Simon Whaley

Career

Whaley was born in Bolton and began his football career as a trainee with Bury. His trainer Paul Fortune always encouraged that one day he'd become a premier league player, and still believes it to this day. Fortune always honoured his trainee and on his 18th Birthday he received a full PNE football kit with Whaleys name and number on the back. He made his first-team debut in the Football League Trophy in October 2002 and made his first appearance in the Football League on 9 November 2002 as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 defeat at home to Torquay United, and went on to make 85 appearances for the club. After scoring seven goals in the first half of the 2005–06 season, bringing his career total to 11, Whaley stepped up two divisions to join Preston North End of the Championship in January 2006. He signed a four-and-a-half-year deal for a fee of £250,000 possibly rising to £300,000. He made his debut for Preston as a second-half substitute for Brian Stock in the League match against Millwall on 14 January, and went on to make a further 17 appearances that season, scoring three times in the last three away matches of the League season, against Leicester City, Coventry City and Hull City, as North End reached the play-offs.

He scored three goals in his first six games of the 2006–07 season, grabbing all the headlines from his former Bury teammate David Nugent, and went on to bag a further three before the end of October. He failed to add to his tally until the final game of the season, when he scored the only goal in the 1–0 win over Birmingham City, which was not enough to secure a play-off place.

Whaley joined Barnsley on loan for a month in November 2008, having fallen out of favour with Preston manager Alan Irvine, but he returned determined to fight for his place. However, his next start for Preston did not come until March 2009, and in July 2009 Whaley signed a two-year contract with Norwich City for an undisclosed fee, later reported as £250,000.

Whaley started Norwich's first four games, but then lost his place under new manager Paul Lambert, and in mid-September he joined Rochdale on a month's loan. He made his debut against Northampton Town as a 62nd-minute substitute, and on his first start for the club, scored their second goal in a 4–1 victory over Hereford United. After a second month with Rochdale, Whaley moved on to Bradford City, on loan until 2 January 2010, making his debut on 21 November as a second-half substitute, replacing Scott Neilson in a 1–1 draw with AFC Bournemouth. Bradford City chose not to extend Whaley's loan, and on 1 February his Norwich contract was cancelled by mutual consent, leaving him a free agent.

After a trial with Oldham Athletic, Whaley signed for League Two club Chesterfield until the end of the season.

In November 2010, he started training with Doncaster Rovers to regain his fitness, and due to an injury crisis, he was signed by the Championship club on non-contract terms so that he could take his place on the bench for an away game at Portsmouth, which Doncaster won 3–2. He was an unused substitute in this game having played no competitive football since March, and subsequently left the club on 12 January 2011.

From 9 February 2011, Whaley went on a second trial at promotion chasing Oldham Athletic but was not successful during the trial.

On the 4th of March Whaley signed for Burton Albion on a short term contract, and made his debut the following day in the 4-1 defeat at Crewe Alexandra. He left the club in late March after 3 appearances for the Brewers. Whaley joined Northern Premier League side Chorley in August 2011, later opting to retire from playing in December 2011, due to a recurring knee injury and now intends to move into coaching.