"I'd like to extend my condolences to Amanda and the Whittingham family. CCTV captured Whittingham engaging in "horseplay" with the pair in a corridor, before he appeared to lose his balance and walked through a fire door off-camera and fell down eight steps and hit . Whittingham, 35, suffered a traumatic head injury at the Park Hotel pub in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, on 7 March 2020, and died in hospital 11 days later after failing to regain consciousness. "Whitts as a human first and foremost was generous, was never too high, was never too low; loved football, enjoyed the game, loved everything about it and was a loving husband and dad. On 26 August, Whittingham signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until at least the summer of 2014. The head injury he was suffered came as a result of a fall in a pub in Barry. [28], Whittingham began the 200708 season on the bench. [44] After scoring eight penalties in the previous campaign, Whittingham saw his first two penalties saved in this campaign, causing Jones to announce that Whittingham had been taken off penalty duty. Managers came and went first Jones then Malky Mackay, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Russell Slade, and Paul Trollope but Whittingham remained a constant, driving the team forward from midfield. Peter Whittingham: the death of former Aston Villa star was accidental It's tragic. But alongside brother James, who is two years older than him, the pair started out in Coventrys youth system. Afterward, he moved to South Wales where he has been living with his wife and son. The more difficult bit to write is how it all ended, so quickly but also painfully drawn out in the end. Amanda was pregnant with their second child when Whittingham tragically died in March 2020 after falling down a flight of stairs at a pub in Barry following a day out with friends. [16] After the match, O'Leary commented "Ive had a good feeling about Peter". Ryan Taylor, who was out drinking with Mr Williams and Mr Whittingham at the time said: "I dont know if there was some sort of horse play but the next thing I remember was that he fell but I don't know how he got there or how he had fallen. Coasting through his latter years and picking up his paycheck was not for him. It was his glowing reference that convinced Peter Ridsdale to sign off the 350,000 transfer to Cardiff in 2007 when Dave Jones was in charge. "We love you Pete and your memory will eternally stay with us.". Slade, his final manager at Cardiff, recalls an afternoon when they met for a chat to discuss the future after Whittingham had retired. During his time at that club they won the Championship in 2013, and reached the 2008 FA Cup Final and 2012 League Cup Final. THE football world has been left stunned by the passing of Peter Whittingham. Nicholas Davison, a friend of Whittingham and his brother-in-law Robert Williams, said the group drank "between six and 10 pints" and had a "round of shots" at . For me he would be up there with the best Cardiff City player. Previously he spent over a decade at the Birmingham Mail covering West Midlands football. [41] On 24 April, he scored a free-kick during a 32 win over Sheffield Wednesday,[42] and the following day was named in the 200910 PFA Team of the Year for the Championship. 11:49 AM EDT, Fri March 20, 2020, Former Premier League footballer dead at 35. [57], During the close season, more speculation about Whittingham's future in the Welsh capital arose, this time from Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. As he grew in confidence, so did his stature in the team. That Whittingham made it as a footballer was a surprise given rugby was the main sport at his secondary school. He recalls the early days when Whittingham was taking the first steps in his successful career. There was no shortage of interest from other clubs and it can be revealed that on two occasions he came very close to leaving Cardiff but was held back by the love he had for the club. Rest in Peace Peter Whittingham Didnt know him personally but have the biggest respect for his footballing ability and that wand of a left foot which scored so many free kicks which I absolutely loved watching. There was no stage too big for Whitts because he didnt take life too seriously but I think thats how he was so good, because everything he did was so relaxed., Danny Gabbidon, who worked as a player-coach at Cardiff in 2014-15, added: Technically one of the best players Ive seen. The difference was phenomenal. During Whittingham's 10 years with the club, the Bluebirds reached the 2008 FA Cup final, 2012 League Cup final and won promotion to the Premier League in 2013. Coroner Graeme Hughes said Whittingham had consumed a quantity of alcohol that has likely impacted on his demeanour and steadiness before he fell. The former Cardiff City midfielder Peter Whittingham died after falling down stairs at a pub following a drunken play fight with friends, an inquest has been told. An inquest heard former Cardiff City footballer Peter Whittingham died in a tragic accident after falling on some stairs leading to a beer garden. It is with this in mind that a memorial match has been set up between Cardiff City and Aston Villa, his first professional club, at the Cardiff City Stadium on November 30. All rights reserved. Coroner Graeme Hughes, who recorded a conclusion of accidental death, said Mr Whittingham had "consumed a quantity of alcohol that has likely impacted on his demeanour and steadiness" before he fell. Based on evidence obtained via CCTV footage, the late footballer who died at the age of 35, was seen engaging in horseplay with his friend and in-law. He made 16 appearances for Englands Under-21 team in that time, scoring three goals, while featuring in Villas Premier League side. Graham Taylor said that Peter was probably the most outstanding talent Aston Villa had got, Ridsdale said. He spent a decade with the Bluebirds, becoming a fan favourite during his 459 appearances. [6] His mother worked as a teacher. Seeing their son in the headlines at such a difficult time was hard. [40] Whittingham earned the October Player of the Month award on 14 November 2009. "The news of Peter's sudden and untimely passing has shaken us to our very foundation. I just know he had hit his head on the small step on the stairs. [51] Whittingham played a big role in Cardiff's centre midfield, producing many impressive performances and scoring several fine goals, including direct freekicks against Peterborough and Crystal Palace as well as a sublime chip from 35 yards away to Reading. We had a good relationship on the pitch, it was a nice understanding. But it is with Cardiff that the stylish left-footed playmaker will be forever most closely associated. [70], In July 2022, two years after Whittingham's death, Cardiff retired the number 7 shirt as a tribute. He was a real student of the game and I used to say to him that he should write a book about tactics, formations and ways to beat opposition teams, James says. One of the best left-sided players Ive ever seen.. It helped us all become better players and stronger people. Everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Thoughts are with his family and friends pic.twitter.com/VnbPieSlrX. When Mackay, the Cardiff manager at the time, reminded Whittingham of his importance in the team, he agreed to stay and help Cardiff fight for their own promotion a year later. [65], Cardiff rejected two bids from unnamed clubs for Whittingham in the summer of 2015 and he was described as the club's kingpin, by manager Russell Slade. [18], The following season, Whittingham began the campaign as a regular substitute and scored his only league goal for Villa on 6 November 2004, opening a 30 win over Portsmouth at Villa Park. Nevertheless, he was named Villa's young player of the season for the campaign. Gregg Evans is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering Aston Villa FC. The death of former Aston Villa and Cardiff City star, Peter Whittingham was subjected to a coroner inquest recently and the argument was that the death of the former England under-21 star was an accident.. On 7 March 2020, Peter Whittingham joined his in-law Robert Williams and his friend Ryan Taylor at a Pub in South Wales to watch Wales v England in the Six Nations. Mr Davison said: "All of us were pretty drunk at that point.". Breaking through at Villa was far from straightforward though. He died at . [53] Following a goal scoring drought, Whittingham scored a penalty against Leicester in February and then scored straight from a corner against Peterborough. Is climate change killing Australian wine? That run saw him score in matches against Chasetown, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesbrough, before Cardiff eventually lost 10 to Portsmouth in the final. An inquest has today heard that Cardiff City legend Peter Whittingham died last year after suffering a tragic accident while out drinking with friends at a pub. "I walked over to him to offer my hand, thinking he would just take it and I would help him back up to his feet. [72] Warnock praised him for his loyalty to the club,[73] and had offered Whittingham a one-year contract extension but made it clear that he would feature less often than he had done before. Former Cardiff City midfielder Peter Whittingham has died aged 35. Old-vs-young games became legendary for Whittingham totally running the show. The former Cardiff City midfielder Peter Whittingham died after falling down stairs at a pub following a drunken "play fight" with friends, an inquest has been told. His goals, so many from outside the box, curling into the top corner, struck with venom, often on the volley and perfectly placed, made him a hero. [64] Despite a disappointing campaign for the Bluebirds, who finished in 11th, their lowest finish in 8 years, Whittingham was selected in The Football Manager Team of the Decade at the Football League Awards, on 19 April. The ex-Aston Villa player had . Peter Whittingham death: Tributes paid to Cardiff City legend who died Im still shaken up by what happened to him. He reportedly got to the Pub in the afternoon and drank alcohol until the evening of that day. Whittingham, 35, suffered . South Wales Police says it will give any information about Whittingham's death to the coroner having found "no evidence of a criminal act", adding "it appears the injury was caused by an accidental fall". In his 10 years at the club, Whittingham became a firm fan favorite, making 456 appearances and scored 96 goals including 25 goals in one season from midfield. He always appeared far too good for the Championship. Graduate of The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and retired Captain of the Whittingham was a huge fans' favourite at Cardiff, scoring numerous spectacular long-range goals which helped earn him a place in the EFL's team of the decade for 2005-2015. ", Another commented: "Sending love and best wishes to Peter's family and to all of you that enjoyed watching him play.". He said: I walked over to him to offer my hand, thinking he would just take it and I would help him back up to his feet. He didnt care so much about the salary or sitting on the bench on a bigger contract and collecting more money. He was named three times in the Championship's PFA Team of the Year, and his 20-goal haul in the 200910 season made him the division's top scorer. Peter Whittingham pictured playing for Cardiff in October 2015. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Donald Trump arrives in Scotland on golf visit, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve, Ding becomes China's first male world chess champion. They are all in my thoughts at this time.". After leaving the Welsh capital in 2017, he spent a season at Blackburn Rovers before retiring in 2018. Whittingham started on the left but moved into a more central role at Cardiff and became one of the Championships greatest-ever players. If his children grow up to like football then it wont be long before they learn just how talented their father was.
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