Aston Villa and Cardiff City supporters will unite on Friday night to pay tribute to a player who will always hold a special place in the hearts of both clubs.
Peter Whittingham, who died five years ago next month at the age of just 35, is remembered with great affection at both Villa Park and in the Welsh capital.
His time here was restricted to 56 first-team appearances, but during a decade with the Bluebirds he achieved legendary status. Regarded by some supporters as the best player in Championship history, he played 457 games and scored 96 goals.
Although his time with Villa was comparatively short, he created football history in November 2004. His 18th-minute goal in a 3-0 victory over Portsmouth was only his second for the senior side, but it was the first scored with the Premier League’s new high-visibility ball.
Typically, the modest teenager was initially reluctant to pose for a post-match photo holding the ball but thankfully he eventually agreed. The picture appears in the book which celebrates the club’s 150th anniversary, 150 Years//150 Images.
“It was a special day for me,” he said after the match.
“There had been a bit of banter around the training ground, with some of the lads reminding me that I hadn’t scored. So I’m happy to have done it at last. Now I want to score more goals – it’s a great feeling.”
Sadly, his wish didn’t materialise. His first league goal for Villa turned out to be his last, his only other strike having come in a 5-0 League Cup romp at Wycombe Wanderers the previous year.
Whittingham was better known for his creative midfield skills and crosses, which created a host of chances for his teammates.
Yet it was as a left-back where the boy from Nuneaton initially made his mark. Having been on Coventry City’s books as a schoolboy, he joined Villa in April 2001. Just over a year later, he was a member of the team who lifted the FA Youth Cup, beating an Everton side which included Wayne Rooney in the final.
Early the following season, his talent was rewarded by manager Graham Taylor, who gave him his first squad number – 29 – and invited him to train with the first team.
Taylor, back at Villa for a second spell in charge, observed: “The Youth Cup obviously helped in terms of his development and he has followed up with some outstanding performances for the Under-19s this season. Peter has another advantage in that he can play anywhere on the left.”
Towards the end of that season, Whittingham was handed a debut he hadn’t envisaged. He thought he had travelled to Newcastle purely for the experience of being around the senior players on matchday, and was taken aback when Taylor informed him he would be on the bench at St James’ Park.
When Gareth Barry was injured he went on as a second-half substitute, almost scoring with a volley which Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given brilliantly tipped over for a corner.
“It was amazing to run out of the tunnel and see more than 50,000 people,” he said.
“It was the first time I had even been on the bench. To be honest, just that would have been all right with me. I only knew about being a substitute two hours before the game. If I’d known the day before, I wouldn’t have slept!”
Like many promising youngsters, Whittingham wasn’t quite able to kick on to the next level in claret and blue, his time here being punctuated by loan spells with Burnley and Derby County.
Nevertheless, his performances were invariably steady and assured and he was voted Villa’s Young Player of the Year for 2003-04.
Three years later he headed to South Wales. Cardiff paid £350,000, which ranks among modern football’s bargain signings.
In his first season, he helped his new club to the 2008 FA Cup final and five years later, he was a member of the team who gained promotion to the Premier League, albeit for just one season.
The Bluebirds had also gone close in 2009-10, when Whittingham scored 25 goals as they reached the play-off final, only to be beaten by Blackpool, his haul including a hat-trick in a 4-3 win at Sheffield United.
Such was his impact that he was named in the EFL’s Team of the Decade from 2005 to 2015, but found himself surplus to requirements when Neil Warnock took over as manager. His time with the Bluebirds ended in 2017 and was followed by a season with Blackburn Rovers.
Significantly, he was given a standing ovation when he was substituted in his final Cardiff home match by supporters who wanted to show their appreciation for one of the club’s all-time great players.
There was also an outpouring of affection following his untimely passing, including a poignant rendition by singer-songwriter James Fox of Mrs Robinson, one of Simon & Garkfunkel’s most famous songs.
The lyrics featured a slight alteration: “Here’s to you, Peter Wittingham…”
Cardiff City Programme
Our tribute to Peter Whittingham will appear in the official matchday programme for Friday night's FA Cup tie against the Bluebirds.
Supporters can pick up a copy from sellers around the ground at Villa Park, in the Villa Store or online via the link below...
Aston Villa v Cardiff City
