Michael Whitham (6 November 1867 – 6 May 1924) was an English international

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, who played as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. Born in Ecclesfield,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

he played for both The Wednesday and Sheffield United where he spent seven years. Whitham gained one cap for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and went on to become a trainer at a number of clubs following his retirement from playing as well as a brief spell as manager of

Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the Football League in 1893 and remained members of the Second Division until 1912, making Gainsbo ...

Playing career

Whitham started his career in and around the

area where he played semi-professionally for a number of clubs (often registered with more than one club during the same period as was allowed at the time.) After making one appearance for The Wednesday he turned fully professional and signed for Rotherham Swifts in 1889. The club were soon in financial trouble however and Whitham and two other players,

Rab Howell Rabbi "Rab" Howell (12 October 1869 – 21 July 1937) was a nineteenth-century professional footballer who played for Sheffield United and Liverpool primarily as a defender. Born in Wincobank in Sheffield, he was of Romani descent and was the f ...

and Arthur Watson were sold to newly formed Sheffield United in March 1890. After his move to

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

Whitham was virtually ever present for the next six years, being a stalwart of the side as they were promoted into the First Division in 1892.

International career

Whitham earned one cap for

in 1892, playing in a

Home Championship The British Home Championship * sco, Hame Internaitional Kemp * gd, Farpais lìg eadar-nàiseanta * cy, Pencampwriaeth y Pedair Gwlad, name=lang (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Champio ...

game against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Post playing career

After seven years and with his fitness failing Whitham left United and spent time as a trainer Rotherham Town and

where he also spent one season as manager. Two years as trainer at Huddersfield Town followed before he moved to

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

in the same position in 1914 where he stayed until his death in 1924.

Personal life

Whilst with

Whitham married his duties as a trainer with a job working for

Wilkinson Sword Wilkinson Sword is a formerly British brand for Safety razor, razors and other personal care products sold in Europe, owned by the US company Edgewell Personal Care. The company was founded as a manufacturer of guns made in Shotley Bridge in Co ...

as a grinder. He became massively overweight in later years and died in 1924 from resultant health problems.

Honours

Sheffield United *

Football League Division Two The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

**Runner-up: 1892–93

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitham, Michael 1867 births 1924 deaths Footballers from Sheffield English men's footballers England men's international footballers Men's association football defenders Ecclesfield F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Rotherham Swifts F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players English Football League players Midland Football League players Northern Football League players English football managers Gainsborough Trinity F.C. managers Brentford F.C. non-playing staff