Editing Andy Awford (section)

==Playing career==
Awford began his career at his home-town club [[Worcester City F.C.|Worcester City]] where he became the youngest player ever to appear in the [[FA Cup]], aged just 15 years 88 days, when he came on as substitute in a tie at [[Boreham Wood F.C.|Boreham Wood]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/7090382.stm|title=Gills' Freeman makes Cup history|access-date=2007-11-12|date=12 November 2007|publisher=BBC| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071113065744/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/7090382.stm| archive-date= 13 November 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

He went on to sign professional terms with [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] side [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] in 1989 at the age of 16, making almost 400 first-team appearances in an 11-year career. Awford was part of the "Pompey" side that reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1992, losing to [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in a [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shootout]]. In his time at the club, he also played ten times for the [[England national under-21 football team|England under-21s]].

In 1994, Awford suffered a succession of injuries, including a broken leg, which kept him from playing for 14 months. He went on to play in subsequent campaigns, but further injuries throughout the [[2000–01 Portsmouth F.C. season|2000–01]] season led him to retire from professional football at the age of 28. His last competitive appearance for "Pompey" came against [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] on 4 November 2000.<ref>{{cite web 
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/1005129.stm
|title=QPR 1–1 Portsmouth
|publisher=[[BBC]] 
|date=4 November 2000 |access-date=12 March 2010}}</ref>