Ash Eastham happily tied to the Fleetwood Town family

Centre-half Eastham, who was named player of the year for his consistent performances last season, says everyone at the club has made him feel welcome since he arrived from Rochdale in 2016.

And positive messages from the fans are passed on to the 27-year-old by his mum, Donna.

Eastham said: “This club they welcomed me from day one. Having the first season that I had (helping the team to finish fourth in 2016-17) maybe got the fans more on side.

“I only have good things to say about this club because it is a real family-oriented club and they have welcomed me with open arms.

“I can only thank the fans. It was a big thing for me committing to the club because they have made me feel they want me here to go forward with this football club.”

Eastham and the players held their Christmas party early when they jetted out to Dublin after Saturday’s 0-0 home draw with Walsall.

And Eastham, who has donned the captain’s armband in Craig Morgan’s absence for the last two games, says the trip to Ireland was beneficial for team bonding.

He said: “It was good to get away to Dublin.

“We have a lot of fixtures in December and we did not want (to have a party) going into Christmas time, so we managed to have a little weekend away with the lads.

“We got everyone on board and had a little bit of a sing-song on the Sunday but we are back in training now. We have had a good week and have been running hard.”

The players wore fancy dress in Dublin, with Eastham dressed as Bob Marley.

He revealed: “The best were Lewie Coyle, who was dressed as Andy from The Hangover, or Wes Burns, who was Andy Pipkin (from Little Britain). They looked quite good.”