Peter John Wilding (born 28 November 1968) is a former professional footballer for
Telford United and
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
. Originally a midfielder, Wilding became somewhat of a utility player during his time at Shrewsbury, playing in every position during his six-year stay at
Gay Meadow. He played as a goalkeeper when he deputised for the injured Paul Edwards in a match against
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
on 18 December 1998.
Playing career
Wilding spent much of his playing career in the Shrewsbury local leagues, however his good form led him to sign with then
Conference National
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 League (English football), National Le ...
side
Telford United in 1996. After one and a half seasons, Telford manager Jake King was appointed manager at neighbouring
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
, with one of King's first acts as Shrewsbury manager being to sign Wilding from Telford for £10,000 in August 1997.
Wilding was to play under two managers during his stay at Shrewsbury, Jake King, and later
Kevin Ratcliffe. Whilst not one of the big names in the Shrewsbury squad, the hometown player endeared himself to Shrewsbury fans with his dependable, workmanlike performances.
Arguably Wilding's finest season was the
2002-03 season. In the FA Cup third round, Shrewsbury famously defeated
Everton 2–1. Whilst
Nigel Jemson grabbed most of the headlines by scoring both goals, Wilding had a superb game, completely marking
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
out of the game. Sadly for Shrewsbury, their form dipped in the latter half of the season, eventually finishing bottom of the
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...
. Despite this, Wilding was seen as one of the side's best players that season, and escaped much of the intense criticism levelled at some of his 'big name' teammates.
Following relegation, Ratcliffe resigned, and Wilding was one of the few players to be offered a new contract by Ratcliffe's replacement
Jimmy Quinn. Feeling unhappy with the terms of the contract, Wilding opted to reject it, and retired from professional football. Wilding later signed for
League of Wales
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
* ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
side
Welshpool Town before retiring from football in 2004. He went on to run a lastering business in
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
- His job before turning pro, while still being the adulation of those who saw him play. as, while he may not have been the most gifted footballer, he was the "local boy, done good" who gave his all, and didn't stop trying. In June 2010, Pete re-joined the club as
Assistant Manager of the
Youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...
Team
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...
.
Scouting career
Wilding worked as U16-U23s Head of Recruitment at
Stoke City from June 2013 to August 2020.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilding, Peter
1968 births
Living people
English men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Footballers from Shrewsbury
Telford United F.C. players
Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
Welshpool Town F.C. players
English Football League players
Stoke City F.C. non-playing staff