John Askey

His father, Colin, made over 200 appearances for Port Vale in the 1950s.

Askey was one of five children; Bob, Mark, Steve, and Joanne.

He played youth team football for Milton Spurs, Milton schools, Hanley schools and Stoke-on-Trent schoolboys, before joining Port Vale's youth team at the age of 15.

He was never handed a first-team debut at Vale Park and rejected manager John McGrath's £5-a-week offer following the conclusion of his six-month Youth Training Scheme contract.

After leaving the club he spent a year working as a labourer for a pottery firm in Tunstall, before entering the insurance industry at the age of 19.

He also played amateur football for Milton United – managed by his father – and Miners Arms Milton.

Askey first joined Macclesfield Town, alongside his brother Bob, to fill a gap when the club were short of players.

John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Hartlepool United.

Able to play as a winger or as a striker, Askey had pace and intelligence.

John Colin Askey was born on 4 November 1964 in Stoke-on-Trent.

A former youth team player at Port Vale, he joined Macclesfield Town from Milton United in 1984.

He scored on his debut during the 1984–85 season, coming on as a substitute away at Morecambe on 29 December.

He went on to score one goal in three appearances as Macclesfield finished as runners-up to Stafford Rangers in the Northern Premier League.

He featured 13 times in the 1985–86 season, before scoring seven goals in 17 appearances as Macclesfield won the Northern Premier League title in 1986–87.

Macclesfield went on to secure a treble after winning the Northern Premier League President's Cup and beating Burton Albion 2–0 in the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup final at Maine Road.

During his time at the club Macclesfield spent six seasons in the Football League and won the Northern Premier League title in 1986–87, the Football Conference title in 1994–95 and 1996–97, and promotion out of the Third Division in 1997–98.

Town also won the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup, Northern Premier League President's Cup, Bob Lord Challenge Trophy, Cheshire Senior Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup.

Macclesfield played in the Football Conference for the first time in the 1987–88 season, and Askey scored 18 goals in 59 games as Town posted an 11th-place finish.

Macclesfield also reached the final of the Cheshire Senior Cup, losing 2–1 to Runcorn at Gresty Road.

He scored 13 goals in 51 matches in the 1988–89 season as the club rose to seventh-place; he was named as the club's Player of the Year.

In a repeat of the previous year's Cheshire Senior Cup final they again were beaten finalists to Runcorn.

They rose to fourth-spot in 1989–90, with Askey contributing 12 goals from 49 games.

He also toured Japan with the Middlesex Wanderers amateurs.

Macclesfield also reached the finals of both the Cheshire Senior Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup, losing out to Hyde United and Northwich Victoria respectively.

Askey made his only appearance for the England national semi-pro team on 6 March 1990 in a 0–0 draw with Wales at Penydarren Park in a friendly.

His 15 goals in 46 games for Macclesfield in the 1990–91 season left him as the division's joint-13th top-scorer.

Macclesfield also finally won the Cheshire Senior Cup, defeating Witton Albion 2–0 in the final at Gresty Road.

He reached ten goals in 47 games in the 1991–92 season as Macclesfield dropped down to 13th-place; they did though retain the Cheshire Senior Cup with another 2–0 win over Witton Albion, this time at Prenton Park.

The decline continued into the 1992–93 season as Macclesfield finished just two points above the relegation zone.

Askey scored 13 goals in 53 games in the 1993–94 season, including a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Gateshead on 6 November; Macclesfield improved under new manager Sammy McIlroy, finishing seventh and picking up a cup double, winning the Bob Lord Challenge Trophy after beating Yeovil Town in the final and lifting the Staffordshire Senior Cup for the first time after defeating Wednesfield in the final.

Askey stayed on at Macclesfield Town as a coach after retiring as a player and was appointed as manager in October 2003.

He was replaced as manager in April 2004, but stayed on at the club as a coach, before he was appointed as manager for a second time in April 2013.

He coached Macclesfield to the 2017 FA Trophy final, in which they were beaten by York City.

The following season, 2017–18, he led the team back into the Football League as champions of the National League despite having one of the division's lowest budgets.

In 19 seasons at the club he scored 155 goals in 679 league and cup appearances, becoming the club's record appearance holder and fourth highest goalscorer; he was named as the club's PFA Fans' Favourites and was later rewarded with the freedom of Macclesfield in August 2018.

Following this achievement, he moved on to manage Shrewsbury Town in June 2018, before his dismissal five months later.

He was appointed as Port Vale manager in February 2019 and remained in the job until January 2021.

He took up the management position at York City in November 2021 and led the club to promotion out of the National League North via the play-offs at the end of the 2021–22 season.

He was appointed as manager of League Two club Hartlepool United in February 2023.

He was dismissed as Hartlepool manager in December 2023.