Manchester Premier Cup Final: Ashton United v Hyde United

Ashton United and Hyde United will lock horns this evening in the Manchester Premier Cup Final.

Tonight's game, which is taking place at FC United's Broadhurst Park, will mark the second time in the space of nine days that the sides will meet, as Hyde ran out 3-0 winners at Hurst Cross in the NPL Premier Division on Saturday April 2.

Despite the Tigers' comfortable victory in the league encounter, tonight's clash could prove to be very different with silverware on the line. Ashton head into the game on the back of a goalless draw with Scarborough Athletic, who are fifth in the Premier Division and hopeful of securing a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Hyde will be hoping to put Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Bamber Bridge behind them and recapture the form that has guided them away from the threat of relegation. Manager Nick Spooner, who took over from Jim Gannon in February, has transformed a side which was low in confidence and without a win in nine league games. 

Part of Spooner's transformation saw the Tigers secure their place in the Manchester Premier Cup Final for the first time since 2014, after a 2-1 victory over Trafford at Ewen Fields. Tonight's occasion will also mark the first time that Ashton, 15 time winners of the competition, have appeared in the final since 2011. Michael Clegg's side booked their place in the final with a dramatic comeback at Avro, scoring two late goals at the Vestacare Stadium to win 2-1.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the current champions are Curzon Ashton who beat Mossley 3-1 in the 2019 final. The Nash were unable to retain their crown this season and were eliminated in the quarter-final by Avro.

You can purchase tickets for the game via the following link: https://www.manchesterfa.com/news/2022/mar/29/tickets-on-sale-now