Ormston joins new-look Ashington management team

The pair were recently appointed into a joint role succeeding previous manager Ian Skinner who stepped back at the end of the season.

Now the club have announced that Gary Ormston – an FA Vase winner with Whitley Bay who joined the Woodhorn Lane based outfit in November last year - has agreed to join them in a double capacity – as a player and also as a member of the management team.

The club statement read: “Ashington AFC are delighted to announce that for the 2024/25 season Gary Ormston has not only decided he wants to remain at the club in a playing capacity but he has also accepted an offer from Andy Coyles and Richie Hill to become part of the management team.

"Gary originally joined the club in November 2023 from Newcastle Blue Star and made 23 appearances in what was remaining of the season.”

Speaking about bringing Gary into the management team Andy Coyles commented: “As soon as Richie and myself were told that we would be taking over the reins at Ashington, we thought it would be a no brainer to get Gaz Ormston signed up, not just on a playing front but as part of the management team too.

"He has a wealth of experience in non-league football and an unbelievable amount of knowledge in the North East footballing landscape. He has achieved pretty much everything there is to win on the non-league circuit and with that, comes a huge amount of respect, not just from supporters but from his team mates and potential targets for next season.”

He continued: “Gaz is hugely and widely respected amongst his peers. He will first and foremost be a player, but off the pitch and in the dressing room he is going to be a fantastic addition to the management team.”

A shocked Ormston said: “I have to admit that I was surprised when Andy and Ritchie asked me to help them as part of their management team. I’ll be honest, when Ian made the announcement that he was stepping away from the management role it left me uncertain of my future at Ashington, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, as a change of management can sometimes lead to a different vision for a team.

"So, when the two new managers approached me I was shocked and felt really honoured they had asked me, with having only been part of the fantastic Ashington set up for a few months.”

He went on: “I was asked first and foremost to continue in a playing capacity, to which I was delighted by and immediately accepted. The management side I wasn’t sure of, as I’d already done a bit of that previously under the tutelage of a good friend of mine, Brian Smith. I know just how time consuming it is.

“After discussing the offer with my family, we decided it would be too good an opportunity to turn down."

Coyles and Hill, with the support from Ormston will now look to continue to build their squad for the season ahead.

The club will shortly be looking to release their provisional pre-season schedule ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.