Kenneth Wharton (born 28 November 1960) 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, rugby le ...

, who is currently the manager of Newcastle Blue Star FC.

Playing career

Wharton left school at 15 and captained Newcastle Schoolboys before joining his hometown club

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

on a part-time basis in 1978, turning professional a year later when

Bill McGarry William Harry McGarry (10 June 1927 – 15 March 2005) was an England international association footballer and manager who spent 40 years in the professional game. He had a reputation for toughness, both as a player and as a manager. A right- ...

was in charge. Wharton went on to make 290 league appearances—335 in all competitions—and also scored 26 goals. On 2 April 1988, Wharton sat on the ball in a 4–0 victory over

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

. He was joined in the show boating by

Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...

, who did some kick ups, and others such a Gary Kelly, Glen Roeder,

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

and

Brian Tinnion Brian Tinnion (born 23 February 1968) is an English former football player and manager. He made over 450 appearances for Bristol City, including a spell as player-manager where he is currently in the role of Academy Director. He started as a l ...

. This

showboating A showboat, or show boat, was a floating theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, to bring culture and entertainment to the inhabitants of river frontiers. Showboats were a ...

was in turn justified by Wharton and his teammates as a response to what Luton had done to Newcastle earlier in the season in Luton's victory at

Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road is an association football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The stadium has also hosted women's and youth international matches, includ ...

. In 1989, he was transferred to

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

. He also played five times for

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

before ending his playing career with

Berwick Rangers Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland. Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...

Coaching career

In 1989, a knee injury cut short his playing career and Wharton worked for a short period in the

Probation Service Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarce ...

before getting the opportunity to get back into football with

St Johnstone St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...

, working under John McClelland.

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 a ...

then offered Wharton a part-time job as coach to their first team, this later became full-time and he graduated to their under 19s, working very successfully with a number of players who later were to progress to the first team. Wharton returned to Newcastle in 1999 and worked in tandem with former academy director Alan Irvine. In 2002, Wharton was promoted from assistant academy director to academy director, taking over from Alan Irvine who left to join Everton as assistant manager to

David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...

. In October 2004, following restructuring of the academy personnel, John Carver took over as academy director and Wharton assumed the role of academy coach. During the 2003–04 season, Wharton also joined the reserve team coaching staff. In May 2010 Wharton was released from Newcastle Utd under allegations of bullying. In October 2010 Wharton was named Director of Coaching at Halifax City S.C. in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. Wharton currently coaches at

Newcastle Blue Star Newcastle Blue Star F.C. is a football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was established in 1930 and joined the Wearside League in 1973. In 1978, it won the FA Vase. Having won promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Divi ...

and is the first team manager.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wharton, Kenny 1960 births Living people Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne English footballers Association football midfielders Association football fullbacks Newcastle United F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Berwick Rangers F.C. players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Newcastle United F.C. non-playing staff