Alan Ashman
Encyclopedia
George Alan Ashman was an English association footballer, best remembered for some notable managerial successes.
, Ashman had an undistinguished amateur playing career with Sheffield United F.C.
and Nottingham Forest F.C.
during the ad hoc competitions of World War II
. In 1951, he signed for Carlisle United F.C.
for whom he made 207 appearances, scoring 98 goals. In 1958, suffering from cartilage
damage, he retired from playing to manage the poultry
farm
of Mr Monkhouse, one of the club's directors. As a recreation, he managed amateur team Penrith F.C.
and when Third Division
Carlisle found themselves in need of a manager in February 1963, Mr Monkhouse offered Ashman the job. During his playing career he played cricket
for Cumberland
in the 1956 Minor Counties Championship.
In 2009 Ashman was named at 18th in a list of Carlisle United's
top 100 players, compiled by local newspaper the News and Star
.
for much of the 1965-66
season, the club was disappointed to miss out on promotion by finishing third.
Ashman's exploits had not gone unnoticed and, in 1967, he joined West Bromwich Albion
, leading them in a series of exciting cup runs, crowned by victory in the 1968 FA Cup
. His new club was, however, impatient for further trophies and he was dismissed in 1971, hearing of the news from a waiter while on holiday in Greece.
Somewhat ironically, he went on to manage Olympiakos before returning to Carlisle in August 1972, leading the club to the First Division
and a brief spell at the top of the entire English league.
The heights were short-lived and Ashman left the club to manage Workington A.F.C.
from 1975 to 1977 and Walsall F.C.
before settling for junior coaching and scouting roles at Derby County F.C.
, Hereford United F.C.
and Swallows of Walsall. He died in 2002 in Walsall
. A minute's silence was held in his honour prior to West Bromwich Albion's home match against Sunderland.
(1963–1967) & (1972–1975)
West Bromwich Albion
(1967–1971)
Olympiacos (1971–1972)
Playing career
Born in RotherhamRotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Ashman had an undistinguished amateur playing career with Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
during the ad hoc competitions of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1951, he signed for Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
for whom he made 207 appearances, scoring 98 goals. In 1958, suffering from cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
damage, he retired from playing to manage the poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
of Mr Monkhouse, one of the club's directors. As a recreation, he managed amateur team Penrith F.C.
Penrith F.C.
Penrith F.C. is an football club based in Penrith, England founded in 1894. They originally joined the North Eastern League in 1907–08, and are currently members of the Northern League Division One....
and when Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Carlisle found themselves in need of a manager in February 1963, Mr Monkhouse offered Ashman the job. During his playing career he played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Cumberland
Cumberland County Cricket Club
Cumberland County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cumberland and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the 1956 Minor Counties Championship.
In 2009 Ashman was named at 18th in a list of Carlisle United's
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
top 100 players, compiled by local newspaper the News and Star
News and Star
The News and Star is a local tabloid newspaper in Cumbria. Today it belongs to the CN Group Ltd who produce several regional newspapers in the north west of England....
.
Management career
Ashman was too late to prevent that season's relegation but the following season saw a bounce back, and the season after that, the Third Division championship. Leading Division TwoFootball League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
for much of the 1965-66
1965-66 in English football
The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
season, the club was disappointed to miss out on promotion by finishing third.
Ashman's exploits had not gone unnoticed and, in 1967, he joined West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, leading them in a series of exciting cup runs, crowned by victory in the 1968 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. His new club was, however, impatient for further trophies and he was dismissed in 1971, hearing of the news from a waiter while on holiday in Greece.
Somewhat ironically, he went on to manage Olympiakos before returning to Carlisle in August 1972, leading the club to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and a brief spell at the top of the entire English league.
The heights were short-lived and Ashman left the club to manage Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
from 1975 to 1977 and Walsall F.C.
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
before settling for junior coaching and scouting roles at Derby County F.C.
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
and Swallows of Walsall. He died in 2002 in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
. A minute's silence was held in his honour prior to West Bromwich Albion's home match against Sunderland.
Managerial
Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
(1963–1967) & (1972–1975)
- Football League 2nd Tier (Currently Football League ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
): - 2nd Runners-up: 1973-741973-74 in English footballThe 1973–74 season was the 94th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with England...
- Football League 3rd Tier (Currently Football League OneFootball League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
): - Winners: 1964-651964-65 in English footballThe 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
- Football League 4th Tier (Currently Football League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
): - Runners-up: 1963-641963-64 in English footballThe 1963–1964 season was the 84th season of competitive football in England, from August 1963 to May 1964:-Overview:* Liverpool won the League Championship.* West Ham United won the FA Cup.* Leicester City won the League Cup.-Diary of the season:...
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
(1967–1971)
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: - Winners: 19681968 FA Cup FinalThe 1968 FA Cup Final was contested by West Bromwich Albion and Everton at Wembley. West Brom won by a single goal, scored by Jeff Astle three minutes into extra time. The goal meant that Astle had scored in every round of that season's competition....
Olympiacos (1971–1972)
- Greek LeagueSuper League GreeceThe Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
: - Runners-up: 1972Alpha Ethniki 1971-72-Standings:Pts = Points Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference;*Notes-Match table:Match changes:-References:* *...
- Greater Greece CupFootball Cup of Greater GreeceThe Football Cup of Greater Greece was a cup contested between the winner of the Cypriot Cup and the winner of the Greek Cup...
: - Winners: 1972Football Cup of Greater GreeceThe Football Cup of Greater Greece was a cup contested between the winner of the Cypriot Cup and the winner of the Greek Cup...