Injury forces West Ham striker Dean Ashton to retire aged 26
Remember when Dean Ashton was hailed as the next Alan Shearer? It wasn’t so long ago – a handful of seasons, no more.
But in August 2006, Ashton broke his ankle during an England training session. He missed all of the 2006-07 season but did return the following season to play 30-odd games for West Ham. In May 2008 he made his delayed England debut, in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. Despite these encouraging signs, he never fully recovered from the injury.
Even without medical advice telling him to call it a day, Ashton must have known in his heart – felt in his body – that he would never be the same player and so today he announced his retirement from professional football, at the tender age of 26.
In his first half season for the Hammers (the second half of the 2005-06 campaign), Ashton looked brilliant, good enough for pundits to talk up his England chances. He was never blessed with natural pace, but his intelligent movement, poise on the ball and ruthless finishing made up for that. Dario Gradi, who schooled Ashton at Crewe Alexandra, said today that Dean was the best finisher he had ever worked with: “He always knew where the net was, picked his spot.”
In football terms, this is a very sad story. Some of you might say, well, Ashton will have earned more than enough to enjoy a comfortable living – but that’s not the point; the point is, he has been forced to stop doing the thing he loves, the thing he is very, very good at. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not in their mid-twenties.
I wish Deano all the best.
Enjoy this selection of photos from Ashton’s all-too-brief career:
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Goodbye And Good Luck: European Football Weekends – The Last Post
January Transfer Window Horseshit Infographic – Bootiful Game
Umbro's New Universitario De Deportes Home Shirt Is Beautiful – TBG
Sexual Adventures Of Demarcus La Shonda – Fitba Thatba
A Year In Non-League Football Photos – Pitch Invasion
Who The Big Four (And Liverpool) Should Sign In January – The FCF
Top 5 Footballing Candidates For Prime Minister – OTP
Why Belgium Will Win The 2018 World Cup – SOTB
Top 10 Goalie Goals – The Coin Toss
500 Reasons To Love Football – 500RTLF
All the best Deano, You were an absoloute legend – What a total shame we wont see you linking up with the new improved carlton cole ever again or in an England :( You would of definatley helped us out the bottom half of the table.
Such a shame, it’s a real tragedy that we never got to see more of Ashton. I always held him in really high regard and his finishing was indeed clinical – could have gone on to become a Hammers and England legend w/o doubt.
It’s very sad to know he’s retired.
I remember the season Norwich were in the Premiership, he was their best player by such a distance. He had real, real quality, and as many have said already today, would have fitted perfectly into Capello’s England team (even if he wasn’t the quickest). A real shame.
What a shame. That night against Man City away when you earned West Ham a place in the FA Cup final was one of the great football evenings of my life. A top pro, top striker and, for what I can gather, a top bloke as well. All the best Deano.
[...] Injury forces West Ham striker Dean Ashton to retire aged 26 » Who …He missed all of the 2006-07 season but did return the following season to play 30-odd games for West Ham. In May 2008 he made his delayed England debut, in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. Despite these encouraging signs, … [...]
[...] Injury forces West Ham striker Dean Ashton to retire aged 26 » Who … [...]
[...] might have heard, that sadly, West Ham striker Dean Ashton has at 26 had to call and end to his playing career due to an injury. The injury was an ankle inury which was doing progressively more damage, until [...]
Absolutely gutted.
Not only a great player, but a real professional as well, always struck me as a genuinely good bloke.
Godspeed, Deano.
What a bloody shame. So very talented, really a shame to see him leave the game.
i agree. i really do.
your hair was receding more and more in each picture……