They came at the end of a meeting in which a packed Hurst Cross social club met new co-chairmen David and Jonathan Burke and listened intently as the two men — father and son — outlined their vision for the future.
With talk of a 3G pitch and a generous wage bill for manager Jody Banim, there was plenty for the fans to get excited about. But Mr Hobson stressed there was no prospect of money being chucked around or of mad claims such as getting Ashton into the Football League in five years. Change would be implemented gradually and responsibly.
The meeting was opened by veteran director John Milne who predicted seismic changes and a totally different Ashton United. He was the first to touch on a theme that would recur throughout the meeting: if the club was to progress it had to change. Otherwise it would stagnate.
Terry Hollis, whose retirement as chairman was announced at the meeting, commented later: “We were getting too old. I had to step down for the club’s benefit.”
First to speak was Jonathan Burke, Ashton-born but a West End comedy actor and writer. Stating that he saw a crossover between his theatre work and football, as both are forms of entertainment, he spoke of an exciting journey.
Mentioning that a colleague had advised him to under-promise and over-deliver, he set out three priorities in the hope of succeeding in that aim: making funds available to manager Jody Banim to compete at whatever level the club finds itself next season, to make sure Ashton United reaches out to the community and has more teams including a women’s side, and to listen to the supporters and take on board their concerns and suggestions.
He said: “If you ever see me at the ground, come and tell me what you think. The best thing we can do is to listen to people.”
David, a commercial property developer, spoke of his long connections with club. His father, Johnny, played 410 games for the Robins in the Fifties and Sixties. David recalled climbing the floodlights during training sessions when his father and the other players would use him for target practice.
He added: Ashton United is in my blood, and I’m going to invest in the club for all the right reasons. The club has a phenomenal history and we’re going to capitalise on that and take it forward.
“I hope that’s in this league (National League North). But if we go down I want us to be fully prepared so that we can come back up.
“Jody Banim will get 100 per cent support, within reason and we’re going to try to improve the facilities.
“But my investment won’t just be monetary, it’ll be personal too. My wife, Janet, will be involved on the commercial side.
“I want to bring inward investment because I really want the club to succeed. This club should be at the top. That’s what I believe.”
Steve Hobson concluded by paying tribute to the former board led by Terry Hollis. He thanked them all for their efforts over many years and emphasised that no one was being sidelined.
The new board comprises David and Jonathan Burke, himself, Jackie Tierney and Andy Evans. However, this was for investment reasons. Mr Hollis remains a director and stalwarts such as Ronnie Thomasson, John Milne and Mick Cummins will continue in their day-to-day roles and be as central as ever to the club.
Mr Hobson continued: “We’d hit a level and needed to do something about it. The decision to change was taken collectively. But it’s not about chucking money around, it’s about investing in our infrastructure and, more importantly, in the community.”