Barry Whitbread

Barry Whitbread
Personal information
Date of birth October 1948
Place of birth Manchester, England
Date of death 9 September 2026(2026-09-09) (aged 77)
Position Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1973 Lancaster City 120 (51)
1973–1979 Runcorn
1979–1982 Altrincham 94 (34)
International career
1979–1981 England semi-pro 6 (2)
Managerial career
1988–1990 Runcorn
1996–1998 Singapore
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Barry Whitbread (October 1948 – 9 September 2026) was an English football player and coach who led the Singapore national team to the country's first ever international trophy in football, the 1998 AFF Championship.

Club career

Whitbread was born in Manchester in October 1948. He played football as a forward for Lancaster City in the Northern Premier League while a student at Lancaster University. He scored a hat-trick on his debut for the club, and scored their early goal in what became a 2–1 defeat to Football League opponents Notts County in the first round proper of the 1972–73 FA Cup. Transferred nearer home for a fee of £250, Whitbread's 29 goals helped Runcorn to the Northern Premier League title in the 1975–76 season. After scoring 181 career goals for Runcorn, he joined Altrincham in 1979 for a club record fee of £6,400. He helped the club reach the 1982 FA Trophy final, in which he made his final appearance as a player, on the losing side.

International career

Whitbread was a member of the first ever England team at semi-professional level. He won six caps, scoring twice, between 1979 and 1981.

Coaching career

Whitbread trained as a teacher before moving into football management, having gained his coaching qualifications while still a player. He was assistant manager of Northwich Victoria, then manager of Runcorn from 1988 to 1990, and also coached in the United States. He took the job as Singapore national team coach in 1996. Two years later, his team written off before it started, Whitbread led Singapore to victory in the 1998 Tiger Cup (now known as the AFF Suzuki Cup), their first ever success in an international football competition.

On his return to England he worked at Liverpool's Youth Academy, becoming head of recruitment, a post he held until 2007. He went on to act as chief scout for clubs including Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers.

Personal life and death

His son Zak, born in Houston, Texas, while Whitbread was working in the US, became a professional footballer after developing in the Liverpool academy.

Whitbread died on 9 September 2026, aged 77.

References

  1. 1 2 Pikesley, Barry. "When We Were Kings". Altrincham F.C. Archived from the original on 28 January 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Rowley, Terry. "Barry Whitbread". The Alty Files. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "Barry Whitbread b. 1948". FreeBMD. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Legends". Lancaster City F.C. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Linnets Legends - Barry Whitbread". Runcorn Linnets F.C. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Altrincham FA Trophy 1982". Altrincham F.C. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  7. ↑ Williams, Tony, ed. (1988). Non League Club Directory 1989. Tony Williams Publications. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-869833-09-1.
  8. ↑ Williams, Tony (8 June 2008). "Howard's Way Is A Semi-Pros Success". The Non-League Paper. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 Tongue, Steve (5 December 2004). "Liverpool rebuild from within". The Independent. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  10. ↑ "History". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  11. ↑ Kumar, Raj (26 December 2004). "Class of '98: Lions good for glory". Football Association of Singapore. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  12. ↑ Platt, Mark (9 July 2007). "Reds Welcome Johnson To The Academy". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 17 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ "Barry joins backroom team". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 12 July 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  14. ↑ Douglas, Mark (28 August 2009). "Danny Simpson wants to remain at Newcastle". The Journal. Newcastle. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Senior Squad: Zak Whitbread". Millwall F.C. Archived from the original on 25 November 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  16. ↑ "Former Lions coach Barry Whitbread dies, aged 77". The Straits Times. 11 September 2026. Retrieved 11 September 2026.