Ashley Vincent

Ashley Derek Vincent (born 26 May 1985) is an English former football player and manager who is a first-team coach at club Cheltenham Town.

He played on the wing or as a striker, and was renowned for his pace.

He graduated through the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth system to win a contract with Cheltenham Town in May 2004.

In May 2004, Vincent joined League Two side Cheltenham Town on a two-year deal; manager John Ward had previously worked on the coaching staff at Wolves.

He made his first team debut on 7 August 2004, replacing John Melligan 68 minutes into a 2–0 win over Southend United at Roots Hall.

He won his first start three days later, in a 2–0 home defeat to Scunthorpe United.

He scored his first goals on 28 September, bagging a brace in a 5–1 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge in the Football League Trophy.

He finished the 2004–05 season with three goals in 30 games.

He was loaned out to Aldershot Town in November 2005 and to Colchester United in March 2009, before he joined Colchester permanently in May 2009.

On 18 November 2005, he joined Conference side Aldershot Town on a one-month loan.

He played three games for Terry Brown's "Shots" in an uneventful stay at the Recreation Ground.

Back with Cheltenham, he scored two goals late into the 2005–06 season to put himself back into first team contention.

He played 77 minutes of the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium, before he was taken off for Damian Spencer; Cheltenham held on to their 1–0 lead over Grimsby Town to win promotion into League One.

Days before the game he signed a new two-year contract with the club.

He spent the next five years at the club, playing in the 2006 League Two play-off final victory.

Vincent picked up a serious knee injury during a reserve team match in August 2006.

After missing the rest of the 2006–07 season due to the injury, he marked his return to full fitness on 15 August 2007 with a "stunning" equalizing goal against Swindon Town.

He played a total of 40 games in 2007–08, finding the net twice.

In July 2008, he signed a new contract with the club; manager Keith Downing stated that "The boy's had a cruciate injury and he's a young one as well. He's still growing, getting bigger, better and stronger."

Vincent had explained to Downing that he wanted to play as a striker, rather than his previous position on the right side of midfield.

On 26 August 2008, Vincent scored against Premier League side Stoke City in a League Cup encounter.

Two months later he was sidelined for six weeks after fracturing his wrist in two places.

In February 2009, he rejected manager Martin Allen's offer of a new contract and was linked with a loan move to Bradford City.

However, he suffered a medial knee ligament injury the following month, which prevented the deal from going ahead.

Despite this setback he remained insistent on a move away from Whaddon Road.

In March 2009, Vincent joined Colchester United on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season.

Manager Paul Lambert said that "He's got the enthusiasm and hunger and he'll be a big player for us next season. He's got pace, and when you've got that you've always got a chance."

In May 2009, Lambert signed Vincent to a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

However, Lambert left the club after the first game of the season – a 7–1 win over Norwich City – and was replaced by new boss Aidy Boothroyd.

Vincent featured just 21 times in 2009–10, scoring three goals.

He went on to feature 42 times in 2010–11, scoring a total of five goals.

Vincent missed six weeks at the start of the 2011–12 season with a knee ligament injury.

In an interview given after his recovery, he admitted that he had feared the injury could have ended his career, and also hinted at a move to a Midlands club in the summer so as to be closer to his family.

He spent three years with the club, before he moved on to Port Vale in July 2012.

He helped the "Valiants" to secure promotion out of League Two in 2012–13, before he re-joined Cheltenham Town in July 2013.

He signed with Shrewsbury Town in May 2014, and played a minor role as the club won promotion out of League Two in 2014–15.

He later played non-League football for Worcester City, Stourbridge and Sutton Coldfield Town.

He was appointed Worcester City manager in May 2019 and stayed in the post until resigning in December 2020.

He went on to coach at Cheltenham Town.

Oldbury, West Midlands-born Vincent started his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, spending three years at Molineux and playing in the youth and reserve teams.