| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil Aspin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (age 60)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Gateshead, England[2] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1979–1982 | Leeds United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1989 | Leeds United | 207 | (5) |
| 1989–1999 | Port Vale | 348 | (3) |
| 1999–2001 | Darlington | 50 | (0) |
| 2001 | Hartlepool United | 10 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Harrogate Town | ||
| 2009–2014 | FC Halifax Town | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 615 | (8) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2005–2009 | Harrogate Town | ||
| 2009–2015 | FC Halifax Town | ||
| 2015–2017 | Gateshead | ||
| 2017–2019 | Port Vale | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Neil Aspin (born 12 April 1965) is an Englishfootballmanager and former player.
A defender who could play atcentre-back andright-back, he was amarker and antackler. He made his debut in theEnglish Football League forLeeds United at the age of 16 in February 1982, which would be his only appearance in theFirst Division (first tier). He spent seven seasons in theSecond Division (second tier) with the club, making 244 league and cup appearances and being named the club's Player of the Year for the 1984–85 season. He was sold toPort Vale for a£150,000 fee in July 1989 and would go on to make 410 appearances in all competitions during a ten-season stay atVale Park. He was named the club'sPlayer of the Year in the 1989–90 season and helped the "Valiants" to win theFootball League Trophy in1993. The following season, 1993–94, he was named on thePFA Team of the Year as he helped Vale to winpromotion out of the Second Division (third tier), and he again won the Port Vale Player of the Year award. He also played in the1996Anglo-Italian Cup final defeat toGenoa. He spent July 1999 to January 2001 withThird Division (fourth tier) sideDarlington. Then he spent the second half of the 2000–01 season atHartlepool United. He played inplay-off final defeats with Leeds, Port Vale and Darlington.
He playednon-League football atHarrogate Town until retiring as a player in 2004, and then managed the club from January 2005 to April 2009. He was appointed as manager ofFC Halifax Town in April 2009. He managed Halifax to three successive promotions in his first four seasons at the club, taking them from the second tier of theNorthern Premier League to theConference Premier by winning the Northern Premier League Division One North and Premier Division titles in 2009–10 and 2010–11 and then theConference North play-offs in 2013; he also won thePeter Swales Shield in 2011 and theWest Riding County Cup in 2013, as well as numerous Manager of the Month awards. However, he was sacked in September 2015 after a series of poor results, and two months later took charge atGateshead. He spent two years at Gateshead before he was installed as Port Vale manager in October 2017. He steered the club away fromrelegation at the end of the 2017–18 season before tendering his resignation in January 2019.
Born inGateshead, County Durham, Aspin began his career as a trainee atLeeds United, a club he supported as a boy despite its distance from his hometown.[4] He signed with the club as a schoolboy at the age of 14 and became an apprentice at age 16.[5] He attendedHeathfield Senior High School and won Durham County Schools honours and had trials forEngland Schoolboys.[6] He became the secondyoungest ever débutante for the club, behindPeter Lorimer, when he played in a 2–0 defeat toIpswich Town atElland Road on 20 February 1982 at the age of 16 years, 10 months and 9 days; he was selected bymanagerAllan Clarke due to suspension toKenny Burns and injuries toTrevor Cherry,Brian Greenhoff andNeil Firm.[4][6] He was the subject of a documentary in theRowan's Report series, aired onITV on 9 August 1982, a series which focused on some of the country's most successful children.[7] He signed professionally at the age of 17.[5]
Leeds wererelegated out of theFirst Division at the end of the1981–82 season. Aspin made his second appearance for the "Whites" on 4 December 1982, in a 1–0 home defeat byQueens Park Rangers, his first start under new managerEddie Gray.[8] He went on to make a further 14Second Division appearances during the1982–83 season, with the club posting an eighth-place finish in their first season back in the second tier for 19 years. Aspin scored his first senior goal on 17 March 1984, helping to secure a 2–1 home win overGrimsby Town.[9] He featured 26 times throughout the1983–84 season and 33 times in the1984–85 campaign, scoring his second goal career atCarlisle United; he was voted the club's Player of the Year in 1985.[10][11] He posted 42 appearances in the1985–86 campaign, scoring in away wins atStoke City andBradford City, though Leeds slipped down to 14th in the table as new managerBilly Bremner started to rebuild the team.[12][13]
United came close topromotion in the1986–87 season, with Aspin missing only one league game to make a total of 54 league and cup appearances and scoring goals againstOldham Athletic andShrewsbury Town; Leeds secured aplay-off place with a fourth-place finish, but lost 2–1 toCharlton Athletic in theplay-off finalreplay atSt Andrew's.[14][15][16]John Sheridan had put Leeds ahead inextra time, only forPeter Shirtliff to score in the 113th and 117th minutes to deny United a return to the top tier. This followed disappointment in theFA Cup, where Leeds had reached thesemi-finals, only to suffer defeat toCoventry City atHillsborough, again in extra time.[17] Aspin played in the game after he postponed his wedding, which had been scheduled to take place on the day of the semi-final.[4] He featured 30 times during the1987–88 season and 39 times in the1988–89 campaign, before he was allowed to leave the club by new managerHoward Wilkinson after losing his place to new signingMel Sterland. He was sold toPort Vale for a£150,000 fee in July 1989, choosing theMidlands club ahead of a move toLondon-basedCharlton Athletic.[4][5] Vale had offered £75,000 a year earlier, which had been rejected by Leeds.[18]
Port Vale were preparing for their first Second Division campaign in 32 years when Aspin arrived at the club. He played 51 games in the1989–90 season, as the club recorded an eleventh-place finish. He immediately established himself as a firm favourite with the supporters atVale Park, taking theclub's player of the year award and most of the other club's awards at the end of the campaign.[19] He was also entrusted with the club'scaptaincy.[4] He played 46 games in the1990–91 season, and scored his first goal for the "Valiants" in a 3–2 win overPortsmouth on 19 January. He was consistent again in the relegation season of1991–92, making another 46 appearances. On 24 November 1992, he was hospitalised in a 3–1 win overPotteries derby rivalsStoke City following a knee-high challenge fromSteve Foley, though Aspin later said "it was a fantastic night, a great atmosphere and I still remember the ball sticking in the mud".[18] He played 48 games in the1992–93 season and played a leading role in the club's victoriousFootball League Trophy campaign.[20] Thefinal was played atWembley Stadium, and Aspin played alongsidePeter Swan andDean Glover to help Vale record a 2–1 win overStockport County.[21] Vale finished third in the league, just one point second-placedBolton Wanderers, and reached Wembley again after beating Stockport County in the play-off semi-finals. However, they suffered a 3–0 defeat toWest Bromwich Albion in theplay-off final.
Vale secured promotion into the First Division at the end of the1993–94 season. Aspin was voted Player of the Year for a second time for his performances across 51 appearances that season.[22] He was also elected to the divisionalTeam of the Season, as voted for by members of theProfessional Footballers' Association.[23] He scored just the eighth goal of his career on 12 March 1994, in a 4–1 win atHartlepool United. Vale retained their second-tier status in1994–95, with Aspin featuring in 40 games. He was reduced to 30 appearances in the1995–96 campaign, though did play in the1996 Anglo-Italian Cup final, as Vale lost 5–2 toSerie B sideGenoa.[24] He scored the third and final goal of his Vale career on 16 April 1996, in a 1–0 home win overGrimsby Town.
He made 38 appearances in the1996–97 campaign, as the club posted their highest ever post-war finish, eighth in the second tier. He played 29 games in the1997–98 and 32 games in1998–99 seasons. He was then handed afree transfer by new managerBrian Horton, who had replaced long-servingJohn Rudge in January 1999.[25] Aspin had made 410 league and cup appearances in his ten years at the club and enjoyed atestimonial match featuring Vale supporting pop-starRobbie Williams.[26]
Aspin remained in theEnglish Football League after leaving Port Vale, signing withDarlington in July 1999.[25] He made 34 appearances, helpingDavid Hodgson's "Quakers" to reach theThird Division play-off final in2000 after overcoming Hartlepool United in the play-off semi-finals following their fourth-place finish at the end of the1999–2000 season. However,Peterborough United won the play-off final 1–0, leaving Aspin with three defeats from his three play-off final appearances.[27] Darlington struggled in the2000–01 season, and Aspin left the club in January 2001 to sign for Hartlepool United. He played ten league games as the "Pools" reached the Third Division play-offs, where they were defeated byBlackpool at the semi-final stage. At the end of the campaign Aspin joinedNorthern Premier League First Division sideHarrogate Town as a player-coach.[25]
Harrogate topped the table by a ten-point margin in the2001–02 season and spent the2002–03 campaign in the Premier Division. The club was invited to join the newly formedConference North after a fifth-place finish in the2003–04 season. Aspin worked as managerJohn Reed's assistant as he wound down his playing career to focus on coaching.[28] He was expected to return to Darlington as a defensive coach,[29] only for the move to fall through after the club reversed its decision.[30]
A soliddefender who could play at centre-back and right-back, Aspin was a goodmarker and an adepttackler.[31] He was popular with supporters due to his commitment and hard-working style of play, which made up for his lack oftechnical skill.[6] He was nicknamed "Skull" by Leeds fans, having suffered fromhair loss at an early age.[32] In May 2019, he was voted into the "Ultimate Port Vale XI" by members of theOneValeFan supporter website.[33]
"Aspo was one of those guys who played with a very basic philosophy. Either the ball or the player could pass him, but never both – and he often preferred to clear the player rather than the ball."
— Robbie Earle writing in 2012.[34]
Aspin returned to former clubHarrogate Town in his first management role on 18 January 2005. He secured a 5–1 win overAshton United on 12 February, and Town ended the2004–05 season in sixth place, just one point outside theConference North play-offs. They secured a play-off place in his first full season,2005–06, but lost out 1–0 toStafford Rangers in the semi-finals.[35] Harrogate also played their first match against Football League opposition, takingTorquay United to a replay in the first round of theFA Cup.[36] They again finished in sixth-place in the2006–07 and2007–08 seasons, missing out by one and then two points respectively. Following a ninth-place finish at the end of the2008–09 campaign, Aspin decided he could not take the club any further with the budget on offer and announced his decision to leave.[37]
On 28 April 2009, Aspin was appointed manager ofNorthern Premier League Division One North clubFC Halifax Town.[38] In his first season with the "Shaymen",2009–10, he led them to the Division One North title, winning the league with 100 points, with the team scoring 108 goals. He was named as Manager of the Month for September after his team secured six wins in seven games.[39] He managed Halifax to back-to-back promotions as they secured the Northern Premier League Premier Division title with 98 points in the2010–11 campaign, again scoring 108 goals. In his first two seasons, the team had only lost six league games, allowing Aspin to pick up several Manager of the Month awards, as well as the Non-League Paper Manager of the Year award.[40] In August 2011 he soldJamie Vardy toFleetwood Town for an initial fee of £150,000, which later rose to around £500,000. He had signed Vardy fromStocksbridge Park Steels for £16,000 just over 12 months previously.[41]
After defeatingAshton United on penalties in thePeter Swales Shield,[42] Aspin led his team to the FA Cup first round for the first time in the club's brief history, where they lost at home toCharlton Athletic.[43] He was named as Manager of the Month for October 2011 after winning five of their six games.[44] However, a third consecutive promotion eluded him in the2011–12 season; Halifax secured a play-off place with a third-place finish, but were beaten 3–2 onaggregate byGainsborough Trinity at the semi-final stage. Aspin went on to say "we deserved to win the game today there is no question about that. We had more possession, more shots on goal, more corners, hit the woodwork twice and we dominated play. However, if you don't score in football, unfortunately you don't win matches and it wasn't to be. You need some luck to win the play-offs and we didn't get it."[45] Aspin picked up another Manager of the Month award after Halifax scored 14 goals in their two league and two FA Cup matches in November 2012.[46] Halifax secured a play-off spot at the end of the2012–13 season, and won a third-successive promotion with a 1–0 victory overBrackley Town.[47] He also added theWest Riding County Cup to the club's trophy cabinet with a 1–0 victory overGuiseley.[48]
In the club's first season in theConference Premier, he led Halifax to a fifth-place finish, securing a play-off spot. They lost out toCambridge United at the play-off semi-final stage, squandering a 1–0 first-leg lead afterLee Gregory had scored from thepenalty spot.[49] Halifax had a great start to the2014–15 season and Aspin was named as the division's manager of the month after leading the club to five wins in six games in August.[50] During that same month he signed a new two-yearcontract with the club.[51] On 1 October, now aged 49, he played himself as a 69th-minutesubstitute forLee Nogan in a 3–0 defeat at Guiseley in the first round of the West Riding County Cup.[52] He was again named as Manager of the Month for February after Halifax rose to fourth-place with 14 points from an available 18, including four away victories.[53] Halifax's promotion push collapsed at the end of the season, and they ended in ninth place on a run of just one win in their final 15 games.[54] He was sacked on 17 September 2015 following what the board described as "a prolonged period of indifferent results stretching back to February 2015".[55]
On 27 November 2015, it was announced that Aspin was to be appointed manager ofNational League clubGateshead on 30 November after signing an 18-month contract.[56] He stated it was "lovely to come back" to his hometown club.[57] He led the "Tynesiders" to a ninth-place finish in2015–16. He signed an extended two-year contract in August 2016.[58] He was named National League Manager of the Month for February 2017 after leading Gateshead to within touching distance of the play-offs with a series of victories.[59] Gateshead ended the2016–17 campaign in eighth place, 12 points outside the play-offs. At his departure, Gateshead were 15th in the National League table.[60]
On 4 October 2017, Aspin was appointed as manager of former club Port Vale, who were 22nd inLeague Two after a poor start to the2017–18 season; his former managerJohn Rudge also returned to the club in an advisory role.[61] Aspin said that his new squad was too big with 33 senior professionals at the club, and added that he would try to find aformation to suit the players at his disposal and that he wanted the team to push further forward to support target-man strikerTom Pope.[62] He picked up his first win as Vale manager on 14 October, with Pope scoring a brace in a 3–1 home win overCheltenham Town.[63] Seven days later, Aspin was named as manager of the week after his side won 1–0 away atExeter City.[64] He went on to be nominated for theLeague Two Manager of the Month award after three wins in five games and five goals in the month of October.[65] He signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with the club in December 2017.[66] He was also nominated for that month's Manager of the Month award after collecting 13 points from Vale's five matches, including a 4–0 victory over league leadersLuton Town and a 1–0 win over promotion chasingCoventry City; However, the award instead went toDanny Cowley atLincoln City.[67]
In theJanuary transfer window Aspin allowed two departures, plusGavin Gunning left the club after rejecting a contract offer and centre-backTom Anderson was recalled from hisloan; incoming werenon-League playersDior Angus,Luke Hannant andCallum Howe, as well as loaneesDonovan Wilson,Zak Jules,Charlie Raglan andKyle Howkins.[68] Aspin remarked that the four centre-backs brought in did not cost the club much financially, and that he would have liked to have strengthened in other areas "but for one reason or another it just hasn't happened".[68] However, he managed to convertCristian Montaño from a winger to a left-back andAntony Kay from a centre-half to a central midfielder, and guided the club to safety with two games to spare.[69] Vale ended the campaign in 20th-place – the joint-lowest finish in theclub's history – with just one point above the relegation zone, having been out of the relegation zone ongoal difference upon Aspin's arrival at the club.[70]
Building for the2018–19 season, Aspin released ten players andtransfer-listed a further four whilst bringing in ten new signings and five loan players. Incoming were mostly free transfer signings and included promotedWycombe Wanderers goalkeeperScott Brown,Cambridge United captain centre-halfLeon Legge, 30-year-oldCarlisle United central midfielderLuke Joyce and troubled but talentedPeterborough United strikerRicky Miller (signed for an undisclosed fee); also arriving wereAlfreton Town wingerBrendon Daniels,Aldershot Town Player of the YearManny Oyeleke,The New Saints centre-backConnell Rawlinson,Gateshead defenderTheo Vassell,Stevenage midfielderTom Conlon, and formerAFC Bournemouth loaneeBen Whitfield, whilst former fan's favouriteLouis Dodds, teenage strikerIdris Kanu, forwardScott Quigley, full-backMitch Clark and midfielderLewis Hardcastle also joined on season-long loan deals.[71] The team had an indifferent start to the season, with the highlight being a 1–0 victory at local rivalsCrewe Alexandra on 22 September.[72] Having seen their team pick up just seven points from an available 27 in November and December, a section of travelling supporters booed and heckled Aspin during a 1–1 draw atLincoln City on New Year's Day; Aspin reacted badly to the fan's "lack of respect" towards him and considered quitting his role, but said that he decided to stay because he had the support of the players and chairmanNorman Smurthwaite.[73] However, he tendered his resignation on 30 January, stating that "I am very proud of the job we did in keeping the club in League Two and we leave the club in a better place on and off thepitch. I fully accept results from December have been poor and expected to be higher up the table and know the players are capable of doing that."[74] He later did corporate work for Leeds United.[75]
Aspin has stated that he wants his players to be "honest" by not feigning injury or otherwise attempting to cheat and that he tries to be respectful towards officials.[76] He also has a reputation for honesty in dealing with the media, giving fair assessments of his team's performances.[77] He does not allow his players to wear gloves during first-team matches.[78] He tends to prefer to play defensive football.[79]
He married Dianne and had a son, Alex, and daughter, Chloe.[80]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United | 1981–82 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982–83 | Second Division | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 1983–84 | Second Division | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 1984–85 | Second Division | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 1985–86 | Second Division | 38 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
| 1986–87 | Second Division | 41 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 54 | 2 | |
| 1987–88 | Second Division | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 1988–89 | Second Division | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Total | 207 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 244 | 6 | ||
| Port Vale | 1989–90 | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| 1990–91 | Second Division | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 1991–92 | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1992–93 | Second Division | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1993–94 | Second Division | 40 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
| 1994–95 | First Division | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 | First Division | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 1996–97 | First Division | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 1997–98 | First Division | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 1998–99 | First Division | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| Total | 348 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 410 | 3 | ||
| Darlington | 1999–2000 | Third Division | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | Third Division | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 60 | 0 | ||
| Hartlepool United | 2000–01 | Third Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| FC Halifax Town | 2014–15 | Conference Premier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 615 | 8 | 46 | 0 | 65 | 1 | 726 | 9 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Harrogate Town | 18 January 2005 | 26 April 2009 | 202 | 89 | 48 | 65 | 044.1 | [83] |
| FC Halifax Town | 28 April 2009 | 17 September 2015 | 332 | 178 | 78 | 76 | 053.6 | [84] |
| Gateshead | 27 November 2015 | 4 October 2017 | 94 | 37 | 28 | 29 | 039.4 | [85] |
| Port Vale | 4 October 2017 | 30 January 2019 | 78 | 24 | 23 | 31 | 030.8 | [85] |
| Total | 706 | 328 | 177 | 201 | 046.5 | |||
Port Vale
Harrogate Town
Individual
FC Halifax Town
Individual