Former Robin Paul Armstrong has returned to Hurst Cross in a backroom capacity to assist the club's management team of Paul Phillips and Steve Halford and will work alongside club coaches Dave Noble and Phil Sherwood.

Having started his playing career at Oldham Athletic as a youngster, the Robins' newest coach knows the local football scene well and will be assisting with both coaching and scouting duties.

Ashton's joint managers brought in Manchester-born Armstrong (29) this summer to help out with first team affairs at Hurst Cross and allow current coach Brian Entwistle more time to focus on the club's thriving reserve section during 2015-16 - with seven of the club's young players having featuring at least once in the first eleven last season.

Armstrong was a versatile midfielder/defender in his playing days but struggled with injury whilst at Hurst Cross and made only limited appearances after joining in December 2006 - making his debut in the week that Paul Futcher left the club and was replaced as manager by Scott Green; he has also played for a number of other local clubs including Mossley, Hyde United, FC United of Manchester and New Mills.

Appointed player/assistant manager by former FC United of Manchester coach Roy Soule in his capacity as manager of New Mills at the start of the 2013-14 season, Armstrong's playing days were ended by a badly broken leg in December 2013, aged just 27; he stayed in the game with the support of The Millers throughout the 2014-15 season as assistant manager at Church Lane until Soule resigned at the end of the campaign.