Warren Aspinall

Warren Aspinall (born 13 September 1967) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder or forward in the Football League, most notably for Portsmouth and Carlisle United. He began his career with hometown club Wigan Athletic, earning a good reputation as a goalscorer from a young age and securing a move to First Division club Everton, being loaned back to Wigan until the end of the season. He later joined Aston Villa for a club record fee of £315,000, helping the club back to the top tier of English football, before signing for Portsmouth for another club record fee. He made over 150 appearances in all competitions for Pompey, before moving to Bournemouth after a loan spell at the club and Swansea City. He later played for Carlisle, aiding the clubs promotion cause and helping them win the Football League Trophy. He also played for Brentford, Colchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion. He retired from playing through an ankle injury in 2000.

After his retirement from the game, his alcoholism and gambling addiction brought him to the brink of suicide after losing £1 million that he had earned during his career. Following his recovery after checking into the Sporting Chance clinic, Aspinall became an advocate for the Samaritans, fronting their "Men on the Ropes" campaign and has talked openly about his alcohol and gambling problems to aid other males in similar situations.