Andrew Keith Crosby (born 3 March 1973) is an English professional football manager and former player who wis a coach at EFL League Two club Tranmere Rovers.
He spent two-and-a-half seasons with Rovers before moving on to Darlington in December 1993, following a brief loan spell with Halifax Town.
He helped Brighton to win the Third Division title in the 2000–01 season before joining Oxford United on a free transfer in December 2001.
[1] He grew up in the mining village of Maltby; his father was a lorry driver and miner, whilst his mother worked in the local shops.
[5] He was released to Doncaster Rovers – managed by former Leeds boss Billy Bremner – after failing to break into the first-team at Elland Road.
[24] He was offered a new contract by incoming manager Graham Rix on greatly reduced terms but decided to leave the Kassam Stadium to move closer to his family in the north of England.
[26][8] Manager Brian Laws wanted to add experience to his young side, which he found in Crosby, Paul Musselwhite and Ian Baraclough.
[29] He scored three goals from 48 games in the 2004–05 season as United won promotion out of League Two as runners-up to champions Yeovil Town.
[26] Now playing alongside Steve Foster, he captained Scunthorpe to promotion as champions of League One at the end of the 2006–07 season, the club's first divisional trophy in 49 years.
[26][33] He scored three goals in September 2007, including a header that secured a 2–1 win over Preston North End, maintaining Scunthorpe's unbeaten record at Glanford Park at the start of the 2007–08 season.
[35] A knee injury restricted Crosby to just nine appearances during the 2008–09 campaign; Krystian Pearce and David Mirfin meanwhile established themselves at centre-back.
[29] Crosby's contribution proved crucial as Pearce was dropped due to injuries and loss of form with four regular season games left to play.
[29] Scunthorpe qualified for the play-offs, and Crosby converted his penalty in a shoot-out victory over Milton Keynes Dons in the semi-finals.
Following Brian Laws's move to Sheffield Wednesday on 6 November 2006, Nigel Adkins became Scunthorpe United's caretaker manager with Crosby and Ian Baraclough as his assistants.
[49] Crosby said the pair had tried to continue the work done by popular former manager Brian McDermott; however, Reading were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2012–13 season.
[60] Crosby named his squad at the end of August and took charge for the remaining five group games of the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification.
[65][66][67] Northern Ireland finished fifth in the group, and it was reported in January 2021 that Crosby was expected to be given the manager's job on a permanent basis.
[70] He extended his contract at Vale Park in June 2021, at which point both manager Darrell Clarke and director of football David Flitcroft emphasised his importance to the club.
[76] With permission from Clarke,[72] Crosby led the team out at Wembley in the play-off final as Vale secured promotion with a 3–0 win over Mansfield Town.
[77][78] Crosby became interim manager after Clarke was sacked on 17 April 2023 following a run of two wins in eighteen League One matches.
[83] His team responded with ten points from the remaining twelve on offer in August, earning him a nomination for the EFL League One Manager of the Month award.
[85] However, a poor run of form followed, and his substitutions and reliance on sports science were criticised after the team exited the FA Cup having thrown away a two-goal lead at home to Stevenage.