Harmison switches sports to take charge of Ashington

He made his name as a fearsome fast bowler but now Steve Harmison hopes to build his reputation in a different sport - as manager of Ashington football club.

Harmison, who rose to become the No.1-ranked bowler in the world and was part of the England attack that won the 2005 Ashes, will now hope to steer his hometown football club to success.

Ashington play in the Northern League Division One - the ninth tier of English football - and have a history with the Harmison family. Steve played for them briefly as a teenager, his older brother James is a former club captain and their father Jimmy was once assistant manager.

The club trains twice a week and Harmison will manage them for a "token wage". His immediate task was a home match against Bishop Auckland on February 10. He began well, too, with a 1-0 victory.

Harmison told the Daily Telegraph: ""This is not a publicity stunt; this is not a short-term ploy to get Ashington some media attention. I'm serious about this. I don't know where it will take me, I'm not trying to become a league manager, I just want to do a good job for Ashington.

"I used to say, tongue in cheek, that I would have rather have played number nine for Newcastle, than play cricket for England, but football has always been a huge part of my life. When I look back at my cricket career, there were times when I should have challenged myself more, when I should have taken opportunities to do something different, and when Ian Lavery [Ashington chairman] asked me if I was interested, I thought: 'Why not, let's have a go.'"