Whitlow: Michael William (Mike)

1988-1992 (Player Details)

Left Back/Midfield

Born: Davenham: 13-01-1968

Debut: Shrewsbury Town (h): 09-11-1988

5’11” 12st 1lb (1989)

After joining them from Rudland Youth Club in 1985, Whitlow was rejected by Bolton Wanderers without making a League appearance. He drifted into Non-League football. He was working as a labourer during his time with HFS Loans Northern Premier League club Witton Albion. Whitlow, and Albion Right Back Neil Parsley, caught the eye of Sheffield Wednesday boss Howard Wilkinson in 1988-89. Both players looked set to join the Owls, when Wilkinson succeeded Billy Bremner at Leeds. Wednesday did not follow up their interest but Wilkinson was quick to pay £30,000 to bring both players to Elland Road in November 1988. Seventeen days after his debut in the Simod Cup, Whitlow played his first game in the Football League, in midfield after just half a reserve game in that position. He made good progress in 1989-90 and was tipped for England Under-Twenty-one honours. He did not quite maintain that kind of progress, however, due mainly to the arrival of Tony Dorigo and was transferred to Leicester City in March 1992 for £250,000 just a couple of weeks after Simon Grayson had joined the Foxes. He arrived at Filbert Street in time to appear in the First Division play-offs, when Leicester were edged out by Blackburn Rovers, suffering the same fate the following year against Swindon Town, but was a Wembley winner against Derby County in 1994. After a season of EPL football he made his fourth Play-off Final appearance in five years against Crystal Palace in 1996. He scored eight goals in one hundred and forty-one League starts and six more from the bench while scoring once in thirty-three games in the Cups and Play-offs at Filbert Street. He left the Foxes to rejoin his first club, Bolton Wanderers, in September 1997 at a cost of £500,000. He did give good value for money though, scoring twice in one hundred and twenty-four League starts and another eight from the bench as well as playing thirty-one games in Cup competitions, including six as a substitute. He left the Reebok in July 2003 on a free transfer and joined Sheffield United, where he scored once in thirteen starts and four from the bench in League matches and two starts and one game from the bench in the Cup competitions. He joined Notts County again on a free in July 2004 and continued to give good service even though he was by then in his late thirties. He became player-coach and, while still registered, but did not play after March 2005 and to that point had started twenty-two League games and had come off the bench twice as well as making another six starts in the Cups at Meadow Lane. He coached Notts County from August 2005 until May 2007. After leaving Notts County he worked with Derby County in their Youth Academy. He was appointed head of Youth Development with Mansfield Town in May 2009.