Asa Hartford
Richard Asa Hartford (born 24 October 1950) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He started his professional career with West Bromwich Albion. His early progress led to a proposed transfer to Leeds United in November 1971, but this collapsed when a medical examination discovered a heart condition. Hartford instead moved to Manchester City in 1974. He helped City win the 1976 League Cup Final. After a brief spell with Nottingham Forest, Hartford moved to Everton in 1979 and then had a second spell with Manchester City. After playing for Fort Lauderdale Sun, Hartford joined Norwich City. His shot resulted in the only goal of the 1985 League Cup Final.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Asa Hartford | ||
| Date of birth | 24 October 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Clydebank, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Drumchapel Amateurs | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1967–1974 | West Bromwich Albion | 214 | (18) |
| 1974–1979 | Manchester City | 185 | (22) |
| 1979 | Nottingham Forest | 3 | (0) |
| 1979–1981 | Everton | 81 | (6) |
| 1981–1984 | Manchester City | 75 | (7) |
| 1984 | Fort Lauderdale Sun | ? | (?) |
| 1984–1985 | Norwich City | 28 | (2) |
| 1985–1987 | Bolton Wanderers | 81 | (8) |
| 1987–1989 | Stockport County | 45 | (0) |
| 1989 | Oldham Athletic | 7 | (0) |
| 1989–1991 | Shrewsbury Town | 25 | (0) |
| Total | 744 | (63) | |
| International career | |||
| 1970–1973 | Scotland U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 1972–1982 | Scotland | 50 | (5) |
| 1977 | Scotland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1985–1987 | Bolton Wanderers (player-coach) | ||
| 1987–1989 | Stockport County | ||
| 1990–1991 | Shrewsbury Town | ||
| 1991 | Boston United | ||
| 1993 | Stoke City (caretaker manager) | ||
| 1996–2005 | Manchester City (asst/caretaker manager) | ||
| 2007–2008 | Macclesfield Town (assistant manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Hartford was also a regular in the Scotland national team, earning 50 caps between 1972 and 1982. He was selected for the Scotland squads in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. Towards the end of his playing career, Hartford became a coach. He was the player/manager of Stockport County and Shrewsbury Town. Since retiring as a player, Hartford has worked in a variety of coaching and scouting roles.