RoundGlass Punjab appoint Ashley Westwood as new head coach

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The 44-year-old has previously won the I-League title twice with Bengaluru FC and also coached ATK briefly in the ISL.

Ashley Westwood has been appointed the new head coach of the I-League club RoungGlass Punjab. Westwood has signed a new one-year deal and will lead the club in the I-League 2021-22 season. The 44-year-old has formerly coached Bengaluru FC to two I-League titles. He also briefly served as the head coach of then ISL club ATK in 2018.

"Ashley Westwood has penned a one-year deal with RoundGlass Punjab. He will be the head coach of the Chandigarh-based club for I-League 2021-22," a source close to the developments told Khel Now.

RoundGlass Punjab FC, formerly known as Minerva Punjab, won the I-League title in the 2017-18 season. Last year, the club finished fourth in the I-League table behind champions Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers and TRAU FC. The club rebranded itself as RoundGlass Punjab last year after RoundGlass Sports Pvt Ltd bought the outfit.

Ashley Westwood in Indian football

The appointment marks Westwood's return to Indian football for the first time in three seasons. He last worked with ATK as their Technical Director and also briefly served as an interim manager in 2018. The former Manchester United academy graduate has also coached Bengaluru FC and won three major titles with them during his spell at the club.

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After a brief spell with Kettering Town, Westwood joined the then newly formed Bengaluru FC as their head coach. in 2013. He led the club to the I-League title in his debut season in Indian football. Westwood followed it with a Federation Cup win in 2014-15 and guided BFC to their second I-League crown next season.

After leaving Bengaluru FC following three successful seasons, Westwood joined ATK as their Technical Director for the 2017-18 season. He worked with then ATK boss Teddy Sheringham. But, the club struggled to repeat their title-winning performance from previous seasons. Sheringham got the sack and Westwood was named the interim head coach for a brief spell. He eventually succeeded Robbie Keane.

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