Whalley, who went on to become a great hit against Shrewsbury Town on Saturday at the Racecourse, has disclosed the reasons behind his disappearance from the first squad following his four goals in the first month of the Reds’ inaugural non-league campaign.
Whalley, who is still going strong at the age of 37 with Accrington Stanley this season, stated, “I was so happy to sign for the club. It was a great start at Wrexham.”
“I recall Brian Carey contacting me to express interest on behalf of Wrexham. After speaking with manager Brian Little and his assistant Martin Foyle at the club, I was eager to sign.
“I thought it was still a huge club, even if they’d had a few terrible years and been demoted to the Conference.
“The training ground, the pitch and the fans who continued to turn out.” Everything about it was favourable.
Whalley, who had scored for his former team Accrington in the Football League title match at Wrexham in April 2008, also scored his first goal as Brian Little’s team defeated Stevenage 5-0 in front of 4,901 spectators at Racecourse.
Whalley continued, “I still remember the goal; I remember most of my goals.” “It appeared as though I had chipped their keeper because it was a shot from the edge of the box and he seemed to dive out of the way.”
The Reds triumphed 4-1 at Salisbury after Whalley scored in the 1-1 draw at Rushden and Diamonds and got a double.
“I got off to a great start,” Whalley said. “We crushed Stevenage, and I believe they were promoted as a result, but things didn’t work out well after that.
“Dean Saunders took over after Brian Little was fired, and I lost my position, although there was a good reason for it.
“At that point, everything in my life was going wrong. I was drinking, really drinking nonstop. Football was by no means first on my list, as it should have been, but I was gambling.
“One Friday, I skipped training, and on Saturday, I definitely didn’t play. To be honest, though, Dean Saunders was a pleasure to work with.
“He understood that I was having issues and offered me support, but in the end, I had to go on loan to Southport, whose manager was Liam Watson, with whom I had a great relationship.”
Whalley’s football career began with Chester City, where he was noticed by Ian Rush, a former Liverpool great.
Whalley continued, “Mark Wright was the manager when I signed, but I believe he left before the first game of the season.”
“Rushie appeared to like me when he came in. Being coached by Ian Rush and a Liverpool supporter, it was fantastic for me.
Rush made Whalley’s Football League debut in 2004, however he eventually moved into non-league football and signed a contract to play for Luton Town from 2013 to 2015.
However, he signed with Shrewsbury and departed Kenilworth Road following what he called a “bit of trouble.”
Whalley continued, “It was a fortunate break for me at Shrewsbury.” It was just what I needed, and it felt like a new beginning.
Jude, my small kid, had just turned one, and even though I had to wait to push my way onto the first squad, I felt I had to take care of myself.
“When Paul Hurst took over as manager, he was the ideal candidate for me. He added that while he was at Grimsby, he had attempted to sign me.
“When I was with them, I had a penchant for scoring, and we got to Wembley twice: once for the EFL Trophy and once for the play-offs.
“Visiting Wembley twice was the high point of my stay there. We were unfortunate to lose both games there.
In his more than 200 appearances for Salop, Whalley scored 40 goals, so he was curious to watch how Saturday’s match unfolded.
Prior to Wrexham’s 3-0 victory, Whalley said, “I didn’t play in a derby between the two as Wrexham were in the Conference but I know all about the rivalry of the two teams being either side of the English/Welsh border.”
“Last season, I watched the FA Cup match on S4C while keeping up with Wrexham’s story—who hasn’t since the major takeover?
“It’s an amazing tale, and I have no doubt it will go on.”
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