- Dean Ashton played for Norwich City from 2005 to 2006.
- He was signed by Norwich boss Nigel Worthington.
- Ashton later went on to score in an FA Cup final for West Ham.
Dean Ashton made a lasting impression in a relatively short time as a player at Norwich City in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 campaigns.
The Canaries paid Crewe a club-record fee of £3m to sign the centre-forward to bolster their Premier League squad in January 2005.
He was relegated with the Yellows and played half-a-season in the second tier before joining West Ham United for £7.25m in January 2006.
Ashton, speaking with Read Norwich via freebets.com, the home of the best betting sites, reflected on his time at Carrow Road.
‘Fell in love with the place straight away’
The English number nine admitted that he quickly fell in love with Norwich, the place and the people, after his move to Norfolk.
Ashton has revealed that his personal ambitions prevented him from staying at Carrow Road any longer after playing in the Championship for five months.
He said: “It was such a big deal for me to leave Crewe and make that right decision, which club to go to next, and was advised by the manager at the time, and fell in love with the place straight away.
“No part of me thought about the future. I thought it was such a great opportunity to play for Norwich in the Premier League and then we got so close to staying up, but once we got relegated I knew that if we were not in contention then it was going to be difficult to stay, because of my ambitions and how long I had stayed in the Championship.
“I loved the city. Loved the people, the supporters. It was a great family club environment with the people that were there, and the players I got on with great. So, it was a wrench to leave in the end, but my ambitions and selfishness took over.”
‘I felt like I was a part of something special’
At the start of his City career, Ashton got to experience 16 games in the Premier League and scored seven times.
Despite the team’s eventual relegation, the striker still holds fond memories of that period of his career, including the 2-0 win over Manchester United in April 2005.
Speaking about his Premier League journey at Norwich, Ashton said: “Such an eye-opener, for a start, to have that Premier League experience.
“Aston Villa away was my first taste of that (and) we got battered 3-0. I almost scored an own goal because it flicked off my head from the man that I was marking.
“I was knackered, because Villa Park is huge. It was such a big eye-opener, but then we had the 4-4 against Middlesbrough in my first home game in front of the Norwich supporters and it was one of those games you can never forget.
“To be part (of it) was incredible and to score my first goal, that started the comeback, and that feeling in the dressing room. All of a sudden, I felt like I was a part of something special at that time, and that I fitted in straight away.
“Then, to beat Manchester United, a top Manchester United team, a Sir Alex Ferguson team, with the stars that they had. To beat them, at that time, at Carrow Road, will always be very special.
“Getting the first goal and then watching Leon McKenzie get those rippling abs out for the second (is) something you can’t quite forget.”
‘We’ll always have a bond’
Speaking of McKenzie, Ashton has confirmed that he still speaks with his former strike partner, who scored six Premier League goals in the 2004/05 campaign.
He said: “Having that relationship with Leon McKenzie, playing up front with him, we’ll always have a bond. He really helped me. He was more experienced than me (and) taught me things that I did not understand at the time.
“We linked up so well and had a laugh off the pitch, so we still keep in contact since finishing (our City careers).”
McKenzie was not the only player who left a lasting impression on Ashton during his time at Norwich, though, as a couple of Canaries icons made an impact on the young forward.
Ashton said: “The likes of (Darren) Huckerby and (Craig) Flemming were also really important for me to help me mature by taking the mickey out of me and bringing me down a peg or two, but also helping me to understand what is required in terms of professionalism and effort every single day in training.”
‘I felt like I was letting him down’
Prior to completing his big-money move to Upton Park, Ashton did not feature in Norwich’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the FA Cup in January 2006.
When questioned about the striker’s injury status and how convenient it was for him to be out amid rumours of a move to the Hammers, Worthington revealed that he had X-rays to prove the injury was real.
Over 20 years later, Ashton has nothing but love for his former manager. The forward said: “He might have been saving me. There is no truth there from my perspective, but I absolutely loved Nigel (Worthington).
“He took a chance on me as a player and (with) the way he was, he joined in during training, and was happy for the players to mock him at times.
“I felt like I was letting him down (by leaving), but I think he understood the position that I was in.”
‘The proudest moment I’ve ever had’
After his move to West Ham, Ashton suffered several frustrating injury issues that denied him several chances to make his England debut.
Ashton had call-ups in 2006 and 2007 before being ruled out of both camps through injury, which meant that he had to wait for his first cap.
However, he finally made his bow for the Three Lions against Trinidad & Tobago in August 2008, which ended up being his only appearance for England before he retired through injury in December 2009.
“That England call is the proudest moment I’ve ever had. To have that call is very special. It is something you dream of and something you work towards, what you sacrifice for. To get that call is always going to be the proudest moment.”
Shortly after leaving Norwich, the English star also scored in the FA Cup final against Liverpool in 2006, but was on the losing side on penalties after a 3-3- draw.
Despite the loss, Ashton has revealed that Hammers supporters still speak to him about that game to this day.
He said: “I can’t ever forget the FA Cup final as my greatest moment in a football shirt. To represent West Ham in that cup final, a special cup final. To be able to score and have an impact.”
“It didn’t go our way, but it is something that West Ham fans remind me of with their experiences of the day, remembering it. To still be talked about by West Ham fans, even today, shows how big that occasion was for the club.”
