| Ramsay |
05-03-2010 08:59 PM |
Aston Villa
Whittingham was part of the FA Youth Cup winning side of 2002 and signed a four-year professional contract in October 2002.
He made his first team debut on 21 April, 2003 against Newcastle United, a second-half substitution for Gareth Barry, and made an immediate impact, seeing a powerful shot pushed over the bar by Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given, which earned plaudits from his team-mates. He went on to make 32 appearances in his first full season at the club, season 2003/4, scoring his first goal against Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup on 23 September, 2003.[2] He was rewarded with a one-year extension of his contract.
He failed to hold down a regular first team place in the Villa side over the next three years despite gaining a reputation as a skillful winger with a fierce shot. He was loaned out to both Derby County[3] and Burnley[4] to get some first team games, and scored his first league goal for Villa against Portsmouth in November 2004.[5]
[edit] Cardiff City
In January 2007 after making just 4 appearances for Villa since the start of the season he was transferred to Cardiff City for a reported fee of £350,000 as he had become surplus to requirements at Villa Park and was out of contract in the summer[6]. He quickly established himself in the side and was a first team member until the end of the year with midfield competition Joe Ledley moved to left-back due to a small squad. However the summer 2007 arrival of Tony Capaldi meant that Ledley was no longer needed to cover in defence and went back to his normal position of left midfield meaning Whittingham started the season on the bench.
But by mid-November Cardiff found themselves just above the relegation zone which prompted a minor reshuffle from boss Dave Jones involving Chris Gunter and Whittingham returning to the starting line-up. His return to the side saw him moved to an unfamiliar role on the right side of midfield but he soon settled into the role and started the majority of the remaining matches of the season, as well as being the clubs top scorer with 3 goals during their FA Cup run which saw Whittingham score in matches against Chasetown, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesbrough eventually losing 1-0 to Portsmouth in the final.
The start of the 2008-09 season saw Whittingham continue playing on the right side of midfield, scoring his first goal of the season on 26 August in a 2–1 victory over Milton Keynes Dons in the Carling Cup. By November, Whittingham was one of only two players who had featured in every game of the season so far for Cardiff, along with centre-back Roger Johnson, when he ruptured ankle ligaments during a 2–1 win over Crystal Palace on 15 November which was expected to keep him out for up to three months.[7] However he returned to the side ahead of schedule, coming on as a late substitute during a 1–1 draw with Reading on 26 December,[8] going on to make his 100th appearance in all competitions for Cardiff when he played in a 2–0 defeat to Norwich City in March.
In the first game of the 2009–10 season, Whittingham converted a penalty during a 4–0 win over Scunthorpe United in the first ever competitive match at the Cardiff City Stadium and scored in consecutive rounds of the League Cup in wins over Dagenham & Redbridge and Bristol Rovers. Having been appointed the first choice penalty taker for the club, he took his league goal tally to three with goals in consecutive matches in a 3–1 defeat to against Sheffield Wednesday followed by a 6–1 win over Derby County, during which he made his 200th professional career appearance. He continued his scoring form with a brace against Watford and singles against Crystal Palace and Coventry City followed by a hat-trick against Sheffield United, the first of his professional career. On 14 November 2009 Whittingham earned the October Player of the Month.[9] On 29 November, Whittingham scored his 13th goal of the season in all competitions against Ipswich Town with a fine volley, although Cardiff lost the game 2-1.
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