Ashley Josiah Hemmings (born 3 March 1991) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
or
winger for
Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
.
Hemmings began his career with
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
before being released in 2012, by then having also had
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
spells at
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
,
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
and
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
.
Club career
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Hemmings was born in
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...
, London. He is a product of
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
' academy, having been with the club since age nine.
He signed a professional contract age 17 in February 2009 and soon went on
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
for a month to gain first team experience at
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
, where he made his senior debut against
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
.
He made his Wolves debut as a substitute against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on 25 April 2009 in which the club clinched the
Championship title; he also featured as a substitute against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
a week later on the final day of the season. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Hemming signed a two-year contract with the club.
To gain further first team experience, he went on a month's loan to
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
club
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
in October 2010 making his debut on 23 October, as a substitute, in a 1–1 draw at
Gillingham. In the second round of a FA Cup, Hemmings provided a winning goal for
Billy Kee
Billy Rodney Kee (born 1 December 1990) is a footballer who plays as a forward for side Coalville Town. Born in England, he represented Northern Ireland at under-19 and under-21 youth levels.
Early life
Kee was born in Loughborough, Leicest ...
as Torquay beat Walsall 1–0. However, after making nine league appearances, Hemmings loan spell at Torquay United had ended, despite having it extended until the end of the season.
In November 2011, he moved on loan to League Two club
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
until January 2012. He scored his first senior goal on his debut for the Pilgrims against
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
; then scored his second goal, which turns out to be a winner and provided a double assist in a 3–2 win over
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
. His loan spell was then extended to run until the end of the season.
His contract at Wolves expired in June 2012 and was not renewed. After being released by Plymouth, Hemmings was linked with a return to Plymouth on a permanent basis, but manager
Carl Fletcher decided against signing Hemmings.
Walsall
A free agent, Hemmings signed for League One club
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
on a two-year contract. Hemmings scored on his Walsall debut against
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
with an 18-yard drive into the bottom corner of the goal in the first round of the League Cup and made his league debut in an opening game of the season; as Walsall lost 3–0 against Doncaster Rovers. On 17 November 2012, Hemmings scored his first league goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...
. In his first season at Walsall, Hemmings made 34 appearances and scored twice in all competitions.
[
His second season at Walsall saw Hemmings play the first two matches, which saw him earn Man of the Match. Hemmings then scored his first goal of the season, in the second round of League Cup, in a 3–1 loss against ]Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
. A week later in the first round of Football League Trophy, Hemmings scored against his former club, as Walsall lose on penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw. His first league goal didn't came until 22 October 2013 against Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
when he scored a brace, in a 3–1 win. However soon after, Hemmings' performance soon gone badly and his first team chance was soon limited.
On 27 March 2014, Hemmings joined League Two club Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
on loan until 24 April 2014. Because Burton reached the play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
Hemmings extended his loan until the end of the 2013–14 season. He was released by Walsall in May 2014.
Dagenham & Redbridge
In July 2014, he signed for League Two club Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
on a one-year contract after training with the club during pre-season.
Hemmings made his Dagenham & Redbridge in the opening game of the season, in a 3–0 loss against Morecambe
Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea.
Name
The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
. Three days later on 12 August 2014, Hemmings scored twice and provided an assist for George Porter
George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967.
Education and early life
Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...
, in a 6–6 draw in the first round of League Cup against Brentford, but lost 4–2 in the penalty shoot-out. Two weeks later on 30 August 2014, Hemmings scored his first league goal of the season, in a 3–3 draw against Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
. Hemmings then changed into a position as a defensive role Hemmings scored two goals in two games against Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
and Cheltenham Town. His fourth goal later came on 7 March 2015, in a 3–2 win over Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
, followed up with his fifth goal of the season, in a 3–2 win over Newport County. At the end of the season, making forty-four appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions, Hemmings signed a one-year contract extension with the club. In May 2016 as his contract expired, he was released along with eleven players as Dagenham were relegated to the National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
.
Mansfield Town
Hemmings signed for Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
club Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
on 3 June 2016. Hemmings scored his first goal for Mansfield in an FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
tie against Plymouth Argyle on 5 November 2016. He was released by Mansfield at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Non-League
Following his departure from Mansfield, Hemmings then joined Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
and was Boston's top goalscorer for the 2017–18 season with 16 goals. He was voted by Boston fans as the club's player of the season.
Hemmings signed for newly promoted National League club Salford City on 30 May 2018. He left less than two months later on 24 July 2018, signing for another National League club, AFC Fylde
AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm.
Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wes ...
, on a two-year contract. He stated that he decided to move as he was more likely to play regularly at Fylde. In December 2018, he joined Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
on a one-month loan deal. He scored 2 goals in 5 appearances before returning to his parent club.
Hemmings joined Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
in October 2019 on an 18-month contract. In February 2021, he signed a new contract to keep him at the club for an additional season. After scoring two goals in the month, complete with a number of impressive performances, Hemmings was awarded the National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
Player of the Month award for October 2021.
International career
Hemmings made his debut for the England national under-17 team on 30 July when starting a 2–0 win over Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
in their opening match at the 2007 Nordic Cup. He played in all of England's matches at the tournament, and came on as a substitute on 4 August 2007 in the third-place match, with England beating Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
4–1.[ This was the last of his four appearances for the under-17s.][
]
Career statistics
Honours
England U17
* Nordic Cup third place: 2007[
Kidderminster Harriers
*]National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
play-offs: 2022-23
Individual
*Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
Player of the Year: 2017–18
*National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
Player of the Month: October 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemmings, Ashley
1991 births
Living people
Footballers from the London Borough of Lewisham
People from Lewisham
English men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
Men's association football forwards
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Cheltenham Town F.C. players
Torquay United F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Walsall F.C. players
Burton Albion F.C. players
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Boston United F.C. players
Salford City F.C. players
AFC Fylde players
Altrincham F.C. players
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Black British sportsmen