Dean Whitehead (born 12 January 1982) is an English former professional
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, rugb ...
and coach. A
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
who occasionally played at right-back, he made 622 league and cup appearances in a 19-year playing career, scoring 29 goals.
Whitehead joined his local non-League club
Abingdon Town before he signed for
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, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
club
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
in 1999. He played for Oxford in the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
until their relegation into the
Third Division in 2001. He was signed by
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
in 2004. He won promotion in his first season with Sunderland, although they were relegated from the Premier League after one season. He was made captain by
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came durin ...
as Sunderland claimed an instant return to the top flight. After two more seasons in the north-east, Whitehead signed for
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
in 2009. He helped Stoke reach the
2011 FA Cup Final
The 2011 FA Cup Final was the 130th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic football cup competition. The final took place on 14 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London in front of 88,643 spectators and a British television audience of m ...
, where the team finished runners-up to
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. After spending four seasons with Stoke, Whitehead signed for
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the ...
in 2013. He moved to
Huddersfield Town two years later, helping them to promotion from the Championship in 2017 before retiring in 2018.
Playing career
Oxford United
Born in
Abingdon, Oxfordshire,
Whitehead started his career with
Abingdon Town's youth team, before joining the youth scheme of his local professional
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, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
club,
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
as an apprentice.
He progressed through the ranks, making his first-team debut in a 2–0 win over
Luton Town in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL ...
on 7 December 1999.
This turned out to be Whitehead's only appearance of the 1999–00 season, as he spent the rest of the season on the substitute bench. At the end of the 1999–00 season, he signed a contract with the club.
In the
2000–01 season, Whitehead soon received a handful of first-team appearances for the club by manager
Denis Smith. Although he received his first-team opportunities, he found himself in a competition with
Matt Murphy and other midfielders for the central role. Despite being sidelined on two occasions, due to suspensions, Whitehead played in 23 matches in 2000–01 season,
as Oxford suffered relegation to the Third Division. At the end of the 2000–01 season, he signed a long–term contract with the club.
In the 2001–02 season, Whitehead scored his first goal in the Football League against
Rushden & Diamonds on 31 August 2001. He was soon a first-team regular in
2001–02 season, establishing himself in the midfield position. However, halfway through the season, Whitehead, along with
Chris Hackett were subjected to criticism by manager
Ian Atkins for unprofessionalism over refusing to do the club's fitness programme, which were denied by the pair, who stated the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Towards the end of the 2001–02 season, he began playing in a central midfield role. Despite missing out three matches, he played in 43 fixtures
as Oxford United had a poor season, finishing in 21st position.
Whitehead began the 2002–03 season as a first team regular in good form. At the beginning of November, Whitehead's performances against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Bor ...
were praised by Atkins. He continued with his impressive displays to the end of the year. Whitehead later scored his first goal of the season on 26 December, in a 3–0 win over
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a r ...
. However he found his first-team chances limited between January and March. As a result, he was restricted to 22 appearances in
2002–03 as Oxford missed out on a play-off place by a single point.
In
2003–04 season, Whitehead reclaimed his place in the team following the departure of
Dave Savage
David Savage (born 30 July 1973) is an Irish former professional footballer who last played for Southern League Premier Division side Oxford City as a midfielder. Savage left Oxford United after being their Player of the Year to reunite with ...
. It wasn't until on 27 September 2003 when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
. He was praised for his performances in his run of first-team football. Whitehead scored his first brace of the season on 18 October, in a 4–0 win over
Bury. He also scored a free kick on 1 November, helping his team to make a 3–1 comeback win over
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underw ...
. As a result, he was offered a two–year contract by the club, which would keep him at the
Kassam Stadium until 2006. On 21 February 2004, he scored against Bury for the second time that season, in a 1–1 draw. In a 2–1 loss against
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and ...
on 1 May, Whitehead captained the side for the first time, in the absence of
Andy Crosby. By the end of the 2003–04 season, he made 47 appearances and scoring seven goals.
Whitehead was named the club's Player of the Season.
After playing for the club for five seasons, his contract expired and he turned down the offer of a new one from the club.
Manager
Graham Rix revealed that Whitehead would have been appointed as Crosby's successor as captain if he signed a new contract with the club.
Sunderland
In June 2004, Whitehead signed for
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
on a free transfer. Upon signing a three–year contract with the club, he revealed that his ambition and desire to play at a higher level was the reason for him joining Sunderland. Sunderland were ordered to pay £150,000 to Oxford at an FA tribunal, to compensate for the time and money put into his development. Oxford would also receive 25% of any fee should Sunderland sell Whitehead.
Whitehead made his Sunderland debut, coming on as a late substitute for
Ben Clark, in a 2–0 loss against
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
in the opening game of the season. He quickly became a key member of the team, playing regularly despite facing competition from other midfielders. His run in the first-team saw him praised by manager
Mick McCarthy. It wasn't until 25 October when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–0 win over
Rotherham United. He then scored his second goal of the season on 11 December, in a 2–0 win over
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
. Whitehead scored three more goals later in the season in games that ended up as Sunderland victories. Following his good performance at Sunderland halfway through the season, he was given a new three-year contract during
2004–05. Despite missing out three matches during the season, as he went on to make forty–three appearances and scoring five times in all competitions. He helped Sunderland to win the Championship in 2004–05, and was chosen as Players' Player of the Year by his teammates at the end of the season.
In the
2005–06, Whitehead continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, with the club playing in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. Despite the club's struggles in the Premier League at the start of the season, he made a positive impact for the side. His performances earned him comparison to Manchester United's
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came durin ...
. It wasn't until 29 October when he scored his first Premier League goal, in a 4–1 loss against
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most d ...
. Three weeks later, on 19 November, Whitehead scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
. By November, he began playing in the right-wing position, a more unfamiliar role. On 26 November, Whitehead signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the
Stadium of Light until 2010. He scored a swerving 30-yard free kick past then-
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 ...
goalkeeper
Paul Robinson in a 3–2 defeat against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
at
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition. ...
on 3 December. Sunderland were eventually relegated to the Championship for the
2006–07 season. Despite missing out one match during the 2005–06 season, Whitehead went on to make thirty–eight appearances and scored three goals in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2006–07 season,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...
had a bid of £1.2 million for Whitehead rejected in July 2006. The following month, Whitehead and teammate
Liam Lawrence
Liam Lawrence (born 14 December 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger or central midfielder.
Lawrence started his career at his local club Mansfield Town, after impressing at the Field Mill he signed for Sunderland ...
both signed new contracts. He continued to establish himself in the first-team, under the management of newly appointed manager Roy Keane. Whitehead then scored his first goal of the season against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, in a 2–0 win during which he was named as man of the match. Then, on 21 October, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...
. During the 2006–07 season, Whitehead resigned the captaincy to concentrate on his football but he deputised for the frequently injured
Steven Caldwell
Steven Caldwell (born 12 September 1980) is a Scottish former footballer, coach, and executive. Playing as a defender, mostly as a centre back, Caldwell won 12 caps for the Scotland national team and has played over 300 league matches in hi ...
and was reappointed as captain on a permanent basis after Caldwell was sold to
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...
. At one point during the 2006–07 season, Whitehead played in a right–back position following the absence of
Nyron Nosworthy. The following month, he reverted to his central midfield position. Towards the end of the season, Whitehead scored two more goals. Sunderland finished first in the Championship in 2006–07, thus making an instant return to the Premier League. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Whitehead was included in the
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 English football; the Premi ...
.
He also came second in the club's Player of the Year vote. Despite being sidelined during the 2006–07 season, Whitehead went on to make forty–seven appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
In the 2007–08 season, Whitehead played in the right–back position against Tottenham Hotspur in the opening game of the season before sustaining a cruciate knee ligament injury in a match against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
in August, which ruled him out for six months. He made his comeback from injury in early–November 2007 and made his first-team return on 24 November, playing every minute of a 7–1 loss against
Everton. Since returning from injury, he regained his first-team place for Sunderland. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
on 14 April. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Whitehead helped Sunderland to successfully avoid relegation by three points. Despite being sidelined during the season, Whitehead went on to make twenty–eight appearances and scoring once in all competitions. During parts of the season, Whitehead found himself playing at right-back, although this ended when Whitehead moved back into central midfield.
Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Whitehead was linked a move away from Sunderland, as newly promoted Premier League side
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
made a £3 million bid on him. In response, he stated that he wanted to stay at Sunderland. At the start of the season, Whitehead continued to remain in the starting line-up for the side. After a 4–1 loss against
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...
on 29 November, he was heavily booed by the club's supporters for the performance throughout the match, in what transpired to be Keane's last match as Sunderland manager. Whitehead continued to be linked away from Sunderland throughout the January transfer window. Despite missing out four matches during the season, Whitehead helped the side avoid relegation once again after losing 3–2 to
Chelsea in the last game of the season as defeats for Newcastle and Middlesbrough meant Sunderland were safe. By the end of the 2008–09 season, Whitehead went on to make thirty–eight appearances in all competitions. He left Sunderland in August 2009 after making 200 appearances for the club.
Stoke City
Whitehead signed a four-year contract with Premier League club
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
on 24 July 2009 for an initial £3 million fee, rising to £5 million with add-ons.
He stated that Stoke's team spirit was the main reason for his move to the club. He made his debut on 15 August 2009 in a 2–0 win over
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...
.
Whitehead made a slow start to his Stoke career with a number of anonymous performances. However, following a 0–0 draw with
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
, he earned praise from manager
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him on ...
. Whitehead scored his first goal for Stoke when he converted winger
Matthew Etherington's cross in the 86th-minute in a 3–1
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
fourth-round win over
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 mostl ...
at the
Britannia Stadium
The Bet365 Stadium (stylised as ''bet365 Stadium'') is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England and the home of EFL Championship club Stoke City. The stadium was previously called the Britannia Stadium but was ...
on 24 January 2010. Whitehead was sent off against Tottenham Hotspur in March 2010 in a decision which drew referee
Mike Dean heavy criticism from Tony Pulis and Matthew Etherington.
His first Premier League goal for Stoke came against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
on 9 November 2010, with Whitehead scoring the winning goal in a 3–2 victory. He scored his second league goal for Stoke away to
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
on 4 January 2011, becoming the first Stoke player to score at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembl ...
since 1980. Towards the end of
2010–11, Whitehead lost his place in the starting eleven to a resurging
Glenn Whelan
Glenn David Whelan (born 13 January 1984) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bristol Rovers. He has represented the
Republic of Ireland national football team.
Whelan started his career at Manchester Ci ...
, making a number of cameo appearances from the bench. One of these came at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
in the
2011 FA Cup Final
The 2011 FA Cup Final was the 130th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic football cup competition. The final took place on 14 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London in front of 88,643 spectators and a British television audience of m ...
defeat to
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
.
Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Whitehead said that he was expecting to face new competition in the club's midfield section. He then made his 100th appearance for Stoke on 3 November 2011 in a
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
match against
Maccabi Tel Aviv, scoring the first goal in a 2–1 victory. He played in 10 of Stoke's 12 European fixtures in
2011–12, and ended the season having played in 47 matches in total.
He made a bad start to
2012–13, as on the opening day of the season away to Reading he conceded a 90th-minute penalty and was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. He remained back-up to Glenn Whelan for the remainder of the season, being used mainly as a substitute, although he was assigned as a stand-in right back in the absence of
Andy Wilkinson and
Ryan Shotton. He was released by Stoke at the end of
2012–13.
Middlesbrough
Whitehead signed a two-year contract with Championship club
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the ...
on 2 July 2013. Manager
Tony Mowbray
Anthony Mark Mowbray (born 22 November 1963) is an English former professional footballer who is currently the manager of Sunderland. Mowbray played for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich Town as a defender.
He began his coaching career with Ip ...
revealed that Whitehead's experience of gaining promotion from the Championship twice was the key reason in signing him. Upon joining the club, he was given a number eighteen shirt ahead of a new season. He made his Middlesbrough debut in a 2–1 loss against
Leicester City in the opening game of the season. Since joining the club, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven in the midfield position. Despite being in the first-team, Whitehead faced strong competition from other midfielders at the
Riverside Stadium
The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since it opened in 1995. Its current capacity is 34,742, all seated, although there is provisional planning permission in place t ...
. After missing four matches between late–October and late–November, he returned as a late substitute on 30 November 2013, in a 1–0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Whitehead scored his first and what turned out to be only goal for the club in a 2–1 loss away to
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
on 4 December. Two weeks later, on 21 December, he captained Middlesbrough for the first time, in a 2–0 win over
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
. Later in the 2013–14 season, Whitehead was suspended on three occasions, including being sent–off for dissent, in a 1–0 loss against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
on 1 March. Despite this, he remained in the first-team, where he captained the side four more times later in the season. Whitehead played 38 times and scored one goal in the
2013–14 season,
as Middlesbrough finished in 12th-position.
In the
2014–15 season, Whitehead continued to feature in the first-team at the start of the season, mostly coming on as a substitute. This was due to added competition for the defensive midfield position with
Richard Smallwood,
Grant Leadbitter
Grant Leadbitter (born 7 January 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made more than 500 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, which included 212 for Middlesbrough, 180 for Sunder ...
and
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...
. However, in a 4–0 win over
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 wh ...
on 20 September, he was sent–off "for an over the top tackle", leading the referee giving him a straight red card. After serving a three match suspension, he returned to the first-team from suspension, coming on as a late substitute, in a 2–0 win over
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...
on 2 October. Whitehead captained the side for the first time in the league, in a 1–1 draw against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
on 25 October. However, throughout the 2014–15 season, Whitehead was demoted to the substitute bench. But he did provide cover, playing twice at right–back and six times in central midfield. He also captained the side once again this season against Sheffield Wednesday on 28 February, which ended in a 2–0 defeat. In the
Championship play-offs, Whitehead was featured three times as a right–back, including the
play-off final at Wembley, where they lost 2–0 to
Norwich City. Whitehead made twenty–five appearances in all competitions. At the end of the season, Whitehead left Middlesbrough as manager
Aitor Karanka could not guarantee him game time.
Huddersfield Town
In June 2015, Whitehead signed for Championship club
Huddersfield Town on a two-year contract. Upon joining the club, he was given a number four shirt ahead of the 2015–16 season. He made his debut in a 2–0 defeat against
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
at the
KC Stadium on 8 August.
He captained Huddersfield Town for the first time on 11 August, in a 2–1 loss against
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
. Whitehead quickly established himself in the first-team under the management of
Chris Powell
Christopher George Robin Powell (born 8 September 1969) is an English football coach and former player, who is currently head of coaching at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur's Academy and a coach for the England national team. As a left ...
. He captained the side once again following
Mark Hudson's absence for five matches between 12 September and 3 October. Whitehead's performance saw him earned BWF Player of the Month for October and November. However, he suffered a knee injury during a 2–0 win over Birmingham City on 5 December and was sidelined for two months. A month later, on 23 January, Whitehead returned to the first-team from injury, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–1 loss against
Brighton & Hove Albion. Since returning to the first-team, he regained his first-team place in the starting eleven for the rest of the season. By the end of the 2015–16 season, Whitehead went on to make thirty–six appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Whitehead turned down a move to
Rotherham United and said he would fight for his place in the first-team. He missed the first two matches of the new season after being suspended over his involvement in an incident against
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 wh ...
in the last game of the previous season. He made his first appearance of the season on 20 August, where he started the whole game of a 2–1 win over Barnsley. However, Whitehead struggled in the first-team under
David Wagner, due to strong competition from other midfielders. He captained the side for the first time this season, in a 2–1 win over Rotherham United on 27 September. Due to Hudson's absence, Whitehead often stood in as captain, though
Tommy Smith was another stand-in captain when Whitehead was not included in the starting eleven. Throughout the January transfer window, he stayed at the
Kirklees Stadium
Kirklees Stadium (currently known due to sponsorship as the John Smith's Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of football club Huddersfield Town and rugby league ...
after being linked with a move to
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
. However, in a 1–0 loss against
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home grou ...
on 1 April, he was sent–off for a second bookable offence. Whitehead later featured three times as an unused substitute in the
Championship play–offs, as he was part of the squad that saw Huddersfield side promoted to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
after beating Reading 5–4 in penalty shoot–out after a 0–0 draw in the
EFL Championship play-off final. By the end of the 2016–17 season, he went on to make twenty appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2017–18 season, Huddersfield announced that Whitehead had extended his contract with the club until the end of the 2017–18 Premier League season, with manager David Wagner stating: "Even if he plays less for us, he is still a very important part of the team and our dressing room." He was included for the 25-man squad for the Premier League. He made his first appearance of the 2017–18 season, where he started the whole game, in a 2–1 win over Rotherham United in the second round of the League Cup on 23 August. Then, on 30 September, Whitehead made his first Premier League appearance – his first in four years – as a late substitute, in a 4–0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur. However, his first-team appearances at Huddersfield Town continued to be restricted to the substitute bench for the most of the 2017–18 season. On 11 May 2018, Whitehead announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the 2017–18 season. He made his last appearance for the club (and his football career), coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 loss 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 mostl ...
in the last game of the season.
Coaching career
Following his retirement, Whitehead took up a coaching role at Huddersfield Town as part of David Wagner's first-team technical staff, having earned a UEFA A coaching license, and took charge of the Club's new Under-17 Academy age group from 1 January 2019. By October, he took charge for Huddersfield Town's Under-17s side.
On 16 November 2019, Whitehead joined
Sam Ricketts
Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professional football coach and former player.
As a player, his favoured position was at full back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of def ...
' backroom staff at
League One side
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
, replacing
Joe Parkinson as first-team coach. On 25 August 2020, Whitehead was promoted to assistant manager after the departure of Jon Pitts and
Graham Barrow
Graham Barrow (born 13 June 1954) is an English former footballer who has since become a professional manager in the English game. He is currently working for Exeter City as a Tactical Insights Coach for former Wigan Athletic manager Gary Caldw ...
. On 25 November, Whitehead and Ricketts were relieved of their duties with the club sitting 23rd in League One with just 9 points from a possible 39.
Whitehead joined the coaching staff at
League Two side
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 of ...
in July 2021 as part of
director of football
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
David Flitcroft
David John Flitcroft (born 14 January 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the director of football at club Port Vale. His older brother is the former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City player Garry ...
's summer overhaul; manager
Darrell Clarke
Darrell James Clarke (born 16 December 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player who played in the English Football League. He is the manager of club Port Vale.
A box-to-box midfielder, Clarke began his career wit ...
said that Whitehead "is definitely someone our squad can look up to". Having helped Vale to win promotion at the end of the
2021–22 season, he moved to Turkey in July 2022 to coach alongside
Adam Murray at
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
champions
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, ...
. He left the club when head coach
Valérien Ismaël
Valérien Alexandre Ismaël (born 28 September 1975) is a professional football coach and a former professional player who most recently managed Turkish club Beşiktaş.
During his playing career, Ismaël played for Racing Strasbourg, Crystal P ...
was sacked three months later. He joined
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
as a first-team coach in November 2022.
Personal life
Growing up, Whitehead was raised in a football-loving family and supported
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
.
He has a brother, Craig.
During his time at Huddersfield Town, he was known as 'Whitesey' by his teammate Tommy Smith, who gave him a nickname.
He is good friends with
Liam Lawrence
Liam Lawrence (born 14 December 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger or central midfielder.
Lawrence started his career at his local club Mansfield Town, after impressing at the Field Mill he signed for Sunderland ...
, having been teammates at Sunderland and Stoke City. During his time at Stoke City and Huddersfield Town, Whitehead resided in Cheshire with his wife, Louise, and their two sons, Olly and Harry.
Career statistics
Honours
Sunderland
*
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
:
2004–05,
2006–07
Stoke City
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
runner-up:
2010–11
Huddersfield Town
*
EFL Championship play-offs
The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...
:
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
Individual
*
Oxford United F.C. Player of the Season:
2003–04
*
Sunderland A.F.C. Player of the Year:
2005–06
*
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 English football; the Premi ...
:
2006–07 Championship
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Dean
1982 births
Living people
People from Abingdon-on-Thames
Sportspeople from Oxfordshire
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Oxford United F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
FA Cup Final players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. non-playing staff
Shrewsbury Town F.C. non-playing staff
Port Vale F.C. non-playing staff
Beşiktaş J.K. non-playing staff
Cardiff City F.C. non-playing staff