Stuart Paul Cash (born 5 September 1965) is an English retired

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 played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

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 ...

, Rotherham United and Shrewsbury Town as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He had a long career in

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

and entered

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

while still a player. He had a long association with Terry Brown and worked as Brown's assistant at Aldershot Town,

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

and Basingstoke Town.

Career

Early years

After leaving school, Cash signed a one-year apprenticeship deal at the club he supported as a boy,

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 ...

. A broken ankle saw Cash released at the end of his first year and he dropped into

and played for Southern League Midland Division clubs Bilston Town, Stourbridge and Halesowen Town. He was a part of the Halesowen Town team which reached the first round proper of the 1988–89

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 ...

Nottingham Forest

Cash signed for First Division club

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

in September 1989 for a £15,000 fee, after being scouted by assistant manager

Ron Fenton Ronald Fenton (21 September 1940 – 25 September 2013) was an English football player, coach and manager. He played as an inside forward and made nearly 200 appearances in the Football League. Fenton was born in South Shields, and began his ...

while playing for Halesowen Town. Despite training with the first team squad throughout his time with the club, Cash was never in favour with manager

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...

and instead played for the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

and away 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 ...

. Cash joined

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

club Rotherham United in March 1990, on a loan running until the end of the 1989–90 season. He made his professional debut and scored his first professional goal with the Millers, making eight appearances during his spell. Cash was the subject of a transfer bid by Rotherham, but the club could not meet Nottingham Forest's asking price. Cash joined Third Division club

on a three-month loan in September 1990, as a temporary replacement for the out-of-form Mark Fleming. Cash made 14 appearances for the Bees and his performances led manager

Phil Holder Philip Holder (born 19 January 1952) is an English former association football player and manager. As player, he made more than 150 appearances in the Football League representing Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth, and playe ...

to consider signing him on a permanent basis, though Holder's interest later cooled. Cash returned to Nottingham Forest when his loan expired and remarked in 2009 that his loan at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

was the best period of his playing career. Cash dropped down to the

Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

to sign for

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...

in March 1991, on a loan running until the end of the 1990–91 season. He made 12 league appearances during his spell and played in the Chairboys' 2–1 win over

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 the 1991 FA Trophy Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

. Cash was once again the subject of a bid for a permanent deal, which fell through over his wage demands. Cash joined Third Division strugglers Shrewsbury Town on a two-month loan in September 1991. He made eight league appearances and scored one goal during his time at Gay Meadow. Cash departed Nottingham Forest in August 1992, having failed to make a single first team appearance during three years at the City Ground.

Chesterfield

Cash signed a contract with Third Division club

in August 1992. He failed to stake a regular place in the team and suffered an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

in his second season with the Spireites. Cash made 39 appearances and scored one goal before departing in August 1994.

Return to Wycombe Wanderers

Cash rejoined Wycombe Wanderers (which by then had ascended to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

) in August 1994. He failed to make an appearance for the club before departing two months later.

Return to non-League football

Cash dropped back into non-League football to join Conference club Stevenage Borough in October 1994. He made his debut in a 2–1 win over

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 15 October. After five further appearances, Cash joined

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

First Division club Chertsey Town in November 1994. He had a successful first season, with the Curfews finishing third and securing promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. He remained with Chertsey for a further 18 months, before departing in January 1997. Cash moved back up to the Conference to sign for Slough Town in January 1997. He made four appearances before having a brief spell with high-flying Isthmian League First Division club

Chesham United Chesham United Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. Nicknamed "the Generals", they are currently members of the and play at the Meadow. History The club was established in 1917 by a merger o ...

in February 1997. Nearly eight years after his departure, Cash returned to Halesowen Town in March 1997. He remained with the Southern League Premier Division club until the end of the 1996–97 season. Cash transferred to Isthmian League Premier Division club Enfield in July 1997. He followed Enfield manager George Borg to Isthmian League First Division club Aldershot Town in September 1997. Over the course of the 1997–98 season he made 20 league appearances and scored two goals as the Shots won the Division One title. He won the Isthmian League Cup with the club in the following season. Cash made the final appearance of his career in December 1999 and retired at the end of the 1999–2000 season, having made 49 appearances and scored three goals for Aldershot.

Managerial and coaching career

Chertsey Town

While a player at Chertsey Town, Cash also served as

assistant manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Enfield

Cash served as player-assistant manager under George Borg while briefly at Enfield in 1997.

Aldershot Town

Cash began his career at Aldershot Town as player-assistant manager under George Borg, before taking on the role full-time after his retirement in 2000. He had a successful time working under Borg, winning the Isthmian League First Division in the 1997–98 season, the Isthmian League Cup in 1998–99, the Isthmian League Premier Division title in 2002–03 and four Hampshire Senior Cups. After the departure of Borg in January 2002, Cash held the role of

caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...

and continued in the role of assistant manager after the appointment of Terry Brown two months later. The club's decision to go full-time for the 2004–05 season saw Cash leave the club in November 2004, citing work commitments.

St Albans City

Cash joined

Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...

club St Albans City as manager in November 2004, replacing Steve Castle. He lasted just eight days and two games in the role before departing the club, citing work commitments in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

Lewes

After a break from football, Cash was appointed Steve King's assistant at Conference South club

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

prior to the beginning of the 2005–06 season. The pair won the

Sussex Senior Challenge Cup The Sussex Senior Cup is an annual association football knock-out cup competition for men's football clubs in the English county of Sussex and is the county senior cup of the Sussex FA. Its official name is the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup. F ...

and achieved a fourth-place finish in the league. He departed the club at the end of the 2006–07 season.

AFC Wimbledon

Cash reunited with Terry Brown at Isthmian League Premier Division club

in May 2007. Under the management of the pair, the club won the 2008 Isthmian League play-offs, the 2008–09 Conference South title and automatic promotion to

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

with a victory over Luton Town in the

2011 Conference Premier play-off final The 2011 Conference Premier play-off Final, known as the 2011 Blue Square Bet Premier play-off Final for sponsorship purposes, was a football match between AFC Wimbledon and Luton Town on 21 May 2011 at the City of Manchester Stadium in Mancheste ...

. The pair guided the Dons to a mid-table finish in the club's first season in

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 ...

, but a poor run of form in the first month of the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season saw Cash and Brown removed from their posts in September 2012.

Luton Town

Cash reunited with former Brentford and Aldershot Town teammate Paul Buckle at

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...

club Luton Town in January 2013, replacing

Paul Carden Paul Andrew Carden (born 29 March 1979) is an English former professional footballer and coach, who is currently manager of Nantwich Town. While playing at Cambridge United, Carden was also the club's assistant manager. He previously played for ...

as assistant manager under Buckle. As part of a three-way coaching team with Alan Neilson and

Carl Emberson Carl Wayne Emberson (born 13 July 1973 in Epsom, Surrey) is an English retired football goalkeeper. Career He played in the 1990–91 Final of the FA Youth Cup with Millwall, but only ever managed to make 1 Senior first-team appearance for t ...

, Cash lasted just two months before following Buckle and Emberson out of

Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road is an association football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The stadium has also hosted women's and youth international matches, includ ...

, after the appointment of

John Still John Still (c. 1543 – 26 February 1607/1608) was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an ...

as manager.

Margate

Cash reunited with Terry Brown at Isthmian League Premier Division club

in December 2013. After finishing the 2013–14 season in mid-table, the pair steered the Gate to a third-place finish the following year and promotion through the

playoffs 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 ...

. A poor start to the 2015–16 National League South season led to Brown and Cash being removed from their posts on 5 December 2015.

Basingstoke Town

Terry Brown was appointed manager at National League South club Basingstoke Town in late March 2016 and installed Cash as his assistant. He departed the club at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Personal life

Cash's sons Matty and Adam both became footballers. Matty made his debut for the Poland national team in 2021.

Career statistics

Honours

Wycombe Wanderers *

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...

: 1990–91 Aldershot Town *

First Division: 1997–98 * Isthmian League Cup: 1998–99

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:cash, Stuart 1965 births Living people Footballers from Tipton English men's footballers English Football League players Men's association football fullbacks Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Bilston Town F.C. players Stourbridge F.C. players Halesowen Town F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Chertsey Town F.C. players Slough Town F.C. players Chesham United F.C. players Enfield F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. managers St Albans City F.C. managers AFC Wimbledon non-playing staff Luton Town F.C. non-playing staff Southern Football League players Isthmian League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League managers National League (English football) managers English football managers