Focus On….Roger Ashby

Series continues on players who have spent some of their careers as a player or manager in the Southern League.

Roger Ashby is one of the best-known figures in non-League football for both his days as a player and his lengthy career in management.

After starting out as a youngster at Northampton Town, he was signed by then-Kettering Town boss Steve Gammon in 1967.

And what a signing that turned out to be!

He went on to make 662 appearances and score 96 goals during his career with the Poppies, helping to win several honours and play in the 1979 FA Trophy Final at Wembley and enjoy a brief spell in the inaugural Alliance Premier League.

He finally left Kettering to take over as player-manager of United Counties League side Irthlingborough Diamonds, Wolverton Town and then Rushden Town before the merger came and the emergence of Rushden & Diamonds, where he played a key part in their early days as manager.

He went on to be in charge of Bedford Town, Grantham Town, Nuneaton Borough and Brackley Town and also had a short spell back at his beloved Kettering on the management team with Marcus Law in 2010/11.

There are few people around in the game who have a bad word to say about Roger Ashby, although I should hate him as it was due to his consistency and fitness that restricted me to only the occasional appearance in the Anglia or Midland Floodlit Cup for Kettering in Ron Atkinson`s early days at Rockingham Road!

But he was a much better player than me anyway and you simply can`t dislike the bloke!

Clubs Played For:

Northampton Town, Kettering Town, Irthlingborough Diamonds (player-manager)

Best Game Played In?

The best game I played in was the 1979 FA Trophy Final for Kettering Town against Stafford Rangers at Wembley stadium in front of a then-record crowd of 32,000.

Best 11 Played With:

Gordon Livsey (Kettering)

Sean Suddards (Kettering)

Richard Dixey (Kettering)

Andy Lloyd (Irthlingborough Diamonds)

Trevor Peck (Kettering)

Billy Kellock (Kettering)

Brian Myton (Kettering)

Andy Kirkup (Irthlingborough Diamonds)

Roy Clayton (Kettering) pictured

Micky Wardrop (Kettering)

Peter Phipps (Kettering)

Best Captain:

Sean Suddards

Funniest Team-Mate:

Billy Kellock

Best Manager?

Ron Atkinson - pictured

Best Mate in Football:

Peter Phipps

Are You Still Involved in the Game?

No, now finally retired, although I do go and watch as many games as I can – most often at Kettering or accompanying my son Nick on his scouting travels.

Words of Advice?

Work hard. Play to your strengths and always give total commitment.