Teams | Noel Whelan

Withdrawn in the fourth minute of his first SPL match against Hearts with an injury that ended his career

One of football`s characters, Noel first came to prominence at his hometown club of Leeds where he signed as a trainee in 1993. He moved to Coventry in December 1995 for a staggering £2m transfer fee. He played some of his best football at Coventry, scoring 38 goals in 143 appearances over five years.

That was enough to convince Middlesbrough to shell out a further £2.2m for his services in August 2000. The goals dried up and spells with Crystal Palace, Millwall and Derby County preceded a fruitless spell at Pittodrie.

Boston United was his next club before he arrived at Almondvale at the end of season 2005-06 and won a contract at Dunfermline Athletic. Withdrawn in the fourth minute of his first SPL match against Hearts with an injury that ended his career at Dunfermline.
Released January 2007.