Members News: Close Season Comings, Goings & Doings So Far Pt.3 (M-W)
With still weeks to go before the new season starts in the UK there have been quite a few comings and goings involving those of our members who are still active in the game since the close of the 2023-24 season. Amongst these movements both previously reported on this site and others that we and readers may have missed are the following. In the last two days we have covered ten such ‘movers and shakers’ from A to K. Here are the final six (in alphabetical order):-
Sky Blue Marko with the EFL League One trophy 2020
As we have already reported our member, former Sky Blue goalie Marko Maroši has now left the club to which he moved from the Sky Blues in June 2021, Shrewsbury Town. Slovakian by birth the 30 year old Marko started his footballing career in the UK with non league Barnoldswick Town in 2012-13 soon being picked out by Wigan Athletic for professional development during the following season. He moved onto Doncaster Rovers in summer 2014 without making a first team debut for the Latics and in five seasons there contributed five short of one hundred first team games. CCFC signed him on a free on a three year contract in June 2019 and he made his debut on 3rd August in a League One home game versus Southend United sharing in the Sky Blues promotion that season. First choice in his first season only Marko shared the ‘keepers gloves in the subsequent Championship season and had made a total of 61 Sky Blue appearances before signing for the Shrews in June 2021. Now he is seeking a new club after 136 games for the team from Salop. Marko won a Slovakian U21 cap in 2014!
Marc in the Sky Blue
From Marko to Marc our member, Scottish international striker (2 caps) ‘Sparky’ McNulty is now plying his trade with Scottish League Two side the Spartans for whom he signed in February 2024 after an American adventure since January 2023 in the US second tier Championship with Orange County SC.Marc had started out in 2009 with Scottish club Livingston and, after four seasons there, he was able to start making his mark south of the border signing for Sheffield United in 2014. His performance in those three League One seasons (14 goals in 56 games) plus loan spells at Bournemouth and Bradford City (another 13 goals in 50 outings) persuaded CCFC to buy him.
Marc’s Sky Blue days began in May 2017, signing on a two year deal and scoring his debut CCFC goal in his second appearance against Grimsby Town in a 2–0 League Two win. The 2017-18 season was a super productive one for ‘Sparky’ as he notched 23 goals in his 42 Sky Blue games no two more important the goal in each leg he scored against Notts County in the promotion play-off semi finals. He was subsequntly ‘man-of-the-match’ in the Wembley Final, a 3–1 win over Exeter City which promoted us back to League One. After that wonderful season Reading snapped him up but he was never able to hit the same heights and during his four Championship seasons there ‘Sparky’ only scored once in 17 games and spent considerable time out on loan at successively Hibernian (twice), Sunderland and Dundee United before trying his luck in the USA.
Sky Blue Rob
Most readers won’t need reminding that our member, former Sky Blue central defender Rob Page was relieved of his duties as their international manager by Wales on the 21st of this month after a run of poor results and failure to qualify for Euro24. Himself a Welsh international (41 caps between 1996-2005) Rob had taken over the Welsh side in 2020 graduating from being appointed U21 coach in 2017 following coaching experience with Northampton Town, Port Vale and Nottingham Forest from 2014.
Rob Page, Welsh ‘gaffer’ 2021
Coming up as a player through the Watford youth set-up from 1985 in nine seasons from his 1st team debut in 1993 he netted three times in 254 appearances at Vicarage Road before moving to Sheffield United from 2001-04 (1 goal in 128 outings). The Sky Blues signed Rob in February 2005 after a brief time with Cardiff City that season and by the time the combative central defender left CCFC for Huddersfield Town in January 2008 Rob had clocked up 76 appearances and netted once in the Sky Blue. Rob moved to his last club Chesterfield Town from the Terriers for three League Two seasons in May 2008 before moving into coaching and management.
Two tone Zain
We are pleased to hear that our member, former Sky Blue wide midfielder Zain Westbrooke has been retained by current club Doncaster Rovers whom he joined from Bristol Rovers in May 2023. Zain has currently 43 games under his belt for Rovers netting twice. He joined the Bristol club from the Sky Blues in August 2020 and in just over two seasons there scored four times in 61 games plus a dozen appearances in 2021-22 for Stevenage on loan.
Zain started out as a youngster with Chelsea before joining the Brentford Academy seyt up in 2011 graduating to earn a first team debut for the Bees in January 2017 in what turned out to be his only appearance though he got loan outings at both Solihull Moors and Leyton Orient before signing for the Sky Blues in May 2018 as we achieved promotion from League Two. Zain made his full Sky Blue debut in December 2018 in a 1–0 win over Southend United on 29 December 2018 becoming a regular the following COVID truncated season, another promotion season. By the time he left CCFC for Bristol in August 2020 Zain had netted four goals in his 41 Sky Blue games.
Andy Whing in the Sky Blue
Lastly we missed out on both congratulating and commiserating with two of our Sky Blue former player members Andy Whing and Craig Pead) who as Manager and assistant ‘gaffer’ at local National League club Solihull Moors since July 2023 narrowly missed out on promotion to EFL League Two at the end of last season. Chesterfield and Barnet had already made it automatically and 3rd place Bromley and 5th place Moors battled the Play-Off Final at Wembley. Like the Sky Blues the same month in the Wembley Championship Play-Off Final the Moors suffered the heartache of achieving a draw after extra time and went out on penalties! Worse, later in the month exactly the same fate, had to be suffered as Gateshead inflicted another extra time penalty defeat on the Moors at the National stadium in the F.A.Trophy.
Andy celebrates his goal – the last at HR
Both began their football careers with the CCFC Academy with Craig making his first team debut in April 2002 and Andy in February 2023. Memorably Andy scored the last ever goal at Highfield Road in a 6-2 win over Derby County at the end of the 2003-04 season and, by the time he moved on to Brighton in summer 2007 (having been there on a month’s loan in October 2006) Whingy had made 119 Sky Blue appearances netting twice. He became a centurion with the Seagulls without scoring between 2007-11 plus loan appearances for both Chesterfield and Leyton Orient where he eventually moved in November 2010. The following summer (2011) Whingy moved again this time to Oxford United where he became a legend leaving in September 2017 (to become Kidderminster Harriers‘ U23 coach) after 112 goals, two goals and six years as player and latterly coach. Andy also coached for both Hereford and Banbury United before joining Moors.
Craig in the Sky Blue
An England Youth international Craig’s career has involved fewer clubs than Andy since leaving the Sky Blues with 45 games and two goals under his belt plus another 13 combined on loan at Notts County (2004) and Walsall (2005). Peady then moved to permanently join the Saddlers for two seasons in May 2005 completing 100 appearances for Walsall. His next club, from 2007-09 was Brentford (44 appearances) but in August 2010 Craig was tempted out of retirement to initially join Midland Alliance club Coventry Sphinx (albeit playing only once) and then Conference North side Redditch United. Craig teamed up with Andy coaching at Banbury before following to the Moors.
We wish these six members all the best in their next steps in football in the 2024-25 season wherever that is! No doubt there will be further changes to some of our members professional football career development in coming weeks so please keep checking back!
