Wigan football club hopes its 'outstanding' burger will help to draw in fans

Ashton Town FC has undergone huge changes in the last six months, including to the food served on match days.

One item on the menu – a double bacon cheeseburger – caught the attention of food lovers when it was shared on Twitter by FootyScran.

One user said: “My word. Outstanding”

Another added: “Premier league grounds would charge at least double that and give half the quality”.

Club chairman Chris Wright hopes the tweet – which has had 3.2m views and 15,000 likes – will result in bigger attendances.

His recruitment business Linkit sponsored the club last season and when then-chairman Mark Hayes stepped down, Chris took the reins.

Half of the 16 committee members are entrepreneurs and want to create a different dynamic and experience for non-league football.

Chris said: “Without the likes of Jimmy Cahill, Stefan Ochwat, David Bourne and Denise Brady, none of this would have been possible. They underpin and support everything that the club has done.”

Several local businesses are involved, including shirt sponsors Tomaco, Ashton Upholstery and The H Taphouse, which provides drinks in the clubhouse.

They hope to extend into the community and provide a place for junior football, helped by Macron supplying kits for all age groups.

With last season seeing an average attendance of around 65 people per game, Chris wanted to get as many people through the gate as possible and set a target of 500. So far the average attendance this year sits at 225.

One way of encouraging people to go along was the food and with most football grounds offering a pie and hot dog, Ashton Town decided to up their game.

At £6.50 their bacon double cheeseburger is the most expensive item on the menu, but has proved popular so far.

Other menu items include salt and pepper fries and chicken gyros.

Chris said: “The feedback this season has been brilliant and away teams almost seem overwhelmed at the food we offer.

"We want to act like a professional football club as much as we can, keeping quality and standards as high as is required.”