Ascoli Calcio 1898 FC

Ascoli

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Full name	Ascoli Calcio 1898 SpA
Nickname(s)	Picchio (Woodpecker), Bianconeri (White-blacks)
Founded	1898
Ground	Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca, Ascoli Piceno, Italy
Capacity	20,000
Chairman	Roberto Benigni
Head Coach	Ivo Iaconi
League	Serie B
2006-07	Serie A, 19th (relegated)
Home colours Away colours

Ascoli Calcio 1898 is an Italian football club based in Ascoli Piceno, Marche. The club was formed in 1898 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, having returned to it after two seasons spent in Serie A. Ascoli played in Serie A between periods of 1974-1976, 1978-1985, 1986-1990, 1991-1992, and 2005-2007.

The team's colours are black and white.

History

Founded in 1898 as "Candido Augusto Vecchi", the team changed his denomination to Ascoli Vigor in 1905, U.S. Ascolana in 1921, and A.S. Ascoli in 1945. In 1955, the team was acquired and saved from bankruptcy by publishing magnate, Cino Del Duca, who merged it with his own team to make the "Del Duca Ascoli". The stadium still bears his and his brother's name. In 1959 the team finally returned in Serie C for the first time since before the beginning of World War II. In 1971, under the chairmanship of Costantino Rozzi, who had acquired the team three years before, the team changed his denomination to the current one, finally being known as "Ascoli Calcio 1898". From that same year, the team, led by Carlo Mazzone as coach, gained two consecutive promotions, being promoted in Serie B, and then Serie A, for its first time. The team stayed in Serie A for two seasons before being once again relegated to Serie B.

Ascoli returned to Serie A in 1978 and enjoyed a seven-year tenure in the top league, during which time they managed to finish a surprising 5th in 1980 and 6th in 1982. Some of the most notable players under the management of Mazzone and Giovan Battista Fabbri included Adelio Moro, Alessandro Scanziani, Gianfranco Bellotto, Walter Novellino and Andrea Mandorlini. After relegation in 1985, the club immediately bounced back and stayed for four more years. Another return to Serie A followed in 1991 but this lasted only one season. After just missing out on promotion for two year's running, the club went into decline and were relegated to Serie C1 in 1995. They would remain there for seven seasons, returning to B as Serie C1/B champions in 2002.

In August 2005, after the sentence of relegation from Serie A for both Genoa and Torino respectively due to fraud and financial troubles, Ascoli, who obtained a place in the Serie B promotion playoffs the previous season under coach Marco Giampaolo, have been arbitrarily admitted to Serie A as replacements, finishing a highly credible 12th. After the end of the season, Giampaolo, who gained a reputation as one of the finest young Italian coaches, resigned, for being replaced by Attilio Tesser for the 2006/2007 season. Tesser, unable to obtain good results in his time with Ascoli, was fired after a 1-0 loss at home to Empoli F.C. in the 11th matchday, and replaced by veteran coach Nedo Sonetti.

Ascoli were the first team to be officially relegated to Serie B for the 2007-08 season after a 1-0 loss to Torino F.C. on May 7, 2007. They ended the season in nineteenth place, one point above last-placed Messina.

German striker Oliver Bierhoff began his experience in Italian football with Ascoli.

Current first team squad

As of July 17, 2007 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ITA	Massimo Taibi
3	DF	ITA	Andrea Giallombardo
4	MF	ITA	Luca Belingheri
5	DF	ITA	Michelangelo Minieri
6	DF	ITA	Massimo Melucci
7	MF	ITA	Stefano Guberti
8	MF	ITA	Luìs Fernando Centi
9	FW	ITA	Riccardo Maniero (on loan from Juventus)
10	MF	ITA	Giampietro Perrulli
11	FW	ITA	Marco Bernacci
12	GK	ITA	Marco Paoloni
14	MF	ITA	Daniele Di Donato
18	MF	ITA	Simone Pesce
20	MF	CMR	Thomas Job
21	MF	ITA	Andrea Luci

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
22	DF	ITA	Antonio Aquilanti
23	DF	ITA	Angelo Siniscalchi
24	DF	ITA	Vittorio Micolucci
25	MF	ITA	Luigi Giorgi
32	DF	ITA	Paolo Foglio
33	DF	ITA	Gabriele Cioffi
66	DF	ITA	Giuseppe Bellusci
67	MF	FRA	Olivier N'Siabamfumu
69	FW	ITA	Antonio Gaeta
77	GK	URU	Nicolas Suarez Bremec
85	MF	ITA	Leandro Vitiello
99	FW	ITA	Andrea Soncin
–	GK	ITA	Enrico Guarna
–	FW	LVA	Edgars Gauračs (from youth team)

Notable former players

• Pietro Anastasi
• Oliver Bierhoff
• Gabriele Bongiorni
• Liam Brady
• Walter Casagrande
• Dirceu
• Marco Ferrante
• Bruno Giordano
• Filippo Maniero
• Hugo Maradona
• Carlo Mazzone
• Andrea Pazzagli
• Pedro Troglio
• Patrick Vervoort
• Zlatan Muslimović

Coaches

• 2004-2006: Massimo Silva (official) Marco Giampaolo (actual) - Serie A promotion, Serie A 10th
• 2006: Attilio Tesser
• 2006-: Nedo Sonetti

External links

• Ascoli's official website