Curzon Ashton FC
Ground: Tameside Stadium
Capacity: 4,000
Club Founded: 1963
League: Northern Premier League Premier Division (current level)
Early Years
Curzon Ashton, from the town of Ashton under Lyne in Greater Manchester, was formed in 1963 after the merger of two clubs, Curzon Road F.C. and Ashton Amateurs F.C., who played in local football. They first took the name of Curzon Amateurs before their present title.
The club played in local football and the Manchester League in their formative years before becoming a member of the Cheshire League in 1979, winning promotion in their first season.
In 1980, they became the first North West team to reach the semi-finals of the FA Vase. Going on to become a founder member of the North West Counties League (NWCL). They were placed in the Northern Premier League in 1987 after the league was rejigged.
A Switch of Leagues and a New Stadium
In the late 1990’s, the club found problems on and off the pitch as they were placed in the Northern Counties East League (NCEL), before being moved back west in before the end of the decade. Tameside Stadium, a new ground for the club to replace National Park, was opened in 2005.
Promotion to the Northern Premier League was achieved in 2007, as the FA Vase semi-final was also reached once again, where Truro City came out on top. A couple of seasons later saw a run to the second round of the FA Cup, before triple playoff disappointment saw the Blues fall short of promotion.
Double Promotions
However, they weren't to be denied in 2013-14 as promotion to the Premier Division of the NPL was achieved under the management of John Flanagan. Nash's fantastic run continued as the side went up again via the play-offs in 2014-15, as Ilkeston Town were defeated.
Now a non-league Step 2 side, Flanagan's side consolidated their position. Mark Bradshaw and then Steve Cunningham in the summer of 2020 were appointed as team manager.
Playoffs and Relegation
New team boss Craig Mahon took the side to the playoffs in 2023-24. The club had been punching well above its weight, and with finances tight, form fell away, and the side was relegated on the final day of the 2025-26 season under new manager Adam Barton
My visits
Stadium Visit - Tuesday 20th July 2010
A Wasted Walk to a Ground No Longer There
I was in the Greater Manchester area for three days, visiting as many clubs as possible. Earlier, I had been to Rochdale and Oldham, arriving by bus in Ashton under Lyne. With my A to Z at my side, I marched on towards the ground in Katharine Street.
I was a bit confused when I couldn't see any floodlights where they should have been. I was about to head down a lane when I saw a man packing up his burger van. He confirmed I was in the right place, but five years too late. I had gone to where the old ground stood, but it was now replaced by modern housing!
A Good Walk and an Excellent New Facility
I was soon back on track, but I’d walked a long way for nothing. I was helped towards the ground by road signs and, before long, was looking at a sparkling new facility across a huge park, including the Richmond Park Athletics Stadium, which is home to East Cheshire Harriers & Tameside AC. Work was going on all around the site, and everything looked spic and span.
Fortunately, a gate was open to the ground as it was surrounded by very high walls. Some older gents were sitting chatting in the Main Stand, and I asked permission to take photos. Before long, the groundsman was along for a chat.
The Main Stand was a large structure full of seats with plentiful facilities underneath. Opposite was a large covered terrace. There was also plenty of open terracing with crush barriers. It was most impressive and had some character, which is sometimes missing in new grounds.
I left and went past a large enclosed floodlit pitch with a modern artificial surface, which can be used for training or private hire to bring in invaluable finances. I was on my way on a long walk through the residential street up the hill to Hurst Cross, home of Ashton United.
Curzon Ashton 1 Scarborough Athletic 0
Heading to Manchester
Fortunately, a gate was open to the ground as it was surrounded by very high walls. Some older gents were sitting chatting in the Main Stand, and I asked permission to take photos. Before long, the groundsman was along for a chat.
The Main Stand was a large structure full of seats with plentiful facilities underneath. Opposite was a large covered terrace. There was also plenty of open terracing with crush barriers. It was most impressive and had some character, which is sometimes missing in new grounds.
I left and went past a large enclosed floodlit pitch with a modern artificial surface, which can be used for training or private hire to bring in invaluable finances. I was on my way on a long walk through the residential street up the hill to Hurst Cross, home of Ashton United.
Curzon Ashton 1 Scarborough Athletic 0
FA
Cup Second Qualifying Round - Saturday 27th September 2014
👨👨👧👧 236 🎟️ £8
Boro
had progressed in the FA Cup and drawn a decent-looking away game. This
replaced a trip to Clitheroe in the league. Early-season cup games are a peril
to any fan trying to plan in advance. Fortunately, I was off for a long weekend, and the previous day marked the end of cricket’s
County Championship.
County Cricket at Old Trafford
This in itself led to planning headaches in which games
would have any meaning and last four days. After
much deliberation, I chose the relegation battle at Old Trafford between
Lancashire and Middlesex over Yorkshire v Somerset, as The Tykes had sealed the
title a couple of weeks earlier.
My pal Tony Foster had already booked a room
close to the ground as he was staying on for Saturday to see West Ham play
against Manchester United. After a real nail-biting day of cricket and a bloody good session around Manchester, I bid farewell and headed into the city.
Boro started well against a Nash side sitting pretty at the top of the Premier Division before play. Then Jason White in the Boro net came to the fore with a succession of brilliant saves. The home side played neat passing football just a little better than Boro attempted for a long spell. It paid off when Samuel Walker scored with a fine low curling effort from twenty-five yards after thirty-eight minutes.
Boro
fought back with Gary Bradshaw being denied a leveller with a header as home
custodian Hakan Burton pulled off what would be the first of several great
stops. Following
a half-time slurp, we took up our places once more to see Boro put in a brilliant
performance, but sadly one lacking a goal.
 |
| The bronze sculpture outside Thameside Stadium of three World Cup winners born in the local Tameside borough: Sir Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Armfield, and Simone Perrotta |
Pre-Match Build Up
I took breakfast in Wetherspoons in The
Printworks after their branch near the stadium had attempted to charge us a
quid just to enter. They weren’t getting it purely on principle. I was glad to
escape as the tourist village of stalls and fast food set up while the staff
arrived.
To kill an hour, I went around the National Football Museum to walk off the grub before jumping aboard a train at Victoria Station, which was undergoing an extensive redevelopment. The ride was just over ten minutes to Ashton-Under-Lyne, where I waited for the service in the other direction, carrying my mate Guy Watson from Leeds.
Into Ashton-Under-Lyne
To kill an hour, I went around the National Football Museum to walk off the grub before jumping aboard a train at Victoria Station, which was undergoing an extensive redevelopment. The ride was just over ten minutes to Ashton-Under-Lyne, where I waited for the service in the other direction, carrying my mate Guy Watson from Leeds.
We’d
been told by our local pal, Frazer Armitage, not to expect anything astounding in
town, but The Engine Room and Ash Tree were fine. Frazer’s two lads played for
Curzon Ashton, but he’d already arranged to go to Hull City v Manchester City,
so he missed out on our day. A
tram ride dropped us up the hill past the enormous Ikea at Ashton West.
From
there, it was a few minutes down to the ground where a funfair was set up
alongside. The programme was available for £2. The rain kept coming and
going as it would throughout the afternoon, which added an extra slickness to
the bowling green pitch.
Pre-Match at Tameside Stadium
Pre-match drinks were taken in a secondary bar under the stand, as the main room had
been hired for a wedding reception after the game. It was a tight squeeze, but the locals
were friendly. The burger was not bad at all, either.
The
vocal Seadogs assembled themselves on the far side under the roof. It was as
well that up to 180 visiting fans had made the journey, or the gate would have
been extremely sparse.
The Match
Boro started well against a Nash side sitting pretty at the top of the Premier Division before play. Then Jason White in the Boro net came to the fore with a succession of brilliant saves. The home side played neat passing football just a little better than Boro attempted for a long spell. It paid off when Samuel Walker scored with a fine low curling effort from twenty-five yards after thirty-eight minutes.
The general consensus was that no one could remember such a fine display from the Seadogs. Jimmy
Beadle and Ryan Blott both had efforts somehow saved. Several corners bore
pressure, but the excellence of Burton and a fair slice of luck kept Nash
ahead. It was just not to be Scarborough’s day.
Keeper White even went up for the last few corners. In stoppage time, substitute Jordan Thewliss was shown a straight red for an off-the-ball incident, much to the fury of boss Rudy Funk. At full time, the teams took a well-deserved ovation. It had been a superb advert for non-league football.
Keeper White even went up for the last few corners. In stoppage time, substitute Jordan Thewliss was shown a straight red for an off-the-ball incident, much to the fury of boss Rudy Funk. At full time, the teams took a well-deserved ovation. It had been a superb advert for non-league football.
Post-Match
and Leeds Ale Stops
With a couple of hours to kill, Guy did the honours and opened my eyes to some excellent new bars selling real ale. We visited Tapped and The Griffin on Boar Lane, heading on to the Brewery Tap, where the Leeds Brewery ales were top-notch.
We then walked under the railway arches to The Hop. Again, the ale was excellent, but it also had good live music. Leeds was really a city on the up regarding pubs. We finished off in the Scarbrough Taps. I left Guy. I could have easily stayed on, but my trains were booked.
To round off a great day out, I bumped into my Scarborough-based mates who follow Middlesbrough and were returning from Charlton Athletic. We had some tales to tell!
