Ashley Westwood (footballer, Born 1976)
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Ashley Michael Westwood (born 31 August 1976) is an English
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former professional player who is currently the head coach of the Hong Kong national team. A graduate of the
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, the defender signed with
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
in 1995. Three years later, he moved on to
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
. Winning
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
with the Bantams, he
transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies * ...
red to
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
in 2000. He moved on to
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
in 2003, where he stayed for three years. Signing with Chester City in 2006, he was
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
ed to
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
and Port Vale in 2007, before joining
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
via
Stevenage Borough Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The club competes in EFL League One, the third level of the Engli ...
the following year. He spent the 2010–11 season with Kettering 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 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 is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
at Kettering Town the following month before returning just to playing duties with Lincoln City in May 2012. Two months later, he became a player-coach at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
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 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, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
and
Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
. He was promoted four times with four clubs. He began his full-time management career with the Indian club
Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು.ಎಫ್.ಸಿ) is an Indian professional football club based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club w ...
in 2013. He led them to two
I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...
titles (2013–14 and 2015–16) in three seasons, as well as the Indian Federation Cup in
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
. He was appointed
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
at Malaysia Super League club
Penang FA Penang Football Club (simply known as Penang FC) is a Malaysian professional football club based in George Town, Penang, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. Unofficially founded in 1920, officially as ...
in November 2016 but lasted just five months in the role. He was appointed as director of football at ATK in July 2017 and took over as head coach on an interim basis in January 2018. He was appointed as RoundGlass Punjab head coach in July 2021. He became head coach of the
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
national team in November 2023 and then Hong Kong in August 2024.


Playing career


Crewe Alexandra

Born in
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
, Westwood started his career as a trainee at Manchester United and was part of the
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
winning side of 1995. He never made a first-team appearance for the Red Devils, but
Dario Gradi Dario Gradi (born 8 July 1941) is an Italian-English former football player, coach and manager. He was associated for more than 36 years with Crewe Alexandra, where he was variously manager, director of football and director of the Academy, unt ...
spotted the youngster's potential and secured Westwood's services for Crewe Alexandra for a £40,000 fee. Westwood slotted in well to the Second Division side. He played fifty games in the 1996–97 season, including the 1–0 win play-off final over
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
that took the Railwaymen into the First Division. However, he was to only play 22 games in the 1997–98 season. His swansong for the
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
club came on 13 April 1998, when he scored the opener of a 2–0 win over near rivals
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
at
Gresty Road Gresty Road or the Alexandra Stadium, currently known as the Mornflake Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The home ground of Crewe Alexandra, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. History C ...
.


Bradford City

In summer 1998, he signed with Bradford City, a tribunal later awarded Crewe a £150,000 payment from Bradford. His first season with the club saw the Bantams promoted to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
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 was
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
in stoppage time after scoring on 62 minutes at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
against
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
. He played just five
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
games in 1999–2000, 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 over
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
at
Valley Parade Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
on 30 April 2000. This was a vital result because had the Dons won, they would have survived
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
at Bradford's expense. Westwood replaced
Robbie Blake Robert James Blake (born 4 March 1976) is an English former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Bognor Regis Town. He began his career as a striker but was increasingly used as midfielder in the latter part of his car ...
as a 67th minute substitute. He went into Europe in July 2000, making two appearances in the
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
, victories over
FK Atlantas FK Atlantas was a Lithuanian professional football club based in the port city of Klaipėda. The club's name has changed several times. It was established in 1962 as ''Granitas'', and became ''PSK Aras'' in 1993. Since 1996, when FK Sirijus Kl ...
and
RKC Waalwijk RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Waalwijk. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie i ...
. However, new
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Chris Hutchings Christopher Hutchings (born 5 July 1957) is an English former footballer and manager. He played for a number of clubs, including Chelsea and played more than 100 games for Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town. He has managed in the Pre ...
told him to improve or leave.


Sheffield Wednesday

Westwood joined Sheffield Wednesday on a one-month loan in August; Paul Jewell had switched to the Owls and took Westwood with him permanently for £150,000 in September, £100,000 less than Bradford had originally wanted. He played 38 games that season, scoring five goals and picking up ten yellow cards. A particular highlight was scoring the winning goal as Wednesday knocked Premier League side
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
out of the League Cup. The next season Wednesday were fighting for First Division survival and Jewell had already left for
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. Westwood played 33 games, helping the club to the League Cup semi-finals. He began to suffer from a
groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...
injury in October 2002, and played just 25 games in Wednesday's 2002–03 relegation season.


Northampton Town

In July 2003, he signed with Northampton Town. His time at Northampton was one ravaged by injury. He played just nine Third Division games in 2003–04, being out from September to January with a shoulder injury. He was sent off in the
play-off 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 eith ...
semi-final first leg defeat to
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
. In July 2004, Westwood was appointed club captain. The 2004–05 season was the first season of League Two, and Westwood could only muster 19 league appearances following his return to action in October. He signed a new contract at the end of the year, despite still suffering from damaged knee ligaments, an injury he picked up in April. Once again Northampton reached the play-offs, only to exit at the semi-final stage, this time to
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...
. The Cobblers finally achieved promotion in 2005–06 as runners-up; Westwood played just three games all season, all as a substitute. He left
Sixfields Sixfields is an area of Northampton, Northamptonshire, England about west of the town centre along the A4500 St James Road and Weedon Road towards M1 junction 16 about further west. It is close to the Duston, Upton and St James areas ...
at the end of the campaign after not being offered a new contract, and instead signed for Mark Wright's Chester City.


Chester City

He continued to struggle with his hamstring. Though he played 25 games, he played his last in Chester colours after being injured against
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
on 13 January 2007. In March, he joined Swindon Town on loan from the remainder of the season to provide much-needed cover for the
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
club. The season ended with Westwood playing in a centre-back partnership with Jamie Vincent, helping Swindon to win promotion from League Two with a third-place finish. Westwood was placed on the transfer list at Chester by mutual consent in August 2007. He left the club on 30 August, to join League One side Port Vale on a temporary short-term deal. He made his Vale debut two days later in a 1–0 win at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
. He returned to Chester in December 2007, before joining Stevenage Borough on a free transfer at the start of the 2008 January
transfer window In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...
.


Non-League

He was released by Stevenage in July 2008, after making twenty appearances, scoring twice for the
Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
side. After a trial with Lincoln City he joined Conference side
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, becoming one of the first signings of new manager
Dean Saunders Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and ...
, with whom Westwood played at Bradford City. He scored his first goal for the Dragons with a header in an
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
game with Mansfield Town, to put them through to the
second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
. In July 2009 he signed a contract extension, keeping him at the Welsh club for the 2009–10 season. At the end of the season, Westwood moved to Kettering Town in order to be closer to his family. Whilst at Kettering, he was sent off twice in two games, against
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
and then
Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
. 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. He became the second Ashley Westwood in the squad, joining Ashley R. Westwood, 13 years his junior. He made six appearances but was not retained beyond the end of the campaign. In August 2011 he agreed to spend a month on trial at former club Northampton Town, and quickly joined the club on non-contract terms. He scored the only goal for Northampton to secure three points at
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
on 13 August, his first start in his second spell at the club. Having made five appearances, he was given a contract lasting until the end of the year. He was released by new manager
Aidy Boothroyd Adrian Neil Boothroyd (born 8 February 1971) is an English former footballer who was most recently the manager of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. At club level, he was manager of Watford from 2005 to 2008. During his time with Watford, he ...
in December, having played 20 games for the struggling Northamptonshire club.
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
side Kettering Town underwent a financial crisis in 2011–12, and caretaker manager Mark Cooper walked out on the club on 18 January after his players went unpaid. Three days later, Westwood was announced as the club's temporary manager; he was also registered with the club as a player. Later that day, his new team lost 4–1 to
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
at the
Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground (), is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C., Wrexham AFC. It is the largest stadium in North Wales and the List of football stadiums in Wales, fifth-largest in Wales. It is the world's o ...
, having only been able to name two substitutes. The Poppies then won their next two games at
Nene Park Nene Park was a sports stadium situated at Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England, along the bank of the River Nene, which could accommodate 6,441 spectators, with 4,641 seated and 1,800 standing. It formerly hosted football matches but ...
to move out of the relegation zone. After being told his job was secure until the end of the season, he picked himself to play for the first time in the 1–0 defeat at Hayes & Yeading on 10 March; also in March he signed Ben Joyce and Max York. Kettering failed to turn things around, and were relegated in last place having conceded 100 goals in 46 league games. In May 2012, he signed a one-year playing contract with Lincoln City, also in the Conference. Lincoln manager David Holdsworth reluctantly allowed Westwood to leave the club on 6 July 2012, having failing to kick a ball for the Imps. On 6 July 2012, just over a month after signing for Lincoln, he accepted an offer by
Michael Appleton Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town. As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that ...
to join the coaching staff at League One side
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. The club's financial situation meant that he was obliged to return to playing duties in the 2012–13 campaign. However, his only appearance was in a 3–0 League Cup defeat to Plymouth Argyle at
Home Park Home Park is a football stadium in the area of Milehouse, Plymouth, Devon, England. With a capacity of 17,900, the ground has been the home of Plymouth Argyle Football Club since 1903, and was also used between 1900 and 1903 by Argyle Athlet ...
on the opening day of the season; he was 12 years older than the team's second-oldest player Simon Eastwood.


Coaching career


Assistant managerial roles

On 7 November 2012, Westwood followed manager
Michael Appleton Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town. As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that ...
to
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
side
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
to work as first-team coach. On 11 January 2013, Westwood followed Appleton to become a coach at fellow Championship club
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. He was sacked on 19 March 2013, at the end of Appleton's 67-day reign.


Bengaluru FC

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. He made his debut as head coach on 25 August in a pre-season friendly 1–1 draw with the
India national football team The India national football team represents India in men's international Association football, football and is governed by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for Football in India, football in India. It is a member of FIFA, ...
. Westwood then made his competitive coaching debut with Bengaluru on 22 September in his side's opening league game against
Mohun Bagan A.C. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Asia. The club has various sports departments like football, cricket, hockey ...
at the
Bangalore Football Stadium The Bangalore Football Stadium is a association football, football stadium in Bangalore, Karnataka. It has served as a venue in three editions of the I-League, then top-tier football league in the country. The stadium was the home of Bengaluru ...
. His side drew the match 1–1, with Sean Rooney scoring the first-ever official goal in Westwood's reign. Westwood then coached Bengaluru to their first ever victory in their next match against Rangdajied United at the Bangalore Football Stadium in which goals from Sean Rooney, John Johnson, and
Sunil Chhetri Sunil Chhetri (, born 3 August 1984) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club Bengaluru and captains the India national team. He is the all-time top scorer in Indian Super League history. He is ...
saw Bengaluru won the match 3–0. On 21 April 2014, Westwood led Bengaluru FC to the 2013–14 I-League title in their very first season by beating
Dempo Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from the western Indian state of Goa. The mineral business was founded by Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1941, along with his younger brother Vaikuntrao Dempo. Vasantrao was the founding c ...
4–2 at the
Fatorda Stadium Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (also known as Fatorda Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Margao, Goa, India. The venue has been used to host both football and cricket matches. It is Goa's only international stadium and has a seating capac ...
. In doing so Westwood became the youngest coach to win the I-League. However, on 24 April 2014, it was announced that Westwood would be suspended for four games after his unsporting behaviour during the match away to
Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
on 6 April. They came close to defending their title in the 2014–15 campaign but were denied the title after conceding an 87th-minute equalising goal to
Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
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 out
Salgaocar Salgaocar Football Club (formerly Salgaocar Sporting Club) is an Indian professional football club based in Vasco, Goa. Being one of the country's most successful clubs, it is currently operating youth teams. Until the disfunction of its seni ...
, Mohun Bagan, Shillong Lajong,
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
, and
Sporting Clube de Goa Sporting Clube de Goa (simply known as Sporting Goa and abbreviated as SCG) is an Indian professional association football, football club based in Panaji, Goa. The club competes in the I-League 2, the third tier of the Indian football league s ...
, before beating
Dempo Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from the western Indian state of Goa. The mineral business was founded by Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1941, along with his younger brother Vaikuntrao Dempo. Vasantrao was the founding c ...
2–1 in the final at the
Fatorda Stadium Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (also known as Fatorda Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Margao, Goa, India. The venue has been used to host both football and cricket matches. It is Goa's only international stadium and has a seating capac ...
. They also progressed to the knock-out stages of the
AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...
, exiting the competition at the Round of 16 with a 2–0 loss at
South China South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...
. Westwood led Bengaluru to the I-League title in 2015–16 with one game to spare. 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. On 31 May 2016, Westwood parted ways with Bengaluru by mutual consent.


Penang FA

On 28 November 2016, it was announced that Westwood would take over as the head coach of Penang FA of the
Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...
. However, his contract was cancelled by mutual consent on 19 March following a poor start to the
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
season.


ATK

On 7 July 2017, Westwood was appointed director of football at Indian Super League side ATK. On 24 January 2018, head coach
Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
was sacked, and Westwood was appointed as head coach on an interim basis. He took charge of seven games of the 2017–18 season, registering only one point, before
Robbie Keane Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who played as a striker and is currently the head coach of Ferencváros. Keane served as captain of the Republic of Ireland from March 2006 until h ...
was appointed as the club's manager on 3 March.


RoundGlass Punjab

On 16 July 2021, Westwood joined I-League club RoundGlass Punjab as head coach. He resigned on 21 March 2022, partway through the 2021–22 season.


Afghanistan

On 8 November 2023, Westwood was appointed the head coach of the
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
national team; at the time of his appointment, 18 players were boycotting the
Afghanistan Football Federation The Afghanistan Football Federation AFF; is the governing body of football in Afghanistan, overseeing the organization, promotion, and regulation of all national teams and leagues. Established in 1922, the AFF joined FIFA in 1948 and became a ...
due to allegations of corruption. Afghanistan finished fourth in their
2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's Association football, soccer championship contested by the List of men's n ...
qualification group of
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
,
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.


Hong Kong

On 28 August 2024, Westwood was appointed the head coach of the
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
on a two-year contract, with the goals of qualifying for the
2027 AFC Asian Cup The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament involves 24 nationa ...
for a second consecutive occasion and improving Hong Kong's world ranking. In Westwood's first game in charge, Hong Kong lost 1–0 to
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
which ended the latter's 41-game winless run. Amid heavy criticism from Hong Kong supporters due to the loss, Westwood subsequently coached Hong Kong to a three-game winning streak – the team's first in eight years. The streak has been further stretched to six games (a first since 1985), during which he led Hong Kong in qualifying for the 2025 EAFF Championship. A seven game winning streak was achieved when they beat Macau 2-0 at home, though it ended in a 0-0 draw away against Singapore.


Personal life

Westwood is a father of five, by three different women. His second wife was Huma Westwood, a former probation officer. His current partner is the Australian television sports journalist
Mel McLaughlin Melanie Louise McLaughlin (born 3 September 1979) is an Australian sport presenter for the Seven Network. McLaughlin previously worked for Fox Sports (Australia), Fox Sports where she hosted association football shows including ''Kick Off'', I ...
. On 25 April 2010, Westwood ran a red light and was stopped by a police officer in
Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
. 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.


Career statistics


Playing statistics


Honours


Playing honours

Crewe Alexandra *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
play-offs:
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
Swindon Town * League Two third-place promotion: 2006–07


Managerial honours

Bengaluru *
I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...
: 2013–14, 2015–16 * Federation Cup: 2014–15 Individual * Football Players' Association of India Best Coach of the Season: 2013–14, 2015–16


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Westwood, Ashley 1976 births Living people Sportspeople from Bridgnorth English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Manchester United F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Kettering Town F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players English football coaches Blackpool F.C. non-playing staff Blackburn Rovers F.C. non-playing staff Association football technical directors Men's association football player-managers English football managers Kettering Town F.C. managers Bengaluru FC managers Penang F.C. managers ATK (football club) managers Punjab FC managers Afghanistan national football team managers Hong Kong national football team managers National League (English football) managers I-League managers Indian Super League managers Malaysia Super League managers English expatriate football managers English expatriate sportspeople in India English expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia English expatriate sportspeople in Afghanistan English expatriate sportspeople in Hong Kong Expatriate football managers in India Expatriate football managers in Malaysia Expatriate football managers in Afghanistan Expatriate football managers in Hong Kong