THE BUZZ around Hurst Cross is audible, you can tell when Kielen Adams has the ball.
Hope rises among Ashton United’s fans as possession lands at his feet, the sense of something likely to happen becomes palpable.
And rest assured, he feeds off that anticipation.
United are riding high in their Northern Premier League Premier Division campaign as they look to join neighbours Curzon in National League North.
Fellow Tamesiders Hyde are also making a good fist of a promotion bid, although Radcliffe Borough appear to be clear in the one automatic promotion spot.
And Huddersfield native Kielen believes that feeling from the stands translates on to the pitch.
He said: “That’s the most important thing for me. As a young player, I want people to like me for what I can do on the pitch.
“When I’ve that confidence and the fans behind me, it keeps on pushing me.
“With the fans, it’s like a big party at Hurst Cross. They’re the 12th man. The more we get, the more it cheers the team on.”
Ashton United made headlines off the field before a ball was kicked with the release of co-chairman Jonathan Sayer’s book Nowhere To Run.
When it came to doing talking on the pitch, Steve Cunningham’s side fluffed its lines – a 5-0 hammering at Workington, in which they were 4-0 down at half-time, was definitely not in the script.
But they have bounced back brilliantly and Kielen is looking forwards, an upwards.
He added: “The boys have showed great character in matches. It can sometimes take us a while to get into games but we’ve showed resilience.
“Our first game of the season may have been one to forget but the boys have showed great character to come back.
“There’s a great dressing room, that’s credit to Cunny and the staff. They keep us going, fresh and motivated and we can only repay them with good performances.”