 Crosby as Port Vale manager in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Keith Crosby[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1973-03-03)3 March 1973 (age 52)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Rotherham, England[1] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tranmere Rovers (caretaker manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 198?–1990 | Leeds United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1991 | Leeds United | 0 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Doncaster Rovers | 51 | (0) |
| 1993 | →Halifax Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1993–1998 | Darlington | 181 | (3) |
| 1998–1999 | Chester City | 41 | (4) |
| 1999–2001 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 72 | (5) |
| 2001–2004 | Oxford United | 111 | (12) |
| 2004–2010 | Scunthorpe United | 167 | (15) |
| Total | 624 | (38) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020–2021 | Northern Ireland U21 (caretaker) | ||
| 2022 | Port Vale (acting manager) | ||
| 2023–2024 | Port Vale | ||
| 2025– | Tranmere Rovers (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Andrew Keith Crosby (born 3 March 1973) is an English professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who is the caretaker manager atEFL League Two clubTranmere Rovers.
Adefender during his playing days, he began his career atLeeds United. Still, he made his debut in theEnglish Football League after joiningDoncaster Rovers in July 1991. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with Rovers before moving on toDarlington in December 1993, following a briefloan spell withHalifax Town. He played 211 games for Darlington in a stay which lasted almost five years. He spent the 1998–99 season withChester City and was sold toBrighton & Hove Albion for £10,000 in July 1999. He helped Brighton to win theThird Division title in the 2000–01 season before joiningOxford United on afree transfer in December 2001. He was named on the Third Division'sPFA Team of the Year for the 2003–04 season and took a free transfer toScunthorpe United in June 2004. He spent six seasons with Scunthorpe, winning threepromotions: fromLeague Two in 2004–05, with theLeague One title in 2006–07 and via theLeague One play-offs in2009. He made 715 league and cup appearances during his 20-year playing career, scoring 43 goals.
He joined the backroom staff at Scunthorpe United. He would follow managerNigel Adkins toSouthampton,Reading,Sheffield United andHull City. During his time at Southampton, the club would win successive promotions from League One into thePremier League in 2010–11 and 2011–12. He served asNorthern Ireland U21'scaretaker manager in 2020 and joined thecoaching staff atPort Vale in March 2021. He served as Port Vale's acting manager during managerDarrell Clarke's absence in the latter half of the 2021–22 season. He became manager, initially on an interim basis, following Clarke's sacking in April 2023. Crosby spent ten months in the job before being sacked. He joined Tranmere Rovers as a coach and became the caretaker manager there in February 2025.
Andrew Keith Crosby was born on 3 March 1973 inRotherham,West Riding of Yorkshire.[1] He grew up in the mining village ofMaltby; his father was a lorry driver and miner, whilst his mother worked in the local shops.[3] He grew up supportingRotherham United but was rejected by the club as a player at the age of eleven.[4]
Crosby began his football career as a trainee withLeeds United, having been with the club as ayouth team player since at least 1987.[5] He was released toDoncaster Rovers – managed by former Leeds bossBilly Bremner – after failing to break into the first-team atElland Road. He featured 26 times in the1991–92 season as Rovers finished 21st in theFourth Division. The creation of thePremier League saw the Fourth Division renamed theThird Division, and Doncaster ended the1992–93 season in 16th place under the stewardship ofSteve Beaglehole. Crosby spent a brief part of the1993–94 season onloan atHalifax Town, featuring just once for theConference club.[6] He played tworeserve team games as a trialist forWrexham.[7]
Crosby signed in December 1993 withAlan Murray'sDarlington, which went on to end the1993–94 campaign second-from-bottom of theFootball League. Darlington also finished second-from-bottom in1994–95, with Crosby clocking up 41 appearances.[8] The "Quakers" improved under newmanagerJim Platt, and Crosby played 55 games in the1995–96 campaign as Darlington qualified for theplay-offs after finishing in fifth place; he played in a back five alongside centre-backsSean Gregan andMatty Appleby, supported by wing-backsMark Barnard andSimon Shaw.[8][9] Hecaptained the club in theirplay-off final defeat toPlymouth Argyle, the club's first appearance atWembley Stadium.[10][11] However, Darlington returned to the lower half of the division under new managerDavid Hodgson, finishing 18th in1996–97 and 19th in1997–98, with Crosby bringing his final tally at Darlington to 211 league and cup appearances.[8]
He joinedChester City in July 1998, partnering withMatt Woods in central defence.[12]Kevin Ratcliffe's "Seals" would finish 14th in the Third Division at the end of the1998–99 season, with Crosby scoring four goals in 46 games and beingsent off twice.[13] He wastransfer-listed by controversial ownerTerry Smith and told the media that the club was "falling apart".[14] Chester City were later ordered to pay Crosby £3,800 in outstanding bonuses and wages.[15]
Crosby was sold toBrighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £10,000 in July 1999. He recovered from a "mysterious illness" that kept him in hospital for two nights in September 1999; it turned out to be caused by a virus in his left ear.[16] He went on to make 41 appearances across the1999–2000 campaign.[17][18] He formed a strong centre-back partnership withDanny Cullip during the2000–01 season as Brighton wonpromotion out of the Third Division as champions; he scored two goals in 39 games, including one goal scored with his ear againstBlackpool.[19][8] He had a "clear the air meeting" with managerMicky Adams in September 2001 after being dropped forMatt Wicks.[20] Following the meeting he was transfer-listed at his own request after finding his first-team chances at theWithdean Stadium limited.[21]
Crosby signed withOxford United in December 2001.Ian Atkins led the "U's" to a 21st-place finish in the Third Division at the end of the2001–02 season.[8] Crosby scored seven goals from 53 appearances in the2002–03 campaign – including winning goals againstBury,Leyton Orient,Lincoln City andBoston United – as Oxford came within a point of reaching the play-offs.[22] He scored five goals in 46 games during the2003–04 season – including winning goals againstCarlisle United, Leyton Orient andCheltenham Town – as the club this time finished three points outside the play-off places.[23] Crosby was named on thePFA Team of the Year.[24] He was offered a newcontract by incoming managerGraham Rix on greatly reduced terms but decided to leave theKassam Stadium to move closer to his family in the north of England.[25]
Crosby joinedScunthorpe United on a two-year contract in June 2004.[26][8] ManagerBrian Laws wanted to add experience to his young side, which he found in Crosby,Paul Musselwhite andIan Baraclough.[27] Together with existing veteran playersPeter Beagrie andSteve Torpey, the five players had close to 2,500 games between them.[28] He replacedMark Jackson as club captain.[26] Crosby formed a centre-back partnership withAndy Butler which would last for four seasons.[29] He scored three goals from 48 games in the2004–05 season as United won promotion out ofLeague Two as runners-up to championsYeovil Town.[8] He also scored anown goal as the club were beaten byChelsea in theFA Cup.[30] He was again named on the PFA Team of the Year, along with teammate Peter Beagrie, as recognition for the team having the division's best defensive record with only 42 goals conceded, as compared to 73 goals conceded the previous season.[26][31]
He recovered from a dip in form to feature 49 times in the2005–06 campaign as Scunthorpe posted a 12th-place finish inLeague One.[26][32] He was sent off in a defeat at Blackpool but scored in wins overBarnsley,Oldham Athletic,Hartlepool United andChesterfield.[26] Now playing alongsideSteve Foster, he captained Scunthorpe to promotion as champions of League One at the end of the2006–07 season, the club's first divisional trophy in 49 years.[26][33] He scored three goals in September 2007, including aheader that secured a 2–1 win overPreston North End, maintaining Scunthorpe's unbeaten record atGlanford Park at the start of the2007–08 season.[34] Crosby featured in 38Championship games, but Scunthorpe were eventuallyrelegated to League One after finishing second-from-bottom.[35]
A knee injury restricted Crosby to just nine appearances during the2008–09 campaign;Krystian Pearce andDavid Mirfin meanwhile established themselves at centre-back.[29] Crosby's contribution proved crucial as Pearce was dropped due to injuries and loss of form with four regular season games left to play.[29] Scunthorpe qualified for the play-offs, and Crosby converted hispenalty in ashoot-out victory overMilton Keynes Dons in the semi-finals.[29] He played the whole 90 minutes of the 3–2 victory overMillwall inthe final – the last match of his 715-game career.[36][29] Having been the club's assistant manager since November 2006, he focused oncoaching for the2009–10 season and did not make it onto thepitch as a player.[27]
Crosby was an "uncompromising, no-nonsense, hard-tackling"defender with a strong 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) frame.[37][2][38] He had good leadership and organisational skills, being described as a "natural leader" by former Scunthorpe teammate Paul Musselwhite.[39][40][41] He was apenalty kick specialist and missed just one in his career, though he scored from therebound.[36] He was nicknamed 'Crozzer' whilst at Scunthorpe.[26]
"When I first took charge at Scunthorpe I said 'Don't tell me what I want to hear, tell me as it is' and he's excellent at doing that. You've got to have trust in somebody and I've got total trust in Andy Crosby."
Following Brian Laws's move toSheffield Wednesday on 6 November 2006,Nigel Adkins became Scunthorpe United'scaretaker manager with Crosby and Ian Baraclough as his assistants.[43] Adkins was given the job permanently the following month, and it was reported by the BBC that "the position of assistant manager will be reviewed in the close season", with Crosby, Baraclough andTony Daws supporting Adkins until then.[44]
On 12 September 2010, Crosby joinedSouthampton as assistant to manager Nigel Adkins.[45] The pair took the club from League One to thePremier League with successive promotions in2010–11 and2011–12.[46] He was dismissed, along with Adkins, on 18 January 2013.[47] The decision to sack Adkins proved highly unpopular with Southampton supporters, who waved whitehandkerchiefs atSt Mary's Stadium to show their displeasure with chairmanNicola Cortese's decision to replace Adkins with formerEspanyol managerMauricio Pochettino.[48]
On 26 March 2013, he reunited with Adkins as he became his assistant atReading.[49] Crosby said the pair had tried to continue the work done by popular former managerBrian McDermott; however, Reading were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the2012–13 season.[50] Crosby was strongly linked with the vacant management position at Scunthorpe United in November 2013.[51] Reading aimed for an immediate promotion but narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs in2013–14, and Adkins and Crosby were sacked in December 2014.[52][53]
On 2 June 2015, Crosby joined Adkins as his assistant atSheffield United.[54] Adkins was sacked in May 2016 after overseeing an 11th-place finish in League One during the2015–16 season.[55] On 7 December 2017, Crosby was appointed as Adkins's assistant atHull City on an 18-month contract.[56] During these 18 months Hull would avoid relegation out of the Championship at the end of the2017–18 season and then finish 13th in the2018–19 season.[57] In June 2019, Adkins announced that he would be leaving Hull City, together with Crosby.[58] Crosby said that they had decided not to renew their contracts as the wage bill had been cut and the playing squad needed a rebuild.[57]
He began working as Ian Baraclough's assistant in theNorthern Ireland U21 coaching set-up before being appointed as caretaker manager after Baraclough was promoted to the senior team management position in August 2020.[59] Baraclough described him as "a safe pair of hands".[60] Crosby named his squad at the end of August and took charge for the remaining fivegroup games of the2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification.[61][62] He won his first game as a manager on 4 September, a 2–0 win overMalta, and said that "it's a great opportunity for me as this is a really good group and Ian has put together a really good culture".[63] However a 1–0 defeat toDenmark at theBallymena Showgrounds on 8 September ended the team's chances of qualification.[64] The rest of the campaign saw a defeat at home toFinland and a home win and away loss toUkraine.[65][66][67] Northern Ireland finished fifth in the group, and it was reported in January 2021 that Crosby was expected to be given the manager's job on a permanent basis.[68][69]
In March 2021, he joined the coaching staff atPort Vale until the end ofthe season.[70] He extended his contract atVale Park in June 2021, at which point both managerDarrell Clarke anddirector of footballDavid Flitcroft emphasised his importance to the club.[71][72] He stepped down from his management position at Northern Ireland in order to concentrate fully on his role atVale Park.[73] On 15 February 2022, Clarke took a period of leave after a close family bereavement, with Crosby standing in during his absence.[74][75] Clarke completed a phased return to the manager role on 6 May.[76] With permission from Clarke,[72] Crosby led the team out at Wembley in theplay-off final as Vale secured promotion with a 3–0 win overMansfield Town.[77][78] Crosby becameinterim manager after Clarke was sacked on 17 April 2023 following a run of two wins in eighteen League One matches.[79] He won one and lost three of the final four games of the2022–23 season before stating that he believed himself ready to take the job on a permanent basis.[80] He was confirmed as the club's permanent manager on 12 May.[81]
Crosby appointed a new clubcaptain in 27-year-old stalwartNathan Smith, withFunso Ojo as vice-captain.[82] Vale opened the2023–24 season with a 7–0 defeat atBarnsley, the biggest opening day defeat for any team in the EFL since the1962–63 season over 60 years ago.[83] His team responded with ten points from the remaining twelve on offer in August, earning him a nomination for theEFL League One Manager of the Month award.[84] He led the Vale into the quarter-finals of theEFL Cup for the first time inthe club's history with wins overFleetwood Town,Crewe Alexandra,Sutton United andMansfield Town.[85] However, a poor run of form followed, and his substitutions and reliance on sports science were criticised after the team exited the FA Cup having thrown away a two-goal lead at home toStevenage.[86] Ultimately, Crosby lasted less than a year. After one win in eight games, with the club in 20th place, he was sacked on 5 February 2024.[87]
Crosby joinedTranmere Rovers as a coach on a short-term basis in December 2024, reuniting again with manager Nigel Adkins.[88] Crosby stepped up to became the club's caretaker manager after Adkins was sacked on 26 February 2025.[89] After going unbeaten in his first three games, Crosby was confirmed as the interim manager until the end of the2024–25 season.[90]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United | 1990–91[91] | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1991–92[8] | Fourth Division | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 1992–93[8] | Third Division | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 33 | 1 | |
| 1993–94[8] | Third Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 60 | 1 | ||
| Halifax Town (loan) | 1993–94[6] | Football Conference | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Darlington | 1993–94[8] | Third Division | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 1994–95[8] | Third Division | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 1995–96[8] | Third Division | 45 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 55 | 1 | |
| 1996–97[8] | Third Division | 42 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 49 | 2 | |
| 1997–98[8] | Third Division | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
| Total | 181 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 211 | 4 | ||
| Chester City | 1998–99[13] | Third Division | 41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 46 | 4 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1999–2000[18] | Third Division | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| 2000–01[8] | Third Division | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| 2001–02[92] | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 72 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 84 | 5 | ||
| Oxford United | 2001–02[92] | Third Division | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| 2002–03[22] | Third Division | 46 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 53 | 7 | |
| 2003–04[23] | Third Division | 42 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 46 | 5 | |
| Total | 111 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 122 | 13 | ||
| Scunthorpe United | 2004–05[8] | League Two | 44 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 3 |
| 2005–06[32] | League One | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 49 | 4 | |
| 2006–07[93] | League One | 39 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 45 | 5 | |
| 2007–08[35] | Championship | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 4 | |
| 2008–09[8] | League One | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2009–10[94] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 167 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 191 | 16 | ||
| Career total | 624 | 38 | 30 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 715 | 43 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Northern Ireland U21 (caretaker) | 4 September 2020 | 9 June 2021 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 040.0 |
| Port Vale (acting manager)[a] | 15 February 2022 | 6 May 2022 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 052.9 |
| Port Vale | 17 April 2023 | 5 February 2024 | 44 | 14 | 11 | 19 | 031.8 |
| Tranmere Rovers (caretaker) | 26 February 2025 | present | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 040.0 |
| Total | 72 | 27 | 19 | 26 | 037.5 | ||
Awards
Brighton and Hove Albion
Scunthorpe United
Media related toAndy Crosby at Wikimedia Commons