Treasure trove of vintage football shirts from a lifelong Shrewsbury Town fan to be sold for good causes
A treasure trove of pristine vintage football shirts from the collection of a lifelong Shrewsbury Town fan will go on sale at a special event to raise money for charity.
The shirts, dating back to the 1970s, were amassed by Salop "cornerstone" and celebrated sports photographer Matthew Ashton, who began taking photos of Shrewsbury Town when he was 17, went on to set up and run the AMA Sports Photo Agency, and covered some of football's biggest tournaments and matches in a career that took him across the globe.
He sadly died last year after a 14-month battle with a brain tumour, but his dramatic photos of huge sporting moments including Champions League- and World Cup-winning goals have stood the test of time.
And now a collection of more than 60 football shirts he obtained over the years and kept in pristine condition has been entrusted to a shop in Shrewsbury, where they will go on sale at a special event raising money for charities close to Mr Ashton's heart.
The event will be held at The 12th Man Retro in St Mary's Place on April 11, and will offer Shrewsbury fans and the wider football community a chance to own genuine pieces of Salop history.
"I was approached by a friend of the family and I was very happy to get involved," Mr Owen explained.
"I didn't know Matt closely but I know a lot of people were very fond of him; he was a cornerstone of the Shrewsbury Town community."
Mr Owen said he couldn't believe his eyes when he opened the suitcase the shirts had been stored in. He has placed some of the most eye-catching ones on mannequins in the store, but said each of them deserved a place in the spotlight.
"My entire job is finding rare shirts, and I can't believe some of these.
"There are definitely over 50, maybe over 60."
Each of the shirts will be up for sale, and the event will include a £5 raffle with a grand prize: a Dave Edwards match shirt from one of the final matches played at Salop's old home Gay Meadow, which was demolished in 2007. Mr Ashton had once said, after being asked which was his favourite ground to work at: "Despite photographing football in over 90 countries, my answer is easy. I loved being at Shrewsbury Town’s old ground, Gay Meadow."
Mr Owen is excited for fellow Shrewsbury Town supporters to see the shirts that will be on sale.
"The five that I've put out on mannequins, they are just the tip of the iceberg.
"Shrewsbury fans are absolutely going to love it."
He is enamoured with plenty of the rare shirts - but did admit to picking a favourite.
"There is a 1980 match shirt, that is so rare it's unbelievable. It's got that incredible stitching from before the days of printing.
"Because of the whole 1-11 aspect I can't say who wore it [players didn't have squad numbers but were assigned kit numbers based on the position they played on the day] but that's definitely my favourite."
Follow The 12th Man Retro on Facebook to see photos of some of the shirts that will be up for grabs on the day.
