Alan Ashton

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
22-03-1951
N/A
28-01-1976
Widnes
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
19-03-1976 v Keighley
Bradford Northern
1978- Whitehaven
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1975-1977
67 (39)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
6
1
3
23

Biography of Alan Ashton



HERITAGE NO : 913
This is Alan’s obituary by SHS after his death in December 2016

It is extremely sad to report that Saints’ former scrum-half of the 1970s Alan Ashton has passed away at the age of 65 after illness. Alan signed for Widnes from the Ditton junior club in 1968 and appeared for the Chemics in the 1972 Floodlit final at Leigh. He made 85 appearances for Widnes, scoring 19 tries.

He was snapped up by St. Helens for £1,500 in 1975 and was substitute in the 1977 Premiership final, although the 1977-78 campaign was Alan’s best as a Saint, when he took part in 34 matches as his team reached the semi-finals of the Lancashire Cup, Floodlit trophy. They went on to beat Warrington in the Challenge Cup semi-final and met Leeds in that epic Wembley encounter that the Yorkshiremen won by 12-14. Alan was non-playing substitute that day, with Tony Karalius, who also remained on the bench for the eighty minutes.

Alan was not unlike many half-backs of the pre-Super League era, in that he was five and a half feet in height and weighed eleven stones! Yet he was a bubbly character in the dressing room environment, an enthusiastic and tireless worker in the loose and a great team player. “Alan was a good friend of mine”, recalls former Saints’ loose forward Harry Pinner. “He was Best Man at my wedding and was an excellent player. I remember we used to work moves from around the scrum-base that would confuse even the best defenders. He had good hands and at any other club he would have been a first team regular week-in week-out. It’s so sad to hear that he has gone”.

Alan made his Saints’ debut against Keighley in the league match at Knowsley Road on 19th March 1976 and scored a try in his new team’s 21-2 success for good measure. The team that day was as follows: Pimblett; Jones, Wilson, Noonan, Mathias; Ken Gwilliam, Ashton; Charles, Karalius, James, Hull, Eric Chisnall and Pinner. Subs; Thompson and Liptrot.

He went on to play 67 games in the red vee, 39 from the bench, scoring six tries, kicking three goals and a solitary drop-goal. His team-mates included some of the greatest players in the club’s history and whenever selected for the seniors, he never failed to give less than one hundred percent. Alan’s younger brother, Ray was also a half-back, who played for Oldham, Leeds, Workington and Bramley. He was a Great Britain tourist in 1984. Alan moved to Whitehaven early in 1978-79, where he linked up with his former Widnes team-mate Ray Dutton.


SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1975~76 1 0 0 3
1976~77 4 1 2 31
1977~78 1 0 1 34
TOTALS:6 1 3 68
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1976~770001
1977~780001
1978~791001
TOTALS:1003

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
19th Mar 1976 1
W
 7 Keighley L H 21 2 1 VIEW
30th Mar 1976 2
W
 14 Salford L H 24 7 VIEW
4th Apr 1976 3
W
 7 Warrington L A 16 10 VIEW
5th Sep 1976 4
L
 7 Rochdale Hornets L A 21 24 VIEW
19th Sep 1976 5
W
 14 Barrow L A 19 2 1 VIEW
24th Sep 1976 6
W
 14 Leigh L A 20 5 VIEW
26th Sep 1976 --NPS
W
 14 Castleford L H 17 15 VIEW
2nd Oct 1976 7
L
 7 Bradford Northern L A 7 17 VIEW
9th Oct 1976 --NPS
L
 14 Leeds L A 13 23 VIEW
26th Oct 1976 --NPS
W
 14 Swinton FT1 A 22 15 VIEW
29th Oct 1976 8
W
 14 Salford L A 18 15 1 1 VIEW
11th Nov 1976 --
L
 7 Catalan XIII* Fr Charity A 10 18 VIEW
14th Nov 1976 --NPS
W
 14 Featherstone Rovers L H 22 17 VIEW
16th Nov 1976 9
L
 14 Huddersfield FT2 A 7 9 VIEW
21st Nov 1976 10
W
 7 Oldham L A 20 9 1 VIEW
28th Nov 1976 11
W
 14 Hull Kingston Rovers L H 32 8 VIEW
4th Dec 1976 --NPS
W
 14 Workington Town L A 16 12 VIEW
12th Dec 1976 --NPS
W
 14 Leeds L H 17 6 VIEW
27th Dec 1976 12
L
 14 Wigan L H 12 14 VIEW
6th Jan 1977 13
L
 14 Widnes L A 8 13 VIEW
9th Jan 1977 14
W
 7 Oldham L H 17 7 VIEW
16th Jan 1977 15
W
 14 Barrow L H 17 10 VIEW
23rd Jan 1977 16
L
 7 Wakefield Trinity L A 5 21 VIEW
4th Feb 1977 17
L
 14 Castleford L A 12 16 VIEW
12th Feb 1977 18
W
 14 Warrington CC1 A 13 12 VIEW
20th Feb 1977 19
W
 7 Rochdale Hornets L H 20 9 VIEW
27th Feb 1977 20
W
 14 Wigan CC2 A 9 4 VIEW
6th Mar 1977 21
W
 14 Salford L H 29 9 VIEW
13th Mar 1977 22
W
 14 Dewsbury CC3 A 11 8 VIEW
20th Mar 1977 23
W
 14 Workington Town L H 13 7 VIEW
26th Mar 1977 24
L
 14 Leeds CCSF N 2 7 VIEW
8th Apr 1977 25
W
 14 Wigan L A 17 8 VIEW
11th Apr 1977 26
W
 7 Widnes L H 31 0 VIEW
15th Apr 1977 27
L
 7 Hull Kingston Rovers L A 13 18 1 VIEW
20th Apr 1977 28
W
 7 Leigh L H 49 2 VIEW
23rd Apr 1977 29
L
 7 Warrington L A 11 12 VIEW
30th Apr 1977 30
D
 14 Wigan PT1 H 10 10 VIEW
4th May 1977 31
W
 14 Wigan PT1 (rep) A 8 3 VIEW
10th May 1977 32
W
 14 Castleford PTSF (1) A 36 12 1 VIEW
14th May 1977 33
W
 14 Castleford PTSF (2) H 25 13 1 VIEW
28th May 1977 34
W
 14 Warrington PTF N 32 20 VIEW
10th Aug 1977 --
W
 14 Wigan* Fr Queens Silver Jub H 29 5 VIEW
21st Aug 1977 35
W
 14 Swinton LC1 H 49 3 VIEW
28th Aug 1977 --NPS
D
 14 Rochdale Hornets LC2 A 4 4 VIEW
30th Aug 1977 36
W
 14 Rochdale Hornets LC2 (rep) H 16 5 VIEW
4th Sep 1977 37
L
 14 New Hunslet L A 17 22 VIEW
11th Sep 1977 38
W
 14 Castleford L H 39 17 VIEW
18th Sep 1977 39
W
 7 Dewsbury L A 18 0 1 VIEW
21st Sep 1977 40
L
 7 Workington Town LCSF A 4 5 VIEW
1st Oct 1977 41
L
 7 Warrington L A 10 22 VIEW
8th Oct 1977 42
W
 7 Leeds L A 17 6 VIEW
11th Oct 1977 43
W
 7 Dewsbury FT1 H 51 0 VIEW
16th Oct 1977 44
W
 7 Hull L H 52 14 VIEW
30th Oct 1977 45
W
 7 Featherstone Rovers L A 12 5 VIEW
6th Nov 1977 46
L
 7 Featherstone Rovers JP2 A 10 17 VIEW
20th Nov 1977 47
W
 14 Bramley L A 36 11 VIEW
22nd Nov 1977 48
W
 14 Leigh FT2 A 14 7 VIEW
27th Nov 1977 49
W
 14 Salford L H 13 12 VIEW
4th Dec 1977 50
L
 14 Workington Town L A 3 16 VIEW
6th Dec 1977 --NPS
W
 14 Salford FTSF H 7 4 VIEW
10th Dec 1977 51
W
 7 Featherstone Rovers L H 20 19 VIEW
26th Dec 1977 52
W
 7 Wigan L A 24 13 1 VIEW
27th Dec 1977 53
W
 7 Workington Town L H 11 0 VIEW
31st Dec 1977 54
W
 7 Widnes L H 16 3 VIEW
8th Jan 1978 55
W
 7 Dewsbury L H 23 7 VIEW
22nd Jan 1978 56
W
 7 New Hunslet L H 39 7 VIEW
29th Jan 1978 --NPS
W
 14 Hull L A 18 12 VIEW
5th Feb 1978 57
W
 14 Warrington L H 17 6 VIEW
24th Feb 1978 --NPS
W
 14 Huyton CC1 H 36 8 VIEW
1st Mar 1978 58
W
 14 Castleford L A 29 12 VIEW
5th Mar 1978 59
W
 14 Bramley L H 71 7 VIEW
12th Mar 1978 60
W
 14 Oldham CC2 A 26 11 VIEW
19th Mar 1978 61
W
 14 Huddersfield CC3 H 31 5 VIEW
21st Mar 1978 --NPS
W
 14 Salford L A 24 11 VIEW
24th Mar 1978 --NPS
L
 14 Wigan L H 17 22 VIEW
27th Mar 1978 62
L
 14 Widnes L A 5 33 VIEW
30th Mar 1978 63
W
 14 Bradford Northern L H 28 13 VIEW
2nd Apr 1978 64
W
 14 Wakefield Trinity L H 36 5 VIEW
8th Apr 1978 --NPS
W
 14 Warrington CCSF N 12 8 VIEW
12th Apr 1978 65
D
 7 Bradford Northern L A 9 9 VIEW
16th Apr 1978 66
L
 7 Wakefield Trinity L A 23 36 VIEW
22nd Apr 1978 67
W
 14 Hull Kingston Rovers L H 23 13 VIEW
30th Apr 1978 --NPS
W
 14 Salford PT1 H 29 11 VIEW
3rd May 1978 --NPS
W
 14 Bradford Northern PTSF(1) H 14 10 VIEW
7th May 1978 68
L
 14 Bradford Northern PTSF(2) A 12 19 VIEW
13th May 1978 --NPS
L
 14 Leeds CCF N 12 14 VIEW
13th Aug 1978 --
W
 15 Oldham* Fr Charity H 44 20 1 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 62 | LOSSES : 22 | DRAWS : 3

GALLERY





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