IT will be an emotional occasion for Doreen Ashton, the wife of the late Eric Ashton, tomorrow prior to the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup final when she sees her husband immortalised in bronze as a member of the Rugby League Legends Wembley Statue.

The former Saints coach and chairman was a one-club man as a player with Wigan for whom he made 497 appearances.

Eric was selected by a panel of journalists, coaches, MPs, players, national newspaper editors and supporters to feature in the monument alongside Billy Boston MBE, Martin Offiah MBE, Alex Murphy OBE and Gus Risman.

“I’m going to be choked up on Saturday,” said Doreen.

“I’m still great friends with Billy and Alex so it will be great to be by their sides when the statue is unveiled.

"My daughters will be there, too, and they’ll be very proud just like I am.”

The statue has been commissioned in association with Rugby League Cares and created by Stephen Winterburn of Yorkshire Fine Arts, who has been working on it since 2012.

Doreen is delighted that a statue celebrating five icons of the game will hold its place on the concourse of Wembley Stadium.

“It’s something that you could never imagine. It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said.

“Eric gave a lot of his life to Rugby League and he achieved a lot in the game and he thoroughly deserves the honour of being part of the statue. I’m very proud of him.

“It’s fantastic that there’ll be a statue at Wembley.

"Rugby League’s been going 120 years and it’s about time something like this was done, so it’s wonderful that we can celebrate these great players in the form of a statue.”