Swinton Lions have tied down one of the Championship’s brightest young stars after re-signing Matty Ashton for the 2020 season.
The speedster has been a revelation for the Lions this season, scoring a phenomenal 16 tries in 18 games since being picked up from amateur club Rochdale Mayfield.
It’s believed that a number of clubs had shown strong interest in the youngster following his exceptional performances, but has remained loyal to the Lions.
On the news, Ashton said: “I’m glad to get the deal over the line and I’m now looking forward to what the future holds.
“We have such a young squad who love playing rugby league with each other and expressing ourselves. All the boys have such a close bond off the pitch as well as on it, and hopefully I’m going to be part of building something special for the club. I also want to add a big thank you to all the coaching staff at the Lions, who have helped me to progress personally since I joined the club. It’s important now that we finish the year strongly and build for a big 2020.”
Chairman Andy Mazey added: “It’s fantastic news for the club and our supporters that we’ve managed to secure one of the sport’s most exciting young prospects, Matty Ashton, to the end of 2020. It’s a real statement of intent of where we want to be as a club and I really hope the supporters will unite behind us as we head into an exciting new chapter for this club.
“We’ve been working hard on this deal for quite some time now, so I’m delighted to have got it concluded. Matty has been fantastic for us this season and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue his development under our coach and staff in the famous Lions shirt.”
