Ashton attended St. Charles College, where he played soccer. Ashton was a key part of the 1990 and 1993 NOSSA title for St. Charles.[1][2]
Ashton began playing professional soccer with the London Lasers in 1992.[3] Although receiving a tryout offer from Premier League club Sheffield United in 1993, he never officially made the squad.[4]
He later played with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League in 1998 the second year of the franchise's inception.[5] He made his debut for the club on April 9, 1998, in an exhibition match against the Rochester Rhinos.[6] During his tenure with the Lynx he was awarded the Toronto Lynx Fan Favorite award a record five times including a Public Relations award.[7] He held the record for most club appearances for the Lynx, until he was surpassed by David Diplacido in 2006.[8] In the 2000 USL A-League season he assisted Toronto by reaching the post season for the second time in the franchise's history. In the playoffs Ashton scored a goal in the conference quarterfinals against the Long Island Rough Riders, which resulted in a 2–1 victory.[9] The Lynx playoff run came to an end in the Eastern Conference Final against the Rochester Rhinos in a 2–1 loss on aggregate.
Once the 2002 A-League season came to a conclusion he was loaned to the Mississauga Olympians of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.[10] He made his debut on September 11, 2002, in an Open Canada Cup match against the Toronto Croatia.[11] He helped the Olympians secure a playoff berth by finishing second in the Western Conference, but unfortunately were defeated by the North York Astros in a wild card match.[12] On February 12, 2004, Ashton announced his retirement from professional soccer after he was offered a regional coach of youth development position with the Ontario Soccer Association.[13]
