Dane Lee Whitehouse (born 14 October 1970) is an English former
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 in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for
Sheffield United.
Whitehouse was an accomplished
left winger, who was equally comfortable filling in at
left 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 ...
. He served his only club, Sheffield United, for 13 years between 1987 and 2000, making 278 appearances and scoring 51 goals in all competitions.
Club career
Whitehouse signed professionally for
Sheffield United in July 1987 and made his first team debut against
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
in 1988, aged just 18. He made a good early impression, but was in and out of the team for most of his early professional career. He played a part in the Blades' promotion from the old
Third Division
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
in 1988, and again in the next season when United were promoted to the top flight. He began to establish himself as a first-team regular during the 1991–92 season. His goals included a double against
Chelsea in a 2–1 win, and he also chipped in with three
FA Cup goals.
In the first
Steel City derby of the 1991–92 campaign, Whitehouse scored against local rivals
Sheffield Wednesday in a 2–0 win at
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 ...
. In the return fixture at
Hillsborough
Hillsborough may refer to:
Australia
*Hillsborough, New South Wales, a suburb of Lake Macquarie
Canada
*Hillsborough, New Brunswick
*Hillsborough Parish, New Brunswick
* Hillsborough, Nova Scotia, in Inverness County
*Hillsborough (electoral d ...
, he was once again on target, scoring the first goal.
After a game against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, Whitehouse broke his leg and missed a large proportion of the 1992–93 season. Despite the seriousness of the injury, he returned to play a part towards the end of the campaign. He starred in the closing stages of the Blades' run to the
FA Cup semi-final
The FA Cup semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.
Location
The semi-finals have always been contested at neutr ...
, making an appearance at
Wembley Stadium in the defeat to
Sheffield Wednesday. He was also on the scoresheet twice in the final game of the season, when United hammered
Chelsea 4–2.
Despite an opening day win over
Swindon Town the next season, United were again struggling to keep their
Premier League status intact. In a 3–2 home win over
West Ham United, Whitehouse smashed the ball into the top corner from nearly 30 yards for what was one of the goals of the season. Despite Whitehouse's goals, United were relegated on the final game of the season, losing 3–2 away at Chelsea.
Whitehouse was again in good scoring form at the start of the 1994–95 season. He eventually finished with 10 goals in all competitions, which included a hat-trick in the
League Cup against
Stockport County, but the Blades failed to win promotion.
After a disappointing 1995–96 season United parted with longtime manager
Dave Bassett.
Howard Kendall took charge and, despite a clear out of players, Whitehouse was still a first-team regular in the new regime. He finished with six goals in the 1995–96 season, which included a goal against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at
Highbury in the
FA Cup. During the 1997–98 campaign, Whitehouse was a regular up to November. In a game against
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
he was crudely tackled by
Gareth Ainsworth, and Whitehouse suffered a serious knee injury. Despite an attempt to get back to fitness, which included a few outings for the reserves, Whitehouse was forced to retire.
Career statistics
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehouse, Dane
1970 births
Living people
Sheffield United F.C. players
Footballers from Sheffield
English men's footballers
Men's association football fullbacks
Men's association football wingers
Premier League players