Born in Swindon in 1983, Dean Ashton burst onto the scene at Crewe Alexandra as a teenager and began building a big reputation as one of the best strikers the clubs Academy had ever produced.
After moving to Holmes Chapel with his family as a youngster, Ashton was originally on the books of Stoke City as a youngster, but moved to join the Crewe Alexandra school of excellence and never looked back.
He scored goals for fun at every age level for the Railwaymen and signed scholarship forms as a 16-year-old in 2000 before making his first team debut as a 16-year-old later that year to become one of the youngest players to ever represent the club.
That debut came as he came off the bench in a 1-0 at Gillingham on 28 October 2000. He waited three months for his second appearance, again as substitute, this time in a 3-1 at Grimsby Town, before his first start arrived in an FA Cup clash with Cardiff City in January 2001.
Ashton was quickly amongst thr goals, his first being a belter in a 4-1 thrashing of Burnley at Gresty Road, and he finished his first season at the club with eight goals, including crucial ones against Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Gillingham and Wimbledon towards the end of the season as the Alex secured their First Division status.
Already his silky skills and strong frame had attracted the scouts to the Alex, with Arsenal rumoured to be interested, but Ashton resisted the temptation and learned his football at Gresty Road.
His second season in the first team proved to be slightly disrupted by injury and loss of form, but he still scored ten times and began to win International hounours with England at Under 16, 17, 18 and 19 level.
Ashton scored 16 more times in the 2002/03 season as the Alex bounced back to the First Division after just one season in the Second Division, and became the Alex's talisman in the 2003/04 as he became the first man in the clubs history to score 20 goals in the First Division.
He enjoyed a superb season, scoring crucial goals against the likes of Sunderland and Crystal Palace, and a memorable hat-trick in a 3-2 win at Wigan Athletic as the Alex held onto their First Division status in a tight relegation battle.
Ashton also collected his first England Under-21 cap in February 2004, against Holland at the KC Stadium, and marked his debut for David Platt's side with a goal in a 2-0 win.
Ashton's renewed form and goals had the scouts flocking back to the Alexandra Stadium and it seemed obvious that a good start to the 2004/05 season would make it very hard for the Alex to hang onto the talented striker come the January transfer window.
As it turned out Ashton's start to the season was phenominal. After scoring on the opening day against Cardiff City he never looked back and had scored an amazing 20 goals from just 27 games as the transfer window opened in January 2005.
A number of clubs expressed an interest in securing Ashton's signature, and whilst Dario Gradi admitted he didn't want to sell, a transfer record equalling £3 million bid from Norwich City was accepted and Deano was on his way to Carrow Road.
Stuck at the bottom of the Premiership, Nigel Worthington's side were in desperate need of a goalscorer to aid their relegation battle, and Ashton duly obliged.
After making his Premiership debut in a 3-0 reversal at Aston Villa, Ashton netted his first goal for the Canaries on his home debut in an incredible 4-4 draw with Middlesbrough at Carrow Road.
His arrival coincided with an incredible upturn in form for Norwich, and his seven goals in 16 games almost saw Worthington's side survive, until they finally succumbed to the drop on the final day o the season.
Ashton continued his goalscoring form back in the Championship at the beginning of the 2005/06 season, but with the Canaries struggling to live up to their billing as promotion candidates, the Premiership scouts were soon hovering around Carrow Road.
Eventually, in the January transfer window of 2006, almost a year to the day since his move from Gresty Road, Ashton was heading for West Ham United in a £7.25 million transfer which earned the Railwaymen a further £800,000 thanks to a sell on clause.
After scoring on his full Hammers debut, and then rattling in two more goals on his next two league appearances, Ashton was an instant hit at Upton Park.
His outstanding performance in the 2006 FA Cup Final certainly saw his stock rise once again. Ashton scored West Ham's second goal and was arguably the best performer on the pitch until Liverpool's captain Steven Gerrard had the final say with two stunning goals. After drawing 3-3 after extra-time, the plucky Hammers eventually lost in the penalty shoot-out.
Ashton's all-action display soon saw him called up to the full England squad under new coach Steve McClaren. Ashton was all set to make his senior debut against Greece at Old Trafford but a freak collision in training with Shaun Wright Phillips ended his hopes of pulling on the three lions. His 2006-07 season was a total write-of following a broken ankle.
The country's new Italian coach Fabio Capello finally awarded Ashton his senior bow in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago. Ironcially in goal for the Soca Warriors that day was Ashton's former team-mate Clayton Ince.
His West Ham and England career looked bright only for a re-occurence of his ankle injury to halt his progress and in December 2009, aged just 26, was forced to retire from playing. He continues to work in rehab to strengthen his ankle, and it is hoped in time that he will progress with a career in coaching.
