 Ashley Westwood leads his Hong Kong squad through training | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ashley Michael Westwood[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-08-31)31 August 1976 (age 49)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bridgnorth,Shropshire, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Manchester United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Crewe Alexandra | 96 | (9) |
| 1998–2000 | Bradford City | 24 | (2) |
| 2000 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2000–2003 | Sheffield Wednesday | 77 | (4) |
| 2003–2006 | Northampton Town | 31 | (2) |
| 2006–2008 | Chester City | 21 | (3) |
| 2007 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Port Vale (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2008 | Stevenage Borough | 20 | (2) |
| 2008–2010 | Wrexham | 61 | (3) |
| 2010–2011 | Kettering Town | 12 | (0) |
| 2011 | Crewe Alexandra | 6 | (0) |
| 2011 | Northampton Town | 17 | (1) |
| 2012 | Kettering Town | 9 | (1) |
| 2012 | Lincoln City | 0 | (0) |
| 2012 | Portsmouth | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 403 | (28) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012 | Kettering Town | ||
| 2013–2016 | Bengaluru | ||
| 2016–2017 | Penang FA | ||
| 2018 | ATK (caretaker) | ||
| 2021–2022 | RoundGlass Punjab | ||
| 2023–2024 | Afghanistan | ||
| 2024–2025 | Hong Kong | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ashley Michael Westwood (born 31 August 1976) is an Englishfootballmanager and former professional player.
A graduate of theManchester UnitedAcademy, thedefender signed withCrewe Alexandra in 1995. Three years later, he moved on toBradford City. Winningpromotion to thePremier League with the Bantams, hetransferred toSheffield Wednesday in 2000. He moved on toNorthampton Town in 2003, where he stayed for three years. Signing withChester City in 2006, he wasloaned toSwindon Town andPort Vale in 2007, before joiningWrexham viaStevenage Borough the following year.
He spent the 2010–11 season withKettering Town before returning to Crewe Alexandra for a brief spell in 2011. Later in the year, he re-joined another former club, Northampton Town. In December 2011, he was released from the Cobblers after his contract had not been renewed. He was appointed player-caretaker manager at Kettering Town the following month before returning just to playing duties withLincoln City in May 2012. Two months later, he became a player-coach atPortsmouth before becoming a full-time coach at Blackpool in November 2012. In his 18-year playing career, he scored 34 goals in 468 competitive appearances inthe Football League andConference. He was promoted four times with four clubs.
He began his full-time management career with the Indian clubBengaluru FC in 2013. He led them to twoI-League titles (2013–14 and 2015–16) in three seasons, as well as theIndian Federation Cup in2015. He was appointedhead coach at Malaysia Super League clubPenang FA in November 2016 but lasted just five months in the role. He was appointed as director of football atATK in July 2017 and took over as head coach on an interim basis in January 2018. He was appointed asRoundGlass Punjab head coach in July 2021. He became head coach of theAfghanistan national team in November 2023 and then Hong Kong in August 2024.
Born inBridgnorth, Westwood started his career as a trainee at Manchester United and was part of theFA Youth Cup winning side of 1995. He never made a first-team appearance for the Red Devils, butDario Gradi spotted the youngster's potential and secured Westwood's services for Crewe Alexandra for a£40,000 fee.[4]
Westwood slotted in well to theSecond Division side. He played fifty games in the1996–97 season, including the1–0 win play-off final overBrentford that took the Railwaymen into theFirst Division.[5] However, he was to only play 22 games in the1997–98 season. His swansong for theCheshire club came on 13 April 1998, when he scored the opener of a 2–0 win over near rivalsStoke City atGresty Road.
In summer 1998, he signed with Bradford City, a tribunal later awarded Crewe a £150,000 payment from Bradford.[4] Hisfirst season with the club saw the Bantamspromoted to thePremier League as First Division runners-up. Westwood played only 19 games in their league campaign, though. His last game of the season was eventful, as he wassent off in stoppage time after scoring on 62 minutes atLoftus Road againstQueens Park Rangers.[citation needed]
He played just fivePremier League games in1999–2000, though Bradford picked up 13 out of 15 points in those games, a sizeable chunk of their final tally of 36 points. The final of these games was a 3–0 win overWimbledon atValley Parade on 30 April 2000. This was a vital result because had the Dons won, they would have survivedrelegation at Bradford's expense. Westwood replacedRobbie Blake as a 67th minutesubstitute. He went into Europe in July 2000, making two appearances in theUEFA Intertoto Cup, victories overFK Atlantas andRKC Waalwijk. However, newmanagerChris Hutchings told him to improve or leave.[6]
Westwood joined Sheffield Wednesday on a one-month loan in August;[7]Paul Jewell had switched to the Owls and took Westwood with him permanently for £150,000 in September,[8] £100,000 less than Bradford had originally wanted.[9] He played 38 gamesthat season, scoring five goals and picking up ten yellow cards. A particular highlight was scoring the winning goal as Wednesday knocked Premier League sideWest Ham United out of theLeague Cup.[10] Thenext season Wednesday were fighting for First Division survival and Jewell had already left forWigan Athletic. Westwood played 33 games, helping the club to theLeague Cup semi-finals. He began to suffer from agroin injury in October 2002,[11] and played just 25 games in Wednesday's2002–03 relegation season.
In July 2003, he signed with Northampton Town.[12] His time at Northampton was one ravaged by injury. He played just nineThird Division games in2003–04, being out from September to January with a shoulder injury.[13] He was sent off in theplay-off semi-final first leg defeat toMansfield Town. In July 2004, Westwood was appointed club captain.[14] The2004–05 season was the first season ofLeague Two, and Westwood could only muster 19 league appearances following his return to action in October.[15] He signed a new contract at the end of the year, despite still suffering from damaged knee ligaments,[16] an injury he picked up in April.[17] Once again Northampton reached the play-offs, only to exit at the semi-final stage, this time toSouthend United. The Cobblers finally achieved promotion in2005–06 as runners-up; Westwood played just three games all season, all as a substitute. He leftSixfields at the end of the campaign after not being offered a new contract,[18] and instead signed forMark Wright'sChester City.[19]
He continued to struggle with his hamstring. Though he played 25 games, he played his last in Chester colours after being injured againstWycombe Wanderers on 13 January 2007. In March, he joined Swindon Town on loan from the remainder ofthe season to provide much-needed cover for theWiltshire club.[20][21] The season ended with Westwood playing in a centre-back partnership withJamie Vincent, helping Swindon to win promotion from League Two with a third-place finish.[22] Westwood was placed on the transfer list at Chester by mutual consent in August 2007.[23] He left the club on 30 August, to joinLeague One side Port Vale on a temporary short-term deal.[24] He made his Vale debut two days later in a 1–0 win atAFC Bournemouth. He returned to Chester in December 2007,[25] before joining Stevenage Borough on afree transfer at the start of the 2008 Januarytransfer window.[26][27]
He was released by Stevenage in July 2008, after making twenty appearances, scoring twice for theConference side.[28] After a trial withLincoln City he joined Conference sideWrexham, becoming one of the first signings of new managerDean Saunders, with whom Westwood played at Bradford City.[29] He scored his first goal for the Dragons with aheader in anFA Trophy game with Mansfield Town, to put them through to thesecond round.[30] In July 2009 he signed a contract extension, keeping him at the Welsh club for the2009–10 season.[31] At the end of the season, Westwood moved toKettering Town in order to be closer to his family.[32]
Whilst at Kettering, he was sent off twice in two games, againstCambridge United and thenSouthport. Westwood left Kettering by mutual consent in January 2011 and was granted permission to train at his former club, Crewe Alexandra. The managing staff were impressed with his fitness levels and rewarded him with a short-term contract, keeping him at the club until the end of the season.[33] He became the second Ashley Westwood in the squad, joiningAshley R. Westwood, 13 years his junior. He made six appearances but was not retained beyond the end of the campaign.[34]
In August 2011 he agreed to spend a month on trial at former club Northampton Town,[35] and quickly joined the club on non-contract terms.[36] He scored the only goal for Northampton to secure three points atAldershot Town on 13 August, his first start in his second spell at the club.[37] Having made five appearances, he was given a contract lasting until the end of the year.[38] He was released by new managerAidy Boothroyd in December, having played 20 games for the struggling Northamptonshire club.[39]
Conference National side Kettering Town underwent a financial crisis in2011–12, and caretaker managerMark Cooper walked out on the club on 18 January after his players went unpaid.[40] Three days later, Westwood was announced as the club's temporary manager; he was also registered with the club as a player.[41] Later that day, his new team lost 4–1 toWrexham at theRacecourse Ground, having only been able to name two substitutes.[42] The Poppies then won their next two games atNene Park to move out of the relegation zone.[43] After being told his job was secure until the end of the season,[44] he picked himself to play for the first time in the 1–0 defeat atHayes & Yeading on 10 March; also in March he signedBen Joyce and Max York.[45] Kettering failed to turn things around, and were relegated in last place having conceded 100 goals in 46 league games.[46] In May 2012, he signed a one-year playing contract with Lincoln City, also in the Conference.[47] Lincoln managerDavid Holdsworth reluctantly allowed Westwood to leave the club on 6 July 2012, having failing to kick a ball for the Imps.[48]
On 6 July 2012, just over a month after signing for Lincoln, he accepted an offer byMichael Appleton to join the coaching staff at League One sidePortsmouth.[48] The club's financial situation meant that he was obliged to return to playing duties in the2012–13 campaign. However, his only appearance was in a 3–0 League Cup defeat to Plymouth Argyle atHome Park on the opening day of the season; he was 12 years older than the team's second-oldest playerSimon Eastwood.
On 7 November 2012, Westwood followed managerMichael Appleton toChampionship sideBlackpool to work as first-team coach.[49] On 11 January 2013, Westwood followed Appleton to become a coach at fellow Championship clubBlackburn Rovers.[50] He was sacked on 19 March 2013, at the end of Appleton's 67-day reign.[51]
On 2 July 2013, it was announced that Westwood had signed on as the very first head coach of the newly founded team Bengaluru FC in the Indian I-League.[52] He made his debut as head coach on 25 August in a pre-seasonfriendly 1–1 draw with theIndia national football team.[53] Westwood then made his competitive coaching debut with Bengaluru on 22 September in his side's opening league game againstMohun Bagan A.C. at theBangalore Football Stadium. His side drew the match 1–1, withSean Rooney scoring the first-ever official goal in Westwood's reign.[54] Westwood then coached Bengaluru to their first ever victory in their next match againstRangdajied United at the Bangalore Football Stadium in which goals from Sean Rooney,John Johnson, andSunil Chhetri saw Bengaluru won the match 3–0.[55] On 21 April 2014, Westwood led Bengaluru FC to the2013–14 I-League title in their very first season by beatingDempo 4–2 at theFatorda Stadium.[56] In doing so Westwood became the youngest coach to win the I-League.[56] However, on 24 April 2014, it was announced that Westwood would be suspended for four games after his unsporting behaviour during the match away toMohun Bagan on 6 April.[56]
"We won the league with players who were discarded by other clubs and this has made people envious and wondering how we managed it. People say we pay the most and that we have the biggest budget but that is a myth. I see people on television saying that it is easy for us to win with the budget we have but that's not fair. We negotiate hard and we sell the club to potential players as a way for improvement. People don't join for the money, you need competitive players who want to come because they want to better themselves. We are notManchester City."
— Westwood speaking in an interview in May 2015.[57]
They came close to defending their title in the2014–15 campaign but were denied the title after conceding an 87th-minute equalising goal toMohun Bagan on the final day of the season; the game finished as a 1–1 draw and preserved Mohun Bagan's two-point lead in the table. Bengaluru did though win the Indian Federation Cup, knocking outSalgaocar, Mohun Bagan,Shillong Lajong,Pune, andSporting Clube de Goa, before beatingDempo 2–1 inthe final at theFatorda Stadium.[58] They also progressed to the knock-out stages of theAFC Cup, exiting the competition at the Round of 16 with a 2–0 loss atSouth China.[59]
Westwood led Bengaluru to the I-League title in2015–16 with one game to spare.[60] Despite the success Westwood was offered a new contract with reduced wages, and admitted that some in the club's hierarchy were "not on the same wavelength" as him.[61] On 31 May 2016, Westwood parted ways with Bengaluru by mutual consent.[62]
On 28 November 2016, it was announced that Westwood would take over as the head coach of Penang FA of theMalaysia Super League.[63] However, his contract was cancelled by mutual consent on 19 March following a poor start to the2017 season.[64]
On 7 July 2017, Westwood was appointed director of football at Indian Super League side ATK.[65] On 24 January 2018, head coachTeddy Sheringham was sacked, and Westwood was appointed as head coach on an interim basis.[66] He took charge of seven games of the2017–18 season, registering only one point, beforeRobbie Keane was appointed as the club's manager on 3 March.[67]
On 16 July 2021, Westwood joined I-League club RoundGlass Punjab as head coach.[68] He resigned on 21 March 2022, partway through the2021–22 season.[69]
On 8 November 2023, Westwood was appointed the head coach of theAfghanistan national team; at the time of his appointment, 18 players were boycotting theAfghanistan Football Federation due to allegations of corruption.[70] Afghanistan finished fourth in their2026 FIFA World Cupqualification group ofQatar,Kuwait andIndia.[71]
On 28 August 2024, Westwood was appointed the head coach of theHong Kongnational team on a two-year contract, with the goals of qualifying for the2027 AFC Asian Cup for a second consecutive occasion and improving Hong Kong's world ranking.[72][73]
In Westwood's first game in charge, Hong Kong lost 1–0 toLiechtenstein which ended the latter's 41-game winless run.[74] Amid heavy criticism from Hong Kong supporters due to the loss,[75] Westwood subsequently coached Hong Kong to a three-game winning streak – the team's first in eight years.[76][77] The streak was further stretched to six games, a first since 1985, during which he led Hong Kong in qualifying for the2025 EAFF Championship.[78] Hong Kong finished third in the2025 King's Cup with an 8–0 win overFiji in the third-place play-off.[79] They failed inqualification for theAFC Asian Cup after losing a crucial home game againstSingapore having thrown away a first-half lead.[80] He mutually agreed to leave the role shortly afterwards.[81]
Westwood is a father of five, by three different women.[82] His second wife was Huma Westwood, a former probation officer.[83] His current partner is the Australian television sports journalistMel McLaughlin.[82]
On 25 April 2010, Westwood ran a red light and was stopped by a police officer inNorthampton. He elbowed the officer in the face. He was prosecuted for refusing a breath test, assaulting a police officer, and the driving offence of running a red light. He was found guilty in October 2010. He was given 80 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for one year, had three points put on his driving license, and was ordered to pay the prosecution costs of £700.[84]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 1994–95[85] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1995–96[86] | Second Division | 33 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9[a][b] | 0 | 53 | 5 |
| 1996–97[87] | Second Division | 44 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2[a][b] | 0 | 50 | 3 | |
| 1997–98[88] | First Division | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 | |
| Total | 97 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 125 | 11 | ||
| Bradford City | 1998–99[89] | First Division | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| 1999–2000[90] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2000–01[91] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2000–01[91] | First Division | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 5 |
| 2001–02[92] | First Division | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 2002–03[93] | First Division | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| Total | 82 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 9 | ||
| Northampton Town | 2003–04[94] | Third Division | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2004–05[95] | League Two | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | |
| 2005–06[96] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| Chester City | 2006–07[97] | League Two | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| 2007–08[98] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 3 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2006–07[97] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Port Vale (loan) | 2007–08[98] | League One | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Stevenage Borough | 2007–08[98] | Conference National | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| Wrexham | 2008–09[99] | Conference National | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| 2009–10[100] | Conference National | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| Total | 62 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 3 | ||
| Kettering Town | 2010–11[101] | Conference National | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2010–11[101] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Northampton Town | 2011–12[102] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Kettering Town | 2011–12[102] | Conference National | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Lincoln City | 2012–13[103] | Conference National | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portsmouth | 2012–13[103] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 403 | 28 | 24 | 2 | 24 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 468 | 34 | ||
Crewe Alexandra
Swindon Town
Bengaluru
Individual