finishing bottom in 1978–79 and 1981–82. When the Lancashire Combination merged with the Cheshire County League to form the North West Counties League in 1982, Ashton were placed in Division Three, where they finished bottom in 1982–83, 1983–84, and again in 1985–86 after a fourteenth-place finish in 1984–85.

At the end of that season the club was expelled from the league because Brocstedes Park failed to meet ground grading criteria, dropping into Division One of the Manchester League. They continued to struggle, finishing bottom of Division One in 1989–90 and again in 1994–95. After finishing fourth in Division One in 2005–06 and improving Brocstedes Park, the club was accepted back into the North West Counties League in Division Two. A third-place finish in 2007–08 brought promotion to the renamed Premier Division.

Although they finished bottom in 2010–11, they were reprieved from relegation after New Mills were promoted and Formby were relegated for a rules breach. In 2013–14 they won the Challenge Cup, beating Maine Road 1–0 in the final, and in 2016–17 they won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy with a 2–1 victory over Radcliffe Borough. In 2022–23 Ashton finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One North.