A cold Saturday in Ashington on England 's north east coast is a far cry from some sun-baked cricket pitch in the Tropics but for Steve Harmison there is no other place he would rather be as he upholds a family tradition . In his prime Harmison was one of cricket 's elite fast bowlers , taking 226 test wickets for England and starring in a side that included Andrew Flintoff , Kevin Pietersen , Michael Vaughan and James Anderson . Now , with his cricketing whites retired for good , he is forging a career as a football manager in the former mining heartland of northern England . Steve Harmison took over his hometown club Ashington FC in February after retiring from cricket . The Newcastle United fan has returned to run hometown club Ashington FC of the Northern League Division One , the ninth tier of English football , where he stewards a team of teachers , bricklayers , students , sports coaches and factory workers . With England cricketers toiling at the World Cup , Harmison is embroiled in a relegation struggle , although since he took over last month , the 36-year-old has overseen a change in fortunes with three victories and two defeats . His side are also in the semi-final of the Northern League Cup . The Northern League side have won three and lost two in Harmison 's first five games in charge . The former England cricketer have a chance of some silverware after reaching the semi-finals of the cup . His aching back , a legacy of the punishing strain of bowling balls at nearly 100mph , still causes him pain , but the camaraderie of a team environment makes up for it . ' I 've always been asked if I miss playing ( cricket ) . No , not one bit , ' Harmison , who retired from cricket in 2013 , told the Sunday Times . 'But I miss the dressing room like you 've never seen . 'Ashington is not a very big place so if you come from Ashington you support the cricket team and you support the football team . The northeast is like that . ' The ex-fast bowler admits he does n't miss playing the game of cricket but he misses the dressing room . Ashington holds a special place in Harmison 's heart . He was born in the town and his father was a stalwart for the club as a player and later an assistant manager . 'Managing anyone else would not have been interest to me , ' Harmison added . 'It tells you what Ashington means to all of us . 'To the family it means a hell of a lot . It tells you a lot that in 1966 he 's there as a boy in the background and in 2015 I 'm managing the place . 'Did anyone from my family say , 'Are you sure ? ' . Yes , James ( Harmison 's brother and first signing as manager ) . He knew what was coming . My wife was fine , the kids are loving it . It all fell into place . Ashington FC are the only club Harmison would manage due to how much the club means to him . 'It gave me a purpose to get out of bed . '
Steve Harmison is now the manager of Northern League outfit England . The former Ashington bowler has led his side to three wins and two losses . Harmison is happy with the transition and does n't miss playing cricket .