Avro manager Alex Frost admits that he is relishing the opportunity to take on one of his former sides in one of the biggest games in his current club’s 86-year history tomorrow night at the Vestacare Stadium, writes Liam Bambridge.

The NWCL Premier Division outfit take on neighbours Ashton United, who ply their trade two levels higher in the Northern Premier League, in a Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup semi final tie.

“They are an extremely fit and well-organised side, and their league position is deceiving; they should be a lot higher up the table when you look at the quality of the squad that they have assembled,” was Frost’s verdict on a club for whom he made nearly 250 appearances in three spells between 2008 and 2016.

However the experienced defender believes that his new charges can definitely make life difficult for their heavily favoured opposition.

“We’ve got some young players who have aspirations of playing at that level,” he said. “Tomorrow is a great chance for them to test themselves, and I genuinely believe that we can cause Ashton some problems.”

Avro hold the record for County Cup wins at amateur level, with their last success secured in 2018 before they made the move to semi-professional football.

However, this season’s cup run is arguably their best yet, with wins against higher ranked Radcliffe and Curzon Ashton leaving them just 90 minutes away from another appearance in a showpiece final, against either Hyde United or Trafford at an as yet undecided venue.

Tomorrow night’s game will go straight to penalties if there is no winner at full time.

Meanwhile Frost confessed that he feels responsible to some extent for not tinkering with his formation midway through the second half after visitors AFC Liverpool overcame a two-goal deficit to earn a point after a 2-2 draw last Saturday.

A Lewis Lacy header from a corner and a Liam Ellis penalty early in the second half put the home side firmly in the driving seat, but goals in the last 20 minutes from Anthony Evans and Anthony Lyons meant that the spoils were shared.

“Of course we’re all really disappointed to have given away a two goal lead, but I take some personal responsibility for that,” he said.

“A change of shape would have helped us get up the pitch and cope with the last twenty minutes better; individual mistakes have cost us but these mistakes are more likely to happen when you are under pressure, and I feel that I could have possibly done more to relieve that pressure.”

It was a fourth successive home game in which Avro have gone in front, only to have to settle for a point on three of those four occasions.

“It’s been a tough month for us from a physical perspective, and I thought it showed in that last quarter of the game,” Frost added.

“That’s not an excuse - we should have been good enough to deal with what they threw at us at the end, but I certainly feel that freshness played its part.

“However, I have told the lads to rest up - as much as they ever can with full time jobs, that is - and we’ll be fit and raring to go on tomorrow night, make no mistake about that.”