Whitfield Norman Image 1 Chesterfield 1922

Description

Prudhoe, Northumberland born inside left Norman Whitfield began his football career with Prudhoe Celtic Juniors in 1911 and played for Jarrow Croft in 1912 before joining Second Division club Leicester Fosse in 1913, making his Football League debut at Stockport County in February 1914. He had scored 4 goals in 16 appearances for The Fossils before the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football, and during the War he served as a gunner in The Royal Garrison Artillery, having enlisted in October 1915, being wounded in combat.

Whitfield broke his leg playing Army football in January 1919 but recovered to return to Filbert Street on the resumption of peacetime football, and scored twice in 8 further appearances for Leicester during 1919-20 before joining non league Hednesford Town in the 1920 close season. He returned to Football League action with Third Division (North) club Chesterfield in 1922, scoring on his debut in a win over Barrow that August, and for the next four seasons he was a regular goalscorer for The Spireites, scoring 4 goals in a 7-0 win over Walsall in November 1923 in a season where his 20 goal return saw him pip Harold Crockford as Chesterfield’s leading goalscorer as Chesterfield finished third in the division.

A further 19 goals in their 1925-26 campaign, when he was a long way second top scorer to Jimmy Cookson’s remarkable 46 goal season, helped Chesterfield finish fourth, but he lost his place at the start of the following season and only played 3 more matches for The Spireites, joining Birmingham & District League club Worcester City in 1927 after 66 goals in 131 appearances for Chesterfield. He joined Nuneaton Town in 1928 and played for Hinckley United in 1930 before his eventual retirement from the game.