Daniel Phillip Whitaker (born 14 November 1980) is an English former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and

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who is a coach at club

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

. A former

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

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player, Whitaker turned professional with Macclesfield Town in 2001. He spent five years with the club and made over 200 appearances in all competitions before he switched to Port Vale in June 2006. He played over 100 games for the Vale in two seasons before he signed for

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

in June 2008. Again a first-team regular, he left after two seasons to join Chesterfield in May 2010. He helped the club to the League Two title in 2010–11 and also won himself a place on the division's

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...

. He also helped the club to the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

title in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. He returned to Macclesfield Town in August 2013. He played in the club's defeat at the 2017 FA Trophy final before helping the club to win

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

back to the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

as champions of the

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. He was appointed the club's caretaker manager in November 2018 before retiring in July 2019. He again became

caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...

at Macclesfield in August 2019 and January 2020 before being appointed the first manager in October 2020. Whitaker led phoenix club

to the North West Counties Premier Division title at the end of the 2021–22 season before losing his job in October 2022. He took charge at

Bradford (Park Avenue) Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club, sometimes abbreviated as BPA AFC, is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in , at the eighth tier of the English football league ...

in December 2023, lasting nine months in the role.

Playing career

Macclesfield Town

Whitaker was a Manchester United junior, and spent time at both

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

and local side Wilmslow Albion before signing with Macclesfield Town. He scored on his

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

debut; during a 2–1 home defeat to

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

on 2 February 2002. He went on to make another 15 Third Division appearances that season, earning a fresh

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

upon the season's end. A regular in the 2002–03 season, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in the League Cup 4–1 triumph over

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

on 11 September. In the most unusual fashion, all three goals came in the second period of

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

. With ten goals before the winter break, he was linked to both

and

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

. However,

David Moss was highly dismissive of such speculation, saying: "Quite frankly, I am sick and tired of reading about players who have just signed two-year contracts but want to get away. Danny Whitaker will be going nowhere except Macclesfield reserves if he doesn't improve." The club insisted that Whitaker was too valuable a player to let go. This transfer talk came despite him having recently signed a contract to keep him with the "Silkmen" until June 2005. Rated as a star player before the start of the 2003–04 season, he had a rather quiet season with just six goals, going 22 games without a goal from November to the season's finish. He scored just four goals in the 2004–05 season, though manager

Brian Horton Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this, he spent four ...

was still keen to hold on to him, despite nine others being deemed unworthy of a new deal. Six goals in 45 appearances followed in 2005–06. However, despite having been established in the heart of the Macclesfield midfield for the past four years and winning the club's Player of the Year award, he was released at the end of the season.

Port Vale

Now a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, Whitaker moved up to League One with Port Vale in June 2006. He played 51 games in his first season at

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...

. At the end of the 2007–08 season, where Whitaker again played 40+ games, he was offered a new contract with three other players. But in May he rejected the contract and was told he could look for another club. However, Lee Sinnott told Whitaker that he would get back to him with a better offer if chairman Bill Bratt could raise some more money, the wage bill having been cut due to

relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

. In June, he was offered an improved deal. Whilst mulling over the offer he was given a deadline. On 20 June 2008, he turned down the chance to stay at Vale, and instead opted to join

, still in League One.

Oldham Athletic

Whitaker scored eight goals in 42 appearances for the "Latics" during the 2008–09 season. He was released at the end of the 2009–10 season despite missing only a handful of games during his spell at the club.

Chesterfield

Whitaker was signed by Chesterfield in May 2010, linking up with his old boss John Sheridan. He started the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

campaign with three goals in as many league games, having bagged a hat-trick against

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

. Playing in all of the club's league games, scoring 15 goals, Chesterfield won promotion as champions of League Two. He was also named in the

, along with teammates Craig Davies and

Tommy Lee Thomas Lee (born Thomas Lee Bass; October 3, 1962) is an American musician who co-founded and plays drums for the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He also founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem and has pursued solo musical projects. Early ...

. The following season, 2011–12, the "Spireites" struggled at the bottom of League One, and Whittaker lost his first-team place in the new year. He was an unused substitute as Chesterfield beat

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

in the final of the

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. The club offered him a new one-year contract in May 2012. He made 34 appearances in the 2012–13 campaign and was not offered a new contract by manager

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and a founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is nicknamed "Cookie" by friends in the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was ...

Return to Macclesfield

Whitaker re-signed with

Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...

club Macclesfield Town in August 2013. He made 49 appearances for

John Askey John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Truro City. Able to play as a winger or as a striker, Askey had pace and intelligence. A former youth team play ...

's "Silkmen" across the 2013–14 campaign. He agreed to a new one-year deal in July 2014. He scored six goals in 30 games in the 2014–15 season. He scored eight goals in 50 appearances in the 2015–16 campaign as Macclesfield finished in tenth position and signed a new one-year contract in July 2016. He made 55 appearances across the 2016–17 campaign, including in the 2017 FA Trophy final at

, where Macclesfield were beaten 3–2 by

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...

. He scored eight goals in 45 appearances in 2017–18 as Macclesfield won promotion back to the Football League as champions of the National League. On 8 October 2018, Whitaker and Neil Howarth were appointed as Macclesfield Town's joint-

s following the dismissal of Mark Yates. They remained in charge until

Sol Campbell Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player. Widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, he spent 20 years playing in the Premier League and had a ...

was appointed as manager on 27 November. He scored three goals in 26 games as Macclesfield secured their safety at the end of the 2018–19 season. He announced his retirement in July 2019. He again was appointed as Macclesfield Town's caretaker-manager following the resignation of

on 15 August 2019. He won his one game in charge, before returning to his coaching duties once Daryl McMahon was appointed as manager four days later. McMahon resigned on 3 January 2020, leaving Whitaker to once again step in as caretaker manager. He remained in the role for 13 days until the appointment of Mark Kennedy. He stayed on in the role of assistant manager under first Kennedy and then Tim Flowers. He came out of retirement to sign a one-year playing contract with Macclesfield on 15 September 2020, but the club was

liquidated Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as wound-up or dissolved, although di ...

a day later.

Coaching career

Macclesfield

Whitaker was appointed as the first-ever manager of Macclesfield Town's phoenix club, Macclesfield F.C., on 13 October 2020. He was also registered as a player, and played himself in the first competitive match for the new club on 31 July 2021, in a 1–0 win at home to

Burscough Burscough () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of West Lancashire, Lancashire, England. The town is located approximately north-northeast of Liverpool and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Its north ...

in the

North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...

Premier Division. Following the early suspension of the 2020–21 season, the 2021–22 season saw Macclesfield win the title having finished on 94 points, 15 clear of second placed Skelmersdale United, the title having been secured on 12 March after a 4–0 victory over Ashton Athletic. Whittaker was sacked by the club on 29 October 2022, following a sequence of three defeats in five home games and the club's elimination from the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

and FA Trophy.

Bradford (Park Avenue)

On 20 December 2023, Whitaker was appointed head coach of

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

Premier Division club

. The club were relegated at the end of the 2023–24 season. He was sacked on 26 August 2024.

Return to Macclesfield

In August 2024, he returned to Macclesfield as a coach in head coach's Robbie Savage backroom staff.

Career statistics

Playing statistics

Managerial statistics

Honours

As a player

Chesterfield *

Football League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...

: 2011–12 Macclesfield Town *

: 2017–18 *

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...

runner-up: 2016–17 Individual * Macclesfield Town Player of the Year: 2005–06 *

: 2010–11 League Two

As a manager

Macclesfield * North West Counties Premier Division: 2021–22

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Danny 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Wilmslow Footballers from Cheshire English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Manchester United F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Macclesfield F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players North West Counties Football League players English football managers Macclesfield Town F.C. managers Macclesfield F.C. managers Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. managers English Football League managers Northern Premier League managers English football coaches 21st-century English sportsmen