Ashworth to join Fish at Seel Park

GRASSCROFT’S Lee Ashworth is the new assistant manager at Mossley.

The 36-year-old schoolteacher has been appointed as David Fish’s number two.The pair have worked together for more than five years in Fish’s two previous management jobs at Rochdale St Clement and latterly Chadderton.

Ashworth added: “We both share the same vision about developing players at the clubs we have been at.

“We set out a clear route which is from the junior side to the first-team.”

Ashworth was a striker in local football before a serious knee injury ended his playing days aged 17 – he has had six bouts of surgery.

Ashworth began taking his coaching badges in his teens and has his UEFA B licence and coached at Rochdale St Clement from the juniors to the first team and at Chadderton.

He has also coached in America and at the Bobby Charlton soccer schools.

Ashworth’s father-in-law is Oldham Athletic favourite Les Chapman who was also Manchester City’s legendary kitman. And wife Suzy, who was raised in Delph, is well known in netball as a player and coach.

Stalybridge-raised Fish, 39, an audit director at Price Waterhouse Coopers, has a wealth of experience in non-league, a goalkeeper who was a member of Stalybridge Celtic’s treble-winning side of 2000-01 and appeared for Woodley Sports, Witton Albion, Hyde United and Curzon Ashton.

Fish, who has the UEFA B licence qualification, had been an academy player at Manchester United and later was an apprentice at Stockport County, where he had one year as a professional.

Little over one week into the job and Fish oversaw a sizeable overhaul of the playing squad with six players leaving and offset by six new arrivals.

Two of the new signings were Greenfield’s Dylan Fitzgerald and former Diggle player Danny McLaughlin.

Striker Fitzgerald, 18, a product of Mossley’s youth academy, joined Glossop North End shortly before lockdown in pursuit of regular first-team football.

Mossley-raised McLaughlin, also a front player, made 48 appearances for the Lilywhites between 2016-18 but has since played for West Didsbury and Chorlton, Chadderton and New Mills.