STEVE Cunningham says everyone at Ashton United Football Club has played a part in earning a play-off place and hopes the players can take the next step by achieving promotion for their families.
The Robins have secured a play-off position in the Northern Premier League Premier Division for the first time since the 2017/18 season.
Easter Monday’s 2-0 win over already-relegated Mickleover at Hurst Cross got the team over the line – which was a proud moment for Robins manager Cunningham in front of his family.
“As a family, with my mum and dad, brother and sister in the crowd who’ve supported me, it’s an amazing feeling you can share with your family,” Steve told the club’s media team.
“I just hope now that me and [assistant manager] Sean [Newton] have achieved this, the next step now is for the players to kick on in the play-offs and do it for their families as well. I’ve hit my milestone, I want them to enjoy the next step which will hopefully result in a real celebration.”
Darius Osei’s 22nd goal of the campaign and Jason Gilchrist’s 14th strike of the season sealed victory in the second half in front of 344 spectators, as the Robins stayed tight at the back to help goalkeeper Connor Eastham to keep his first clean sheet for the club.
Cunningham described it as “an emotional day” but the outcome justified his claim when he arrived in January 2023 that he would change the club’s fortunes.
“When you’re a manager of a non-league football club and you come in saying what you want to do, you have to back it up,” Steve added.
“Off the back of all the hard work last year where we missed out on the play-offs on the last day of last season, which was tough to take, we’ve bounced back and secured play-offs this season.
“If you’re going to make statements, you’ve got to back it up but you can only back it up if you’ve got good people around you. My players have been unbelievable.
“As a football club, the support we’ve had, the support from the chairmen David and Jonathan and the Burke family, the volunteers, the directors, the media team, the pitch workers, the canteen ladies, the bar staff, everyone has played a massive part in how I feel right now.
“I can’t thank them enough because the last few weeks have been really tough – I’m not going to lie – it’s been stressful. We went through a really good patch where we won 11 in 13 games, not that I think we got above our station but injuries really hurt us at the wrong time and results just didn’t go our way.
“People doubted us but what I think the lads have shown [against Mickleover] is the quality and character we’ve got in the group.”
Cunningham doesn’t want his troops to limp into the play-offs and, after the win over Mickleover, three points on the final day of the season away at Workington on Saturday (April 26) could see the Robins climb from fifth to fourth in the table.
That also depends on how Stockton Town, currently in fourth and three points ahead of Ashton, get on at home to Hyde United.
Ashton will then face either second-placed Worksop Town or third-top Guiseley for a place in the play-off final, where victory would see the Robins promoted to the National League North – the sixth tier of English football in which their local rivals and Cunningham’s former club Curzon Ashton currently play in.