Ashley Eastham

Ashley "Ash" Martin Eastham (born 22 March 1991) is an English professional footballer who last played as a defender for League Two club Salford City.

Eastham began his career at Blackpool.

He made only three appearances for Blackpool, but enjoyed his first run of senior football after moving on loan to Cheltenham Town midway through the 2009–10 season.

He signed his first professional contract in May 2009, then in July he played for the first team in the pre-season South West Challenge Cup held in North Devon, including playing in the 5–0 win over Barnstaple Town.

In August 2009 he joined Conference North side Hyde United on loan, making his debut on 8 August in a 1–0 win over Stafford Rangers at Ewen Fields.

On 17 August he scored Hyde's second goal in a 3–2 home victory over Gainsborough Trinity.

He made a total of eleven league appearances for the Tigers, scoring one goal, before being recalled by Blackpool on 21 September.

The following day, in his first year as a professional, Eastham made his debut for the Seasiders in a 4–3 defeat to Premier League side Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in the third round of the 2009–10 League Cup.

"'This is without doubt the biggest moment of my career. It was great to walk out and look at the surroundings. It is a fantastic atmosphere when you are on the pitch. I'll never forget my debut, and especially because of the type of game it was.'"

On 26 November 2009, Eastham joined League Two side Cheltenham Town on an initial one-month loan deal until 2 January 2010.

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway said of the move: "This is a great move for Ash. It is another step up for him, he did extremely well when he went to Hyde at the start of the season and this will be another challenge for him both on and off the field."

The Robins caretaker manager John Schofield said: "It's great to have a bright young prospect from a Championship club made available to us. Hopefully we can offer him some first team experience for the next stage of his development as a player."

Five days later he was an unused substitute in a 0–3 defeat to Torquay United at Plainmoor.

His debut came on 5 December in a 2–2 draw with Northampton Town at Whaddon Road.

After four appearances, Eastham signed a one-month extension to the loan deal on 31 December.

Loan spells with Carlisle United and Cheltenham Town again followed in 2010–11, before Eastham spent the whole of the next season helping Bury to a mid-table finish in League One.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Eastham signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool.

He made a total of five appearances for the Robins, then on 7 January 2010 was recalled by Blackpool from his loan spell to cover for suspensions.

He was included in the Blackpool squad that travelled to South Wales to take on Cardiff City on 9 January, and was an unused substitute in the game.

On 15 January he returned to Cheltenham Town, on loan until the end of the season.

Two days later he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in a 0–0 draw with Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.

He received a one-game suspension, missing the next game, a 1–4 home defeat to League Two leaders Rochdale.

Following his performance in the 2–0 home win over Morecambe on 20 February 2010, he was named in the League Two "Team of the Week".

On 25 November 2010, Eastham joined League One side Carlisle United on loan, until 3 January 2011.

He only made one appearance for the club, only in the FA Cup campaign, in a 3–2 win over Tamworth, playing 90 minutes.

On 11 August 2011, Eastham was sent off in Blackpool's League Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday.

At the end of the 2011–12 season, Eastham contract was activated after the club exercised their contract, until 2013.

On 4 January 2011, Eastham then returned to the club, following his loan came to an end.

48 hours later, on 6 January 2011, Eastham joined Cheltenham Town on an initial one-month loan deal, for the second time in his career.

Eastham's first game after signing for the club on a loan spell, for the second time in his career, came on 8 January 2011, in a 1–1 draw against Northampton Town.

After his debut, Manager Mark Yates praised Eastham and Phil Walsh.

Having made five appearances, his loan spell was extended for another month in February, followed up another loan spell extended for another month in March.

On 4 April 2011, Eastham then returned to the club, following his loan came to an end.

Eastham joined Bury on 25 August 2011 for one month.

Brief stints at Fleetwood Town and Notts County gave Eastham more experience in 2012, before he returned to Bury for their hapless fight against relegation from League One in 2012–13.

At the end of the 2012–13 season, Eastham was released by the club despite the club was keen to keep him, but Eastham wanted to leave the club, so he earn a first team place.

In 2013, Eastham made a permanent transfer to Rochdale, and in 2016, Eastham signed for Fleetwood Town, where he would make over 150 appearances before signing for Salford, where he is the club captain.

Born in Preston, Lancashire, Eastham is a product of the Blackpool youth system.

He attended Carr Hill High School, Kirkham, Lancashire.

Four days later Eastham made his league debut, in a 2–0 home win over Peterborough United at Bloomfield Road, when he replaced the injured Neal Eardley in the 18th minute.