View source for Alan Ashman

{{Short description|English footballer and manager}}
{{use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name        = Alan Ashman
| image       = 
| fullname    = George Alan Ashman
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1928|5|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Rotherham]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2002|11|30|1928|5|30|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Walsall]], England
| height      = 
| position    = [[Centre forward]]
| youthyears1 =            
| youthclubs1 =            
| years1 =                 
| clubs1 = [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] 
| clubs2 =  [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] 
| clubs3 =  [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]]
| caps1 =             
| goals1 = 
| caps3 = 214
| goals3 = 98
|years3 = 1951–1957
|  manageryears1 =          1963–1967 
| manageryears2 =  1967–1971 
| manageryears3 =  1971–1972 
| manageryears4 =  1972–1975 
| manageryears5 =  1975–1977 
| manageryears6 =  1978–1979
|  managerclubs1 =          [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] 
| managerclubs2 =  [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] 
| managerclubs3 =  [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]] 
| managerclubs4 =  [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] 
| managerclubs5 =  [[Workington A.F.C.|Workington]] 
| managerclubs6 =  [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]]
}}

'''George Alan Ashman''' (30 May 1928 – 30 November 2002) was an English association footballer, best remembered for some notable managerial successes.

==Playing career==
Born in [[Rotherham]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], Ashman had an undistinguished amateur playing career with [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] during the ad hoc competitions of the [[Second World War]].

In 1951, he signed for [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] for whom he made 214 appearances, scoring 98 goals.<ref name="carltop100">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/carlisle_united/latest/carlisle_utd_s_top_100_players?referrerPath=/1.49997 
 |title=Carlisle Utd's top 100 players 
 |publisher=Carlisle united F.C. 
 |date=23 October 2009 
 |access-date=29 April 2011 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003222845/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/carlisle_united/latest/carlisle_utd_s_top_100_players?referrerPath=%2F1.49997 
 |archive-date=3 October 2012 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref> In 1958, suffering from [[cartilage]] damage, he retired from playing to manage the poultry farm of one of the club's directors. As a recreation, he managed amateur team [[Penrith F.C.|Penrith]] and when [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] Carlisle found themselves in need of a manager in February 1963, the club offered Ashman the job. During his playing career he played [[cricket]] for [[Cumberland County Cricket Club|Cumberland]] in the 1956 [[Minor Counties Championship]].<ref>{{cite web |url-access=subscription  |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/135/135525/135525.html|title=Player profile: Alan Ashman|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=24 November 2011}}</ref>

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]]''.<ref name="carltop100" />

==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 [[Football League Second Division|Division Two]] for much of the [[1965-66 in English football|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 F.C.|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 [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiakos]] before returning to Carlisle in August 1972, leading the club to the [[Football League First Division|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.|Workington]] from 1975 to 1977 and [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] before settling for junior coaching and scouting roles at [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]], [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] 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 A.F.C.|Sunderland]].<ref>{{cite news
 |title=WBA vs Sunderland 
 |url=http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10366~17988,00.html
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120329045043/http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10366~17988,00.html
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=29 March 2012
 |publisher=West Bromwich Albion F.C. 
 |date=21 December 2002 
 |access-date=6 November 2008 
}}</ref>

==Honours==

===Managerial===
; [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] (1963–1967) & (1972–1975)
*'''[[List of winners of English Football League Championship and predecessors|Football League 2nd Tier]]''' (Currently [[Football League Championship]]):
**'''2nd Runners-up:''' [[1973-74 in English football|1973–74]]
*'''[[List of winners of English Football League One and predecessors|Football League 3rd Tier]]''' (Currently [[Football League One]]):
**'''Winners:''' [[1964-65 in English football|1964–65]]
*'''[[List of winners of English Football League Two and predecessors|Football League 4th Tier]]''' (Currently [[Football League Two]]):
**'''Runners-up:''' [[1963-64 in English football|1963–64]]

; [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] (1967–1971)
*'''[[FA Cup]]''':
**'''Winners:''' [[1968 FA Cup Final|1968]]

; [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]] (1971–1972)
*'''[[Super League Greece|Greek League]]''':
**'''Runners-up:''' [[Alpha Ethniki 1971-72|1972]]
*'''[[Football Cup of Greater Greece|Greater Greece Cup]]''':
**'''Winners:''' [[Football Cup of Greater Greece|1972]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{soccerbase (manager)|13|Alan Ashman}}

{{English Third Division top scorers}}
{{FA Cup winning managers}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Alan Ashman
|list1=
{{Carlisle United F.C. managers}}
{{Olympiacos managers}}
{{West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers}}
{{Walsall F.C. managers}}
{{Workington A.F.C. managers}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashman, Alan}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Sheffield United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Nottingham Forest F.C. players]]
[[Category:Carlisle United F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Carlisle United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Olympiacos F.C. managers]]
[[Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Workington A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Walsall F.C. managers]]
[[Category:English Football League managers]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Cumberland cricketers]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:Penrith A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Footballers from Rotherham]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]