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Shaun Whalley

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Shaun Whalley
155px
Whalley with Hyde
Personal information
Full name Shaun James Whalley
Date of birth (1987-08-07) 7 August 1987 (age 36)[1]
Place of birth Prescot, England
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Winger, Striker
Team information
Current team
 Shrewsbury Town
Number 10
Youth career
2001–2004 Norwich City
2004 Southport
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Chester City 3 (0)
2005–2006 Runcorn 21 (3)
2006–2007 Witton Albion 18 (6)
2006–2007 → Accrington Stanley (loan) 6 (0)
2007–2008 Accrington Stanley 45 (5)
2008–2009 Wrexham 16 (4)
2009 → Southport (loan) 14 (0)
2009–2010 Droylsden 32 (15)
2010–2011 Hyde 16 (3)
2011–2013 Southport 101 (27)
2013–2015 Luton Town 34 (4)
2014 → AFC Telford United (loan) 18 (5)
2015− Shrewsbury Town 7 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:28, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Shaun James Whalley (born 7 August 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Shrewsbury Town. Born in Prescot, Merseyside, Whalley played for Norwich City and Southport as a youth before making his Football League debut with Chester City in 2004.

After leaving Chester, he spent time in non-League football with Runcorn F.C. Halton and Witton Albion. While on the books at Witton, he spent five weeks on trial with Football League One side Crewe Alexandra but was not offered a contract, so he signed for League Two side Accrington Stanley in 2006. Whalley spent almost two years with the Lancashire club, but following his release in the summer of 2008, he returned to non-League, initially with Wrexham. While at Wrexham, he had a short loan spell with Southport where he helped the team to the Conference North play-offs. He subsequently played at Droylsden, where he was part of the team that won the Manchester Premier Cup in 2010, and Hyde before joining Southport again on a permanent basis in January 2011. He was signed by Luton Town in the summer of 2013 for an undisclosed fee, and joined AFC Telford United on loan in 2014. Both Luton and Telford won their respective leagues during the 2013–14 season, making Whalley a winner of both the Conference Premier and the Conference North in the same season. He left Luton in May 2015, later joining Shrewsbury.

Described as an "express-train down the wings" by former team-mate Paul Mullin, Whalley was called up to the Football Association XI standby squad for a game against Hallam, the game taking place to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the club. He is the son of the former Preston North End captain Neil Whalley, who was also a midfielder.

Early life

Whalley was born and raised in Prescot, Merseyside. As a child, he played football for his local teams until 2001 when he was spotted by Norwich City. He went to play for their academy,[2] where he played for three years before leaving in 2004. He subsequently returned to Merseyside and joined Southport, where he played several reserve-team matches.[3] In the summer of the same year, Whalley turned professional when he signed for Football League side Chester City.[4]

Whalley's father, Neil Whalley, was also a professional footballer in the early 1990s. He too played in midfield and made more than 50 appearances for Preston North End, where he was also captain for a period of time.[4]

Career

Early career

With Chester, Whalley played mostly for the youth and reserve teams, but he made his Football League debut for the club in a 0–0 draw with Cambridge United on 18 September 2004, coming on as a substitute for Darryn Stamp. His debut came just one day after he signed a professional contract with Chester; manager Ian Rush had only included him on the substitutes' bench as a result of injuries to Daryl Clare and Michael Branch.[5] The following week, he was part of the side that defeated Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium in the second round of the Football League Trophy.[6] Whalley made three further senior appearances for Chester, all as a substitute, before leaving the club in the summer of 2005.[7]

In August of that year, Whalley moved into non-League football with Runcorn as one of several new signings for the Northern Premier League outfit.[8] He made his first appearance for the club in the 1–1 draw with Frickley Athletic and subsequently established himself as a regular first-team player.[9] Whalley scored his first goal for Runcorn in the 5–1 defeat of his hometown club, Prescot Cables and he netted again the following week in the loss to Matlock Town.[9] He went on to play 21 league matches for Runcorn before joining Witton Albion in March 2006. During his short spell with the club, he scored 6 goals in 18 league appearances.[10]

Accrington Stanley

In September 2006, while at Witton, Whalley spent five weeks on trial at League One club Crewe Alexandra,[11][12] but he was not offered a permanent contract.[13] He subsequently joined League Two side Accrington Stanley on loan two months later.[14] Whalley made his debut for the club in the 1–2 defeat to Hartlepool United at the Crown Ground. However, two weeks later, he was sent off in the Football League Trophy match against Doncaster Rovers following a high tackle on Theo Streete, although Accrington manager John Coleman felt that the challenge was not deserving of a red card.[15] The subsequent suspension meant that Whalley spent almost a month out of the side before returning in late December in the loss to Bristol Rovers.[16] He made his transfer to Accrington permanent in January 2007, signing a two-year contract with the club,[17] and the following week he scored a late winner in the 3–2 victory over Mansfield Town, his first goal for the team.[18] Whalley remained a first-team regular for the rest of the 2006–07 season and retained his place in the starting line-up throughout most of the following season, and scored his first Accrington goal away from the Crown Ground in the 8–2 loss at Peterborough United on 15 January 2008.[19] Whalley made a total of 51 league appearances for Accrington, scoring 5 goals, but in May 2008, he was one of 10 players released by the club.[20]

Return to non-League

In June 2008, he moved down a division to join Conference Premier side Wrexham.[21] He scored his first goal for Wrexham on his debut in a 5–0 win over Stevenage.[22] Whalley followed it up with another goal in a 1–1 draw with Rushden & Diamonds.[23] He scored his third and fourth goals of the month as Wrexham beat Salisbury City 4–1,[24] which proved to be his last game for that club. He then joined Conference North side Southport on loan in February 2009 for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.[25] Whalley made his Southport debut in the 2–0 win over Hyde United at Haig Avenue.[26] He went on to play 13 league matches for the team as they reached the Conference North play-offs, but they were defeated in the semi-finals by Gateshead.[27] During the loan spell, Whalley played in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy, but he could not prevent Southport losing 3–2 on aggregate over two legs against AFC Telford United.[26] In the summer of 2009, he was released by Wrexham along with eight other out-of-contract players.[28]

In August 2009, following his release from Wrexham, Whalley returned to the Conference North to join Droylsden.[29] Whalley scored his first two goals for the club as Droylsden beat Northwich Victoria 5–1.[30] He added another goal to his tally, scoring in a 2–0 win over league favourites Fleetwood Town,[31] before adding another two goals to his name as Droylsden beat Harrogate Town 5–0.[32] He scored two goals in a match for the third time in the season as Droylsden recorded a 5–3 win over Solihull Moors at the Butcher's Arms Ground. He won Manchester Premier Cup winners medal in his one season at Droylsden[33] before he left at the end of the 2009–10 season, having scored a total of 15 goals in 32 league appearances.[34]

Hyde

File:Whalley Shoots.jpg
Whalley playing and attempting to score against Harrogate Town; his shot is rising over the crossbar.

Whalley joined Hyde on 21 August 2010 after his release from Droylsden.[35] He made his debut just hours after he signed for the Tigers in a 5–1 home defeat to Alfreton Town.[36] In just his third appearance for Hyde, he was sent off in a 1–0 defeat to Guiseley.[37] Whalley scored his first goal for Hyde in a 2–1 home win over Corby Town.[38]

In early October, while still on the books at Hyde, he was called up to the Football Association XI squad alongside teammate Scott Mooney for a game against Hallam FC to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Sheffield-based club.[39] Whalley scored his first cup goal for the club in a 4–0 win over Oldham Boro in the Manchester Premier Cup,[40] but less than a week later, he scored an own goal as part of a 3–0 away loss to Blyth Spartans,[41] and was then sent off again for two bookable offences against Vauxhall Motors[42]

Whalley scored his first goal of the new year in a 2–1 victory over local rivals Stalybridge Celtic.[43] He scored again in the quarter final of the Manchester Premier Cup against his old club Droylsden,[44] which proved to be his last for the club.[45]

Southport

Whalley was released by Hyde in order to join Southport for the second time in January 2011.[46] He made his debut the following Saturday in a 4–0 win over York City, scoring Southport's second and fourth goals.[47][48] On 1 February, less than a week later, Whalley scored again in a 2–2 draw with Grimsby Town to take his record to three goals in two games,[49] before being sent off for violent conduct on and later receiving a four match ban.[50] On 26 February after missing the best-part of that month through his suspension, he returned, to start in a 2–1 loss to Bath City, but he was unable to score a goal.[51] He followed this game up by scoring in his next two, netting in the 3–1 win over Histon[52] and then by scoring Southport's only goal, in a 4–1 defeat to Eastbourne Borough.[53] He finished March having scored four goals that month, after adding another two in the latter part, the first in a 4–2 defeat to the hands of Barrow[54] and the other coming as-part of a 2–2 draw with Rushden & Diamonds.[55]

He opened his goalscoring account for the 2011–12 season on the opening day as part of a 2–2 draw with Lincoln City.[56] He scored his second of the season in a 3–2 win over Telford United.[57] On 15 March 2012, he signed a new two-year contract with the club.[58] He scored a total of ten goals in all-competitions for Southport in the 2011–12 season,[59] helping them to their highest league finish in ten years—7th in the Conference Premier.[60]

Whalley had a good start to the 2012–13 season, scoring two goals in four games, including in a 3–3 draw with Alfreton Town.[61] He went on to play in all but three of Southport's league games, scoring seven further goals and at the end of the season was named the club's player of the year.[62]

Luton Town

On 1 May 2013, Whalley was signed by fellow Conference Premier club Luton Town for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract.[63] He missed a penalty on his debut in a 1–0 defeat, coincidentally against former club Southport.[64]

After failing to win a regular starting place in the Luton line-up, Whalley moved on loan on 23 January 2014 to Conference North side AFC Telford United, led by his former Southport manager Liam Watson.[65] He scored five goals in 18 games as Telford won the Conference North title, scoring in the crucial final game of the season.[66] With Luton also winning their league, Whalley had the unique distinction of being awarded both Conference Premier and Conference North winners' medals in the same season.[67]

Whalley played a more active part in Luton's return to the Football League, playing in 18 league games, often in the starting XI, and scoring three goals.

On 27 April 2015, Whalley and team-mate Ricky Miller were both arrested by Bedfordshire Police in connection with an alleged assault following Luton Town's end of season awards night. Both were released on bail, but were suspended by the club pending a police inquiry.[68] Whalley was not charged due to a lack of evidence.[69] On 18 May 2015, Whalley left Luton by mutual consent two months before the end of his contract.[70]

Shrewsbury Town

Following his departure from Luton, Whalley joined Shrewsbury Town, recently promoted to League One, on 6 June 2015.[71] Making only sporadic substitute appearances in the early part of the season, Whalley had to wait until 28 December to make his first league start for the club, scoring a late winning goal in a 2−1 away victory over Crewe Alexandra.[72]

Style of play

Whalley is a winger but can also play as a striker. On his arrival at Southport, manager Liam Watson said "Shaun will fit right into out style of play and with the players we have here".[73] Whalley's former team-mate Paul Mullin described him as "an absolute express-train down the wings", and said that he possessed good ability on the ball.[74]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 January 2016.
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[75] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chester City 2004–05[76] League Two 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 0
Runcorn 2005–06[77] Northern Premier League 21 3 0 0 – 0 0 21 3
Witton Albion 2005–06[77] 9 4 0 0 – 0 0 9 4
2006–07[78] 9 2 0 0 – 0 0 9 2
Total 18 6 0 0 – 0 0 18 6
Accrington Stanley 2006–07[79] League Two 20 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 21 2
2007–08[80] 31 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 34 3
Total 51 5 1 0 1 0 2 0 55 5
Wrexham 2008–09[81] Conference Premier 16 4 0 0 – 0 0 16 4
Southport (loan) 2008–09[81] Conference North 14 0 0 0 – 0 0 14 0
Droylsden 2009–10[34] 32 15 3 1 – 5 3 40 19
Hyde 2010–11[82] 16 3 2 0 – 4 2 22 5
Southport 2010–11[83] Conference Premier 17 8 0 0 – 0 0 17 8
2011–12[84] 41 10 2 0 – 1 0 44 10
2012–13[85] 43 9 1 0 – 4 2 48 11
Total 101 27 3 0 – 5 2 109 29
Luton Town 2013–14[86] Conference Premier 16 1 1 0 – 5 1 22 2
2014–15[87] League Two 18 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 19 3
Total 34 4 2 0 0 0 5 1 41 5
AFC Telford United (loan) 2013–14 Conference North 18 5 0 0 – 0 0 18 5
Shrewsbury Town 2015–16[88] League One 7 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 11 1
Career totals 331 73 13 1 2 0 24 8 370 82

Honours

Club

Droylsden
Luton Town
AFC Telford United

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  68. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  69. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  75. ↑ Other includes Conference League Cup, FA Trophy, Local Cups and all other cups.
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  82. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  83. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  84. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  85. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  86. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  88. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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