{{Short description|English footballer}} {{Use British English|date=July 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name= Stuart Whitehead | image = | fullname = Stuart David Whitehead<ref name="Hugman2003-04">{{Cite book | editor-first = Barry J. | editor-last = Hugman | title = The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 | year = 2003 | publisher = Queen Anne Press | isbn = 1-85291-651-6 | page = 451 }}</ref> | height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}<ref name="Hugman2003-04"/> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|7|17|df=y}}<ref name="Hugman2003-04"/> | birth_place = [[Bromsgrove]], England | currentclub = | clubnumber = | position = [[Right-back]], [[centre back]] | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1994 | youthclubs1 = [[Bromsgrove Rovers F.C.|Bromsgrove Rovers]] | years1 = 1994–1995 | clubs1 = [[Bromsgrove Rovers F.C.|Bromsgrove Rovers]] | years2 = 1995–1998 | clubs2 = [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] | caps2 = 0 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 1998–2002 | clubs3 = [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] | caps3 = 152 | goals3 = 2 | years4 = 2002–2003 | clubs4 = [[Darlington F.C.|Darlington]] | caps4 = 23 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2003–2004 | clubs5 = [[Telford United F.C.|Telford United]] | caps5 = 37 | goals5 = 1 | years6 = 2004–2006 | clubs6 = [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]] | caps6 = 63 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2006–2008 | clubs7 = [[Kidderminster Harriers F.C.|Kidderminster Harriers]] | caps7 = 60 | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 2008–2012 | clubs8 = [[AFC Telford United]] | caps8 = 76 | goals8 = 0 | years9 = 2012–2013 | clubs9 = [[Worcester City F.C.|Worcester City]] | caps9 = 39 | goals9 = 0 | totalcaps = 450 | totalgoals = 3 | manageryears1 = 2009 | managerclubs1 = [[AFC Telford United]] (caretaker) }}
'''Stuart David Whitehead''' (born 17 July 1976) is an English former [[association football|footballer]]. He played as a [[right-back]] or [[centre-back]].
==Career== Born in [[Bromsgrove]], Whitehead began his career at his hometown club [[Bromsgrove Rovers F.C.|Bromsgrove Rovers]]. After a season with the club, he joined then-[[FA Premier League|Premiership]] [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] in 1995 on a free transfer.
Bolton were relegated in his first season with them, but won promotion back to the Premier League in the following season. After another top-flight season, Bolton and Whitehead parted company, with Whitehead never appearing for the club.
A regular starting role at [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] followed, with Carlisle spending the whole period near the bottom of [[the Football League]]. He appeared in the famous [[Jimmy Glass]] game against [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.|Plymouth Argyle]], in which the goalkeeper scored in the 94th minute to keep [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] in the [[Football League]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-carlisle-raise-a-glass-to-survival--carlisle-united-----2--plymouth-argyle-----1-1092696.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-carlisle-raise-a-glass-to-survival--carlisle-united-----2--plymouth-argyle-----1-1092696.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Carlisle raise a Glass to survival – Carlisle United 2 Plymouth Argyle 1 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=10 May 1999 |access-date=14 August 2009 | location=London | first=Rupert | last=Metcalf}}</ref> A ten-month spell at [[Darlington F.C.|Darlington]] followed before Whitehead dropped down to the [[Football Conference]] in August 2003 for a season with [[Telford United F.C.|Telford United]]. Telford, and their chairman, were to go bankrupt at the end of the season, so Whitehead made the short move to newly promoted (to [[Football League Two|League Two]]) [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]].
In his two seasons with the club, Whitehead became Shrewsbury's first-choice right-back, making 70 appearances for the [[Shropshire]] club. However, on 14 April 2006 he was released by Shrewsbury to allow the emergence of [[Gavin Cadwallader]]. Whitehead agreed to join Conference club Kidderminster Harriers on a two-year contract in the summer of 2006.
In his first season Whitehead played well and was a vital part of the FA Trophy run to the finals. He led the team out on 12 May hoping to lift the trophy but, unfortunately he will go down in history as the first captain to lose a competitive match at Wembley.
Whitehead left Kidderminster by mutual consent on 31 January 2008 and subsequently made his return to the [[New Bucks Head]], signing an 18-month deal with [[Conference North]] side [[A.F.C. Telford United|AFC Telford United]].
At the start of the 2008/2009 season, Whitehead was named as the new AFC Telford United captain. At the end of the 2009/2010 season, following the dismissal of Rob Smith, Whitehead was named caretaker manager for Telford's final game of the season, a 3–1 defeat away to Vauxhall Motors. He left Telford in January 2012,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/16627538 |title=AFC Telford release Stuart Whitehead and Jon Adams |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 January 2012 |access-date=21 November 2012 }}</ref> joining [[Worcester City F.C.|Worcester City]] the next day.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/16656243 |title=Worcester City sign Stuart Whitehead and Phil Green |publisher=BBC Sport |date=20 January 2012 |access-date=21 January 2012 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerbase}}
{{A.F.C. Telford United managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Stuart}} [[Category:1976 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Footballers from Bromsgrove]] [[Category:Men's association football full-backs]] [[Category:Men's association football central defenders]] [[Category:Bromsgrove Rovers F.C. players]] [[Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. players]] [[Category:Carlisle United F.C. players]] [[Category:Darlington F.C. players]] [[Category:Telford United F.C. players]] [[Category:Shrewsbury Town F.C. players]] [[Category:Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players]] [[Category:AFC Telford United players]] [[Category:English Football League players]] [[Category:National League (English football) players]] [[Category:Worcester City F.C. players]] [[Category:English men's footballers]]