David White (English footballer)

For other people named David White, see David White (disambiguation).

David White

Personal information
Full name	David White
Date of birth	30 October 1967 (1967-10-30) (age 44)
Place of birth	Urmston, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Right Wing or Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1993	Manchester City	286	(79)
1993–1995	Leeds United	42	(9)
1995–1998	Sheffield United	66	(13)
Total		394	(101)
National team
1988–1989	England U21	6	(2)
1991–1992	England B	2	(0)
1992	England	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

David White (born 30 October 1967 in Urmston, Manchester) is a former English footballer, best remembered for his eight-year spell at Manchester City. He also played for Leeds and Sheffield United, and was capped once by England.

In his childhood White played for Salford Boys,^[1] before joining the youth system at Manchester City. He signed as an apprentice on his eighteenth birthday,^[2] and was a member of City's "golden generation" that won the FA Youth Cup in 1986. White made his debut for Manchester City's first-team in September 1986, in a 1–0 defeat to Luton Town.^[2] He soon became a regular in the side, alternating between the right-wing and striker positions, and missed just one game in the next two seasons.^[1] On 7 November 1987 he was one of three players (along with Tony Adcock and Paul Stewart) to score a hat-trick in a 10–1 victory over Huddersfield Town. He later won several caps for the England Under-21 side.

He had been a first team regular in 1986-87, playing 24 games in the First Division and scoring once, though he could not prevent relegation to the Second Division. His 13 goals in 1987-88 were not enough for promotion, but this was achieved in 1988-89 when he scored six goals as City finished runners-up.

White's best years were arguably in the early 1990s, when he was known for his pace and strength.^[1] He almost always played on the right wing in teams featuring two strikers, and was second top scorer for City in their first two seasons back in the First Division (eight goals in 1989–90 and 16 in 1990–91), and top scorer in the next two seasons. On 23 April 1991 he scored four times for City away to Aston Villa, becoming the first City player to score four goals in a league match since 1977.^[1] Shortly after he was capped at England "B" level.^[3]

As the top division became the Premier League in 1992 (White scored a personal best 18 goals in 1991-92 as City finished fifth for the second season running), White scored Manchester City's first goal in the Premier League after good build up play by Niall Quinn and Paul Lake. After seven goals in the first seven games of this season (1992–93), he made his full international debut in a friendly against Spain, but missed a chance to score early on and lost confidence. White received strong press criticism, and lost form in the aftermath. In December 1993, White was signed by Leeds in an exchange for David Rocastle valued at £1.2 million.^[1] He left Maine Road having played 343 first-team games for City, scoring 96 goals (79 in the league). He was also the scorer of City's first Premier League goal, finding the net in the 37th minute at home to Queen's Park Rangers in a 1-1 draw.^[4]

White never really lived up to expectations at Elland Road. He suffered a succession of injuries and was restricted to just 10 goals for Leeds in his two years at the club. In November 1995, he was loaned to Sheffield United, and a month later he signed a permanent contract after the two clubs agreed a £500,000 fee.^[5]

At Bramall Lane, White showed flashes of his old self, that had made him a star at Manchester City a few years before, but he was still bothered by injuries. He continued to suffer problems with his arthritic right ankle, making his final appearance in a League Cup match against Wrexham in 1997, before having to admit defeat and retire from the game.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} James, Gary (2006). Manchester City - The Complete Record. Derby: Breedon. pp. 177. ISBN 1-85983-512-0. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Penney, Ian (1995). The Maine Road Encyclopedia. Edinburgh: Mainstream. pp. 210–11. ISBN 1-85158-710-1. 
3. ^ James, Gary (2005). The Official Manchester City Hall of Fame. Hamlyn. p. 64. ISBN 0-600-61282-1. 
4. ^ [1]
5. ^ [2]

External links

• Man City site

Persondata
Name	White, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	30 October 1967
Place of birth	Manchester, England
Date of death
Place of death