After retaining their Third Division status in 1987–88, the "Lilywhites" qualified for the play-offs in 1988–89, but lost out to Port Vale at the semi-final stage.
[4] In August 1993, Ashcroft moved on to West Bromwich Albion after manager Keith Burkinshaw splashed out £250,000.
Ashcroft scored a vital headed goal on the final day of the 1993–94 season, in a 1–0 win at Portsmouth, to keep Albion in the First Division.
Still out of the first-team picture at West Brom in 1996–97, he was loaned out to former club Preston North End in September 1996 before Gary Peters made the deal permanent two months later for £150,000.
He finished as the club's top scorer with 16 goals in 46 games in 1997–98, bagging a hat-trick against Fulham at Deepdale on 29 November.
[4] Ashcroft moved to First Division club Grimsby Town for a club-record £500,000 in August 1998, reuniting him with former manager Alan Buckley.
[6] He found his form though in 1999–2000, scoring 13 goals in 40 games to help the "Mariners" finish five points above the relegation zone.
[7] He scored six goals in 36 appearances in 2000–01, helping the "Latics" into the Second Division play-offs, where they were beaten by Reading at the semi-final stage after losing 2–1 at the Madejski Stadium.
[9] Huddersfield were so short of funds at the time that the loan could only go through when a wealthy supporter agreed to pay Ashcroft's wages.
In March 2004, Ashcroft signed for Chorley on loan, where he scored three goals in eleven appearances in the Northern Premier League First Division.
On 3 October 2009, he was sent off for using "abusive and/or indecently insulting words towards match officials" and was subsequently banned for three months from all football activity (including training sessions).
[16] Despite this, he managed the "Town" to another fifth-place finish in 2009–10, though again they lost at the play-off semi-final stage, after defeat to Bradford Park Avenue.
[24] Longridge were sixth in the North West Counties Premier Division table at the time, with games in hand on the promotion places.