The Peter Whittingham Memorial match takes place on November 30th at Cardiff City Stadium and tickets are available now.
What were your first impressions of Peter, as a person? He seemed a very quiet, laid-back guy, but everyone also comments on his sharp, dry sense of humour.
He was universally loved by every squad Cardiff has had. Both managers and players over his 10 or 11 years at the club. He had a fantastic sense of humour, a constant dry wit. He was an amazing guy, completely laid back, but as with everyone with that amount of talent and success, he was also very driven. He had an elegance and nonchalance that endeared him to the fans, to go with the unbelievable talent he had.
You were at the club during Peter’s absolute prime, including the year he scored a remarkable 26 goals. What was it like playing with someone as talented as he was, at the peak of his powers?
It was my first year and he scored that many from the left of a midfield four, which was unthinkable! I almost feel like we let him down that year because he was that good and we still lost in the play-off final. That season probably best sums him up. If somebody hits those numbers, its impossible to keep them at the club, but he never ever spoke about all that. He would score the most ridiculous volley or free kick you’ve ever seen, but if you tried to bring it up in the dressing room, he would want to change the subject. He made ridiculous stuff look easy and everything just seemed to come naturally to him.
He was so unassuming. He would score the most incredible goals and just kind of shrug them off! I think the combination of the two is why Cardiff supporters loved him so much. He also always remained loyal to the club.
He almost had a sarcastic celebration, like a shrug or he would just walk away. His penalties used to get me. He knew he was scoring, it was just a case of getting the ball! It was everything, the celebrations, the nonchalance, the flair, how long he stayed at the club and his drive to do well. It all endeared him to the supporters.
I know you were close and room-mates during your time at the club. How did your friendship develop and did it extend to outside of football?
This is the difficulty I’ve had with what has happened. Its amazing to have all these memories because we were so close, but remembering them is also tough. You do intentionally try to remember them at times and go through your phone, but he wasn’t really one for photos and nights or days out, so you wish you had more.
I think he was at the club three years before me, so he was close to Steve McPhail and Joe Ledley when I came in and already had those relationships. Matthew Connolly ended up being a close friend, but you won’t find anyone with a bad word to say about Whitts. It was an immediate connection, but he had that with a lot of us. I was extremely close to him, but I know a few other lads have also found it tough because I know how close they were too.
Did you remain in touch after you left the club?
Almost daily. After every Saturday game, it was the norm. He stayed at the club a couple of years longer than me, but we kept in contact a lot. I’m forever grateful that when the fixture list came out when I was at Wigan, we played at Cardiff in the February and I managed to see him. You know what life is like, everyone is busy doing their own thing, but I would always try to stay down after a game in Cardiff.
His passing was devastating for Cardiff supporters, but we only knew Peter the player. It must have been so much harder for the likes of yourself who also knew him personally. How did you find out about his accident? I guess the added cruelty was that this was during the pandemic, so you couldn’t get together with his friends and family to mourn together and support each other.
What had happened came out publicly and his family are very private, but I did speak to Amanda and she wanted privacy. I did exactly what she wanted and she has handled it unbelievably. It was a devastating time and the timing was during the first lockdown, so there were travel bans. At that stage, everyone’s focus was to try and be there for Amanda and the family. They handled that quietly amongst themselves. We were all just hoping for the best.
I just hope that the upcoming game can be a celebration for him. He gave the fans ridiculous memories every season. I know his brother James has worked so hard to get the foundation going, which is very important to them, so hopefully this game can give something back to the family and show how much he meant to people.
Peter’s Memorial Match will take place at the Cardiff City Stadium on November 30th. Will you be there and how will you be involved?
I’ve spoken to James a few times and he’s been incredible. He’s leaned on me for people to contact, but it’s a hell of a long list of people that would want to be there for Pete. There’s been a lot of hard work on James’ part and I’m sure the club will do him proud. There should be a special turnout of ex-players and managers.