Footballers past and present are expected to offer up their time and play in a match that is being organized to honour the memory of Mark Ashton who died on August 11 following a short but brave battle with illness.

Mr Ashton who was 45 had fought a yearlong battle with cancer died peacefully at his Trowbridge home last Tuesday surrounded by his family. He was a lifelong Liverpool supporter and his love for the game saw him play for many clubs at grass roots level including Melksham House and Terry’s FC in the Chippenham Sunday League and Airsprung 88 and Trowbridge Wanderers in the Trowbridge League who were just a few clubs that he had an involvement with.

Friend and former team-mate of Mr Ashton, Jamel Messaoud is planning to stage the match that he hopes will bring together many of Mr Ashton’s former team-mates from the numerous teams that he had been involved with over the years. Mr Messaoud has already had numerous offers from players willing to play in the match and the Trowbridge & District League have said that they will provide the officials for the game all that is missing now is a pitch and once that can be sorted then the match can get the green light. Messaoud said that “I am looking forward to staging something special as a memory to Mark who was not just a good friend, but a great person to be around and who had a great sense of humour in and around the changing rooms before and after a football match regardless of whether we had won, drawn or lost”. He added “with all proceeds from the match going to Mark’s wife Emma and daughter Grace, I am hopeful of an excellent response from players who knew and played with Mark over the years and also hope that we will get a fair few supporters coming to watch the game which now that the weekend fixtures have started will probably have to be one evening”.

Details of the match will be available at a later date but anyone who wants to partake should contact Messaoud via email at melmess@hotmail.com.

Another friend and form team-mate of Mr Ashton, Richie Bliha also had fond memories of Mark and said that “when he first started playing football as a 15 year-old, Mark was like a father figure and big brother to him and would always be there when he was ever picked on by the much older and bigger players” Mr Bliha went on to add that “ at times he would feel invincible as he knew that he was being looked after and guided by a respected player of the game who always played with 100% commitment but also very fairly”. Mr Ashton was one of 5 children and was born in Warminster and went to Sambourne Junior School and Kingdown Secondary School. After spending his early years growing up in Warminster he left school and moved to Trowbridge where he married his first wife.

After a couple short term jobs he started working at Airsprung in 1984 and it was there that were he later met his second wife Emma Biddlecombe in 2002 and they married in December 2003 and on Christmas Day 2008 their daughter Grace was born. He also had four children from his previous marriage, Justin, Samantha, Nathan and Marcus, plus seven grandchildren.

Mr Ashton’s funeral service will take place at Holy Trinity Church in Trowbridge on Thursday, August 20 at 11.30am.

Family flowers only and donations in Mark’s memory to Dorothy House. Donations made payable to Dorothy House may be sent to Barkers & Courtiers, 52 Bond Street, Trowbridge, BA14 0AS.