XI questions with | Ashton United

And across the country, supporters are preparing for the new campaign with renewed hope and ambition for the season ahead.

Ahead of the 2026/27 campaign getting underway on Saturday 8 August, we sat down with supporters from the NPL clubs at Step 3 to hear their thoughts on how things are shaping up.

Today, we catch up with Ashton United fan David Hills-Taylor.

It's been a hugely productive transfer window for you guys, with plenty of signings so far. Which of the new faces are you most excited to see play?

Yes, true - and it needed to be! 

After last season’s disappointment, it was clear from the manager that he was going to let a lot of players go to try to rebuild the squad. So we (the fans) were expecting to see a lot of new faces. 

However, I think we’ve all been very impressed with who has joined the club so far over the summer. Personally I’m excited to see the new forward players in action, as scoring goals whilst on top in games was often a problem for us last season. 

Kurt Willoughby is a proven goalscorer at National League North level, so is a brilliant signing for the club in that regard and should do very well indeed in the NPL. 

Defensively we are also looking strong. Tommy Taylor is a very experienced goalkeeper who has achieved promotion from this level recently with Worksop, and it’s great to see John Lufudu back at the club at right-back. In his first spell with the Robins he was a standout player in an often struggling side, so he will offer pace and ability down that right-hand side.

Given your serious business in the window, what does a successful season look like for Ashton United? Is play-offs the absolute minimum?

Last season it was a major disappointment not to make the play offs, hence the changes in the playing staff for this current campaign. 

So yes, making the play-offs is the minimum goal and there isn’t really an excuse with it now being extended to six teams! 

The ambition ultimately is to become a regular fixture at National league North level. We’ve seen what Curzon Ashton did in that regard, albeit being relegated again last season, and those clubs who have gone up of late have more than held their own. 

However, the NPL is renowned for being one of the hardest leagues to get out of, so all we can do is give it our best shot and see what happens.

A special mention too for the Manchester Premier (County) Cup. It might not be on everybody’s list of priorities but as the most frequent winner, and with the history of the co-chairmen’s father/grandfather winning it with Ashton, it means a lot to the club and is a genuine route to potential silverware.

Any major concerns heading into this new campaign?

Building a new side from scratch is always tricky and it can take longer than is available during pre-season for everyone to gel and get up to full capacity. 

However, looking at the names coming in, they are very good players and should be able to adapt quicker than most. I’m very confident about this season overall.

Steve Cunningham has been in charge since January 2023. Are you confident he can take you up? How do you assess his leadership?

Steve is a very passionate manager who wears his heart on his sleeve, says what he means, and means what he says. 

When he first arrived we were in a spot of bother and looking over our shoulders at the relegation places, so he has shifted the narrative from that to seeing battling for promotion as a minimum requirement for the club. 

Obviously we got into the play-offs in his second season and were unlucky in the end not to beat a very strong Worksop side, who ultimately went up. 

Last season was clearly a huge disappointment for everybody, not least the management. However, I’m glad he has decided to stay and give it another go. He’s done it before with Buxton in terms of promotion and knows what is required to get out of this league.

Last year's Players’ Player of the Season Callum Rowe has moved onto National League North side Chorley. How big of a loss is that for the club?

Callum has been an excellent player for us for a couple of seasons. 

He’s a very competitive up-and-down midfielder with a lot of energy, and he will be a miss in the middle of the park for sure. 

However, I’m confident we can fill the gap effectively and of course everyone wishes him well at Chorley. He deserves his chance at a higher level, and I’m sure he will do a very good job for them.

Who are the league’s dark horses for 2026/27?

Ilkeston always have a good side, play a decent brand of football, and I think have slightly under-achieved in recent seasons. 

I don’t think they will win the league, but I do think they could well be in the play off mix this season. Also, keep an eye out for Redcar Athletic. They absolutely stormed the East Division last year with 105 points and 140 goals scored. They aren’t coming up just to make up the numbers!

Which new away ground are you excited to visit, and why?

I have to admit I don’t get to as many away games as I used to or would like to these days, but I am going to try and make a few more this season. 

I’ve always wanted to visit Alfreton Town. It’s a quirky little ground, not too dissimilar to ours in terms of the odd shape, and has the slightly strange seating setup where there are seats on three out of four sides. 

I believe much of that seating originally came from Leicester City’s old ground, Filbert Street, when it was demolished. I tend to like quirky, traditional grounds better than modern stadiums.

How would you describe your club’s style of play?

We do like to get it down on the pitch and play passing football, but of course that’s not always possible and you have to be adaptable in order to do well at this level. 

Looking at the players we are signing we aren’t going to be ‘parking the bus’ - I think we will look to get at teams, play at a high tempo, and create lots of chances. 

However, as it is an almost completely new team it’s hard to say for sure - I guess we will find out soon!

Who do you expect to be the most important asset in your squad?

Goals win games, so I’m excited to see how Kurt Willoughby does in the number nine position. 

I also believe that a good goalkeeper can be worth 10-15 points a season, so again Tommy Taylor is going to be a huge asset for us. 

Alex Byrne is one of the best wingers in the league, and at his best creates lots of chances and puts fantastic balls into the box. 

He will be very important for us if we are to convert possession into goals.

If you had five minutes with the team ahead of gameday one, what would your message be?

I’m not sure I’ve got too much to say that would help them, but just go out there, play with freedom, and enjoy the relationship with the fans. 

We’ve got a small but passionate fan base here, and we will get behind the side and do whatever we can to help them win.

Who wins the league, and why? There are plenty of strong teams vying for promotion, aren't there?

It’s obviously hard to look past Bury. They have a huge fan base, good financial backing, and have done some excellent business in the summer. 

However, this is a tough league and many teams coming up as favourites have failed to get out of it at their first attempt - most notably, it took Macclesfield two goes at it. 

Of course I’d like to think we will be up there challenging as well - you have to be positive, right?! 

FC United will probably fancy their chances after a strong campaign last season. Alfreton, Warrington Town and Curzon Ashton will also want to bounce straight back up, but this level isn’t easy and teams who do come down often find it takes a while to adapt.