Danny Sonner
Encyclopedia
Daniel James "Danny" Sonner (born 9 January 1972 in Wigan
) is an English
-born former Northern Ireland international
footballer. He won thirteen caps in a seven year international career.
A much-travelled midfielder, despite 18 years of professional football he never spent more than two seasons at any one club. He played for numerous English clubs, predominantly at the Midlands
and also played in Germany
. In the latter part of his career he was easily recognizable due to his iconic long hair
. His more notable spells were with Ipswich Town
, Sheffield Wednesday
, Birmingham City
, and Port Vale
; as he played around fifty games for each club. In all he played 386 games in the Football League
, as well as more than 42 games in German football. He played in all of the top four divisions of English football, with his greatest honour being a runners-up medal in the League Cup
in 2001
.
Wigan Athletic
in 1990, Sonner never made a first team appearance for Bryan Hamilton
's side, and so signed with Frank Casper
's Fourth Division
Burnley
in March 1991. After Casper was replaced by Jimmy Mullen, Sonner barely featured at Turf Moor
during their table-topping 1991–92 season and so was loaned out to Mike Walsh
's Bury
, back in the fourth tier, in November 1992, staying for the rest of the season.
Making little impact in the English leagues
, he packed his bags and moved to Germany for the start of the 1993-94 season. Signing with Oberliga
side Viktoria Köln, he spent the following season with BFC Preussen
, both teams were in the depths of the German Football League
. He spent the 1995–96 season with FC Erzgebirge Aue
in the Regionalliga Nordost
. It was whilst at Erzebirge that he was plucked from obscurity by Ipswich Town
manager George Burley
. Sonner would spend the 1996–97 season in the English First Division
.
In two seasons with the club he played 56 league games, half of which were substitute appearances. However he and Burley soon fell out and Sonner was on the move to Danny Wilson's Sheffield Wednesday
in October 1998 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £75,000. Once again Sonner had fallen on his feet, spending the 1998–99 season in the Premier League. He played the club's 8–0 thumping
at the hands of Newcastle United
at St James' Park
on 19 September, and Wednesday suffered relegation
at the end of the 1999–2000 season. He was not retained for the following season after failing to agree a new contract and was forced to search for a new club.
He soon signed for Birmingham City
, where he helped the club to the 2001 League Cup Final
. In the quarter finals he had given his old club some food for thought, scoring in a 2–0 victory over the "Owls" on 12 December 2000. In the final he was replaced by Bryan Hughes
after 71 minutes and was forced to watch his team lose the penalty shootout to Liverpool
5–4, after a 1–1 draw in normal time. In a play-off semi-final defeat at Preston North End
's Deepdale
, Sonner, teammate Michael Johnson and boss Trevor Francis
were all charged with misconduct by the Football Association
, Sonner and Johnson were also charged for using abusive language. Sonner was fined £1,000 following a hearing.
He was released by Birmingham at the end of the 2001–02 season. He played his last game for the club on 7 November 2001 and was sent off 77 minutes into a 1–0 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion
after a poor challenge on Phil Gilchrist
. Not long after this Steve Bruce
was appointed as the club's new manager. Bruce never selected Sonner for a matchday squad, and he therefore played no part in the 2002 play-off final
.
After training with Wolverhampton Wanderers
, he spent the 2002–03 season with Walsall
. He got off to a bad start, wrestling opposition player Tommy Smith to the ground in a 2–0 defeat at Watford
, earning a red card and causing manager Colin Lee
to brand his behaviour "a disgrace". He managed to recover his reputation, scoring four goals in 28 games. After getting released at the end of the season by the cash-strapped club, he considered a move to Carlisle United
, before opting for Nottingham Forest
.
He was with Forest throughout the 2003–04 season, playing 32 games over all competitions. At Forest, a bad miss caused the late Brian Clough
to say: "I wish I'd been out there. I scored 250 goals in 271 games and I could have put that in with my you-know-what!" Sonner was keen to stay at the City Ground
, but was released by manager Joe Kinnear
at the end of the season. Sonner received an offer from Eintracht Frankfurt
, a trial at Kidderminster Harriers
and an offer from Portadown
. Instead he spent the 2004–05 season at League One
Peterborough United
, then managed by Barry Fry
. He spent February to May of that season on loan with Port Vale
, making 13 appearances.
Impressing on his loan spell, he signed with Vale permanently for the start of the 2005–06 season. A regular under Martin Foyle
, he also spent the 2006–07 season at Vale Park
, where he and Tony Dinning
became the old heads at the centre of the park. Sonner was popular with the fans and in fact played more games for the club than he did for any other club. However, at the age of 35, Sonner rejected Vale's contract offer, claiming that offer was too low paying. He said: "I deserve a rise and a decent offer. The club wants me to play for next to nothing. If they carry on paying Conference
wages, then the club is going nowhere. They talk about promotion, but don't want to keep players." Chairman Bill Bratt
responded by saying that: "The manager had faith in Danny to pluck him from Peterborough reserves and to offer him another contract with better terms... if he thinks he is on next to nothing he should try working in the pottery
industry for 40 hours a week for £200."
He moved on to former club Walsall, now led by Richard Money, but due to injury he played just seven games of the 2007–08 season before leaving the club in September 2007. In January 2008, Sonner and fellow "Saddlers" team mate, Paul Hall
both joined League Two
strugglers Wrexham. He was released by manager Brian Little
in May 2008, following the club's relegation to the Conference
. Sonner scored once during his spell at Wrexham, his goal coming in a 2–2 draw with Morecambe on 29 January 2008.
13 times. Between 1995 and 1999 he also earned four Northern Ireland B
caps, scoring one goal.
He earned his first cap
on 10 September 1997 in a 1–0 defeat to Albania
in Zurich
. His second cap came in a 3–0 home loss to Germany
on 27 March 1999 in a Euro 2000 qualifier. The rest of his caps were all friendlies
. His first start for Northern Ireland came in Belfast
on 26 April 2000, his sixth cap – the Irish beat the Hungarians
1–0.
After three years away from the international scene, he was recalled in February 2004. He played six games in 2004 after being recalled, his last one coming in a goalless draw with Switzerland
on 18 August.
|1991–92||Burnley
||Fourth Division
||6||0||0||0||1||1||9||2
|-
|1992–93||Burnley
||Third Division
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1992–93||Bury
||Third Division
||5||3||3||0||0||0||9||4
|-
|-
|1993–94||Viktoria Köln||Oberliga
||21||3||?||?||?||?||21||3
|-
|1994–95||BFC Preussen
||Oberliga
||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
|1995–96||FC Erzgebirge Aue
||Regionalliga Nordost
||21||6||?||?||?||?||21||6
|-
|-
|1996–97
||Ipswich Town
||First Division
||29||2||1||0||6||1||37||2
|-
|1997–98||Ipswich Town
||First Division
||23||1||1||0||2||0||27||1
|-
|1998–99||Ipswich Town
||First Division
||4||0||0||0||2||0||6||0
|-
|1998–99||Sheffield Wednesday
||Premier League||26||3||3||0||0||0||29||3
|-
|1999–2000||Sheffield Wednesday
||Premier League||27||0||3||0||4||1||34||1
|-
|2000–01
||Birmingham City
||First Division
||26||1||1||0||9||1||38||2
|-
|2001–02
||Birmingham City
||First Division
||15||1||0||0||3||0||18||1
|-
|2002–03
||Walsall
||First Division
||24||4||2||0||2||0||28||4
|-
|2003–04||Nottingham Forest
||First Division
||28||0||1||0||3||0||32||0
|-
|2004–05||Peterborough United
||League One
||15||0||0||0||1||0||17||0
|-
|2004–05
||Port Vale
||League One
||13||0||0||0||0||0||13||0
|-
|2005–06
||Port Vale
||League One
||29||1||2||0||1||0||33||1
|-
|2006–07
||Port Vale
||League One
||33||1||2||0||4||0||40||1
|-
|2007–08||Walsall
||League One
||6||0||0||0||1||0||7||0
|-
|2007–08||Wrexham||League Two
||9||1||0||0||0||0||9||1
|-
318||18||19||0||39||4||386||23
42||9||?||?||?||?||42||9
360||27||19||0||39||4||428||32
Notes:
with Birmingham City
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born former Northern Ireland international
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
footballer. He won thirteen caps in a seven year international career.
A much-travelled midfielder, despite 18 years of professional football he never spent more than two seasons at any one club. He played for numerous English clubs, predominantly at the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
and also played in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In the latter part of his career he was easily recognizable due to his iconic long hair
Long hair
Long hair is a hairstyle. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures may be said to have short hair, while a man with the same length of hair in some of the same cultures would be said...
. His more notable spells were with Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, and Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
; as he played around fifty games for each club. In all he played 386 games in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, as well as more than 42 games in German football. He played in all of the top four divisions of English football, with his greatest honour being a runners-up medal in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 2001
2001 Football League Cup Final
The 2001 Worthington Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool and Birmingham City at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Sunday 25 February 2001...
.
Club career
Starting his professional career with Third DivisionFootball League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
in 1990, Sonner never made a first team appearance for Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton is a Northern Irish former professional football player and manager. He gained 50 caps for Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1980, and later managed the national team for four years. He is currently Technical Director at Antigua Barracuda F.C.-Playing career:Born in Belfast,...
's side, and so signed with Frank Casper
Frank Casper (footballer)
Frank Casper is an English former professional football player, coach and manager, born in Barnsley. As a player, he made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League as a striker for Rotherham United and Burnley...
's Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
in March 1991. After Casper was replaced by Jimmy Mullen, Sonner barely featured at Turf Moor
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...
during their table-topping 1991–92 season and so was loaned out to Mike Walsh
Mike Walsh (footballer)
Michael Thomas Walsh, was a defender who played for many clubs. He was probably best known as a captain of Bolton Wanderers F.C. and also for gaining honours representing the Republic of Ireland national football team.-Playing career:Born and raised in Manchester, Walsh was snapped up as a 17 year...
's Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, back in the fourth tier, in November 1992, staying for the rest of the season.
Making little impact in the English leagues
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, he packed his bags and moved to Germany for the start of the 1993-94 season. Signing with Oberliga
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
side Viktoria Köln, he spent the following season with BFC Preussen
BFC Preussen
BFC Preussen is a German football club from Berlin. The team is part of a sports club which also has departments for handball, volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, and ice hockey...
, both teams were in the depths of the German Football League
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation...
. He spent the 1995–96 season with FC Erzgebirge Aue
FC Erzgebirge Aue
FC Erzgebirge Aue is a German football club based in Aue, Saxony. The former East German side was a charter member of the 3. Liga in 2008–09, after being relegated from the 2. Bundesliga in 2007–08. The city of Aue has a population of about 18,000 making it one of the smallest cities to ever...
in the Regionalliga Nordost
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of former East Germany and West-Berlin from 1994 to 2000. As such, it was almost identical in territorial cover to the old DDR-Oberliga....
. It was whilst at Erzebirge that he was plucked from obscurity by Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
manager George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
. Sonner would spend the 1996–97 season in the English First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
.
In two seasons with the club he played 56 league games, half of which were substitute appearances. However he and Burley soon fell out and Sonner was on the move to Danny Wilson's Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in October 1998 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £75,000. Once again Sonner had fallen on his feet, spending the 1998–99 season in the Premier League. He played the club's 8–0 thumping
Newcastle United 8–0 Sheffield Wednesday (19 September 1999)
The 1999–2000 season match between Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday at St James' Park took place on 19 September 1999. Both teams went into the game lying 19th and 20th respectively in the league table having had tough starts to the season. This was Bobby Robson's first home game as...
at the hands of Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
on 19 September, and Wednesday suffered relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
at the end of the 1999–2000 season. He was not retained for the following season after failing to agree a new contract and was forced to search for a new club.
He soon signed for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, where he helped the club to the 2001 League Cup Final
2001 Football League Cup Final
The 2001 Worthington Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool and Birmingham City at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Sunday 25 February 2001...
. In the quarter finals he had given his old club some food for thought, scoring in a 2–0 victory over the "Owls" on 12 December 2000. In the final he was replaced by Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes is an English professional footballer who is currently playing for English League Two side Accrington Stanley. He notably played in the Premier League for Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic and Hull City...
after 71 minutes and was forced to watch his team lose the penalty shootout to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
5–4, after a 1–1 draw in normal time. In a play-off semi-final defeat at Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
's Deepdale
Deepdale
Deepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...
, Sonner, teammate Michael Johnson and boss Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
were all charged with misconduct by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, Sonner and Johnson were also charged for using abusive language. Sonner was fined £1,000 following a hearing.
He was released by Birmingham at the end of the 2001–02 season. He played his last game for the club on 7 November 2001 and was sent off 77 minutes into a 1–0 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
after a poor challenge on Phil Gilchrist
Phil Gilchrist
Philip Alexander "Phil" Gilchrist is an English footballer and was manager at Woking. He plays as a defender. He currently plays for Quorn in the Northern Premier League Division One South.-Career:...
. Not long after this Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
was appointed as the club's new manager. Bruce never selected Sonner for a matchday squad, and he therefore played no part in the 2002 play-off final
2002 Football League First Division play-off Final
The 2002 Football League First Division play-off Final was a football match played at The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on May 12, 2002 at the end of the 2001–02 season...
.
After training with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, he spent the 2002–03 season with Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
. He got off to a bad start, wrestling opposition player Tommy Smith to the ground in a 2–0 defeat at Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, earning a red card and causing manager Colin Lee
Colin Lee
Colin Lee is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently Chief Executive of League Two side Torquay United and President of Buckfastleigh Rangers Football & Social Club.-Playing career:...
to brand his behaviour "a disgrace". He managed to recover his reputation, scoring four goals in 28 games. After getting released at the end of the season by the cash-strapped club, he considered a move to Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, before opting for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
.
He was with Forest throughout the 2003–04 season, playing 32 games over all competitions. At Forest, a bad miss caused the late Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
to say: "I wish I'd been out there. I scored 250 goals in 271 games and I could have put that in with my you-know-what!" Sonner was keen to stay at the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....
, but was released by manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
at the end of the season. Sonner received an offer from Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
, a trial at Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
and an offer from Portadown
Portadown F.C.
Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park...
. Instead he spent the 2004–05 season at League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
, then managed by Barry Fry
Barry Fry
Barry Francis Fry is an English football manager. A former Manchester United apprentice as a winger, his playing career involved brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he retired prematurely due to injury.He has managed Dunstable Town, Bedford Town, Maidstone...
. He spent February to May of that season on loan with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, making 13 appearances.
Impressing on his loan spell, he signed with Vale permanently for the start of the 2005–06 season. A regular under Martin Foyle
Martin Foyle
Martin John Foyle is an English former footballer, turned football manager. In his 20 year playing career he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals...
, he also spent the 2006–07 season at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
, where he and Tony Dinning
Tony Dinning
Anthony "Tony" Dinning is an English former football midfielder. He spent sixteen years of an eighteen year career in the Football League, making 515 appearances in league and cup....
became the old heads at the centre of the park. Sonner was popular with the fans and in fact played more games for the club than he did for any other club. However, at the age of 35, Sonner rejected Vale's contract offer, claiming that offer was too low paying. He said: "I deserve a rise and a decent offer. The club wants me to play for next to nothing. If they carry on paying Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
wages, then the club is going nowhere. They talk about promotion, but don't want to keep players." Chairman Bill Bratt
Bill Bratt
William Amos "Bill" Bratt MBE is the former chairman of Port Vale Football Club, who served the club in this post from 2003 to 2011....
responded by saying that: "The manager had faith in Danny to pluck him from Peterborough reserves and to offer him another contract with better terms... if he thinks he is on next to nothing he should try working in the pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
industry for 40 hours a week for £200."
He moved on to former club Walsall, now led by Richard Money, but due to injury he played just seven games of the 2007–08 season before leaving the club in September 2007. In January 2008, Sonner and fellow "Saddlers" team mate, Paul Hall
Paul Hall (footballer)
Paul Anthony Hall , is a retired English-born Jamaican international footballer. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Tamworth, during his career, Hall was a striker who could also play on the right wing....
both joined League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
strugglers Wrexham. He was released by manager Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
in May 2008, following the club's relegation to the Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
. Sonner scored once during his spell at Wrexham, his goal coming in a 2–2 draw with Morecambe on 29 January 2008.
International career
Sonner has represented Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
13 times. Between 1995 and 1999 he also earned four Northern Ireland B
Northern Ireland B national football team
Northern Ireland B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the Under-21 and Full international teams, the matches are also used to give a run-out for fringe players and to honour Irish...
caps, scoring one goal.
He earned his first cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
on 10 September 1997 in a 1–0 defeat to Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...
in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. His second cap came in a 3–0 home loss to Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
on 27 March 1999 in a Euro 2000 qualifier. The rest of his caps were all friendlies
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
. His first start for Northern Ireland came in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
on 26 April 2000, his sixth cap – the Irish beat the Hungarians
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
1–0.
After three years away from the international scene, he was recalled in February 2004. He played six games in 2004 after being recalled, his last one coming in a goalless draw with Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
on 18 August.
Club level
|-|1991–92||Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
||Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
||6||0||0||0||1||1||9||2
|-
|1992–93||Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1992–93||Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||5||3||3||0||0||0||9||4
|-
|-
|1993–94||Viktoria Köln||Oberliga
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
||21||3||?||?||?||?||21||3
|-
|1994–95||BFC Preussen
BFC Preussen
BFC Preussen is a German football club from Berlin. The team is part of a sports club which also has departments for handball, volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, and ice hockey...
||Oberliga
Oberliga (football)
The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...
||?||?||?||?||?||?||?||?
|-
|1995–96||FC Erzgebirge Aue
FC Erzgebirge Aue
FC Erzgebirge Aue is a German football club based in Aue, Saxony. The former East German side was a charter member of the 3. Liga in 2008–09, after being relegated from the 2. Bundesliga in 2007–08. The city of Aue has a population of about 18,000 making it one of the smallest cities to ever...
||Regionalliga Nordost
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of former East Germany and West-Berlin from 1994 to 2000. As such, it was almost identical in territorial cover to the old DDR-Oberliga....
||21||6||?||?||?||?||21||6
|-
|-
|1996–97
1996–97 Ipswich Town F.C. season
During the 1996–97 English football season, Ipswich Town F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.-Season summary:In George Burley's second season in charge of Ipswich, they reached the play-offs as they looked for a return to the Premier League at the second attempt but ended up losing...
||Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||29||2||1||0||6||1||37||2
|-
|1997–98||Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||23||1||1||0||2||0||27||1
|-
|1998–99||Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||4||0||0||0||2||0||6||0
|-
|1998–99||Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
||Premier League||26||3||3||0||0||0||29||3
|-
|1999–2000||Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
||Premier League||27||0||3||0||4||1||34||1
|-
|2000–01
2000–01 Birmingham City F.C. season
The 2000–01 season was Birmingham City Football Clubs 99th season in the English football league system. It ran from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001. Led by manager Trevor Francis, the team repeated the previous season's fifth place finish in the Football League First Division to qualify for the...
||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||26||1||1||0||9||1||38||2
|-
|2001–02
2000–01 Birmingham City F.C. season
The 2000–01 season was Birmingham City Football Clubs 99th season in the English football league system. It ran from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001. Led by manager Trevor Francis, the team repeated the previous season's fifth place finish in the Football League First Division to qualify for the...
||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||15||1||0||0||3||0||18||1
|-
|2002–03
2002–03 Walsall F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Walsall F.C. competed in the Football League First Division. It was the club's second consecutive season at that level.-Season summary:...
||Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||24||4||2||0||2||0||28||4
|-
|2003–04||Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||28||0||1||0||3||0||32||0
|-
|2004–05||Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||15||0||0||0||1||0||17||0
|-
|2004–05
2004–05 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was Port Vale's ninety-third season of football in the Football League, and first in the newly created League One. Martin Foyle's first full season in charge, Vale survived a relegation dogfight to finish in eighteenth place...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||13||0||0||0||0||0||13||0
|-
|2005–06
2005–06 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2005–06 season was Port Vale's ninety-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League One. They finished in mid-table, and exited the League Cup at the First Round and the League Trophy at the Second Round. In the FA Cup, Vale made it to the Fourth...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||29||1||2||0||1||0||33||1
|-
|2006–07
2006–07 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2006–07 season was Port Vale's ninety-fifth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League One. Martin Foyle's side again finished in mid-table, whilst exiting the FA Cup and the League Trophy at the Second Round...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||33||1||2||0||4||0||40||1
|-
|2007–08||Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||6||0||0||0||1||0||7||0
|-
|2007–08||Wrexham||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||9||1||0||0||0||0||9||1
|-
318||18||19||0||39||4||386||23
42||9||?||?||?||?||42||9
360||27||19||0||39||4||428||32
Notes:
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
results included in totals. - Statistics in Germany incomplete.
Senior caps
- Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first.
Caps Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored Location 01 (00) 1997-09-10 Hardturm HardturmThe Hardturm was a football stadium located in Zurich's Kreis 5. Opened in 1929, it was the home of the Grasshopper-Club Zürich. It was a host stadium for the 1954 FIFA World Cup....
, ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
0–1 1998 World Cup qualifier 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone .A total of 50 UEFA teams entered the competition. The European zone was allocated 15 places in the final tournament...
0 
02 (00) 1999-03-27 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
0–3 Euro 2000 qualifier 0 
03 (00) 1999-04-27 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
1–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 04 (00) 2000-23-02 Luxembourg LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
3–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
05 (00) 2000-03-28 Valletta VallettaValletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
3–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
06 (00) 2000-04-26 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
0–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 07 (00) 2001-02-28 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
0–4 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 08 (00) 2004-03-21 Tallinn TallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
1–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
09 (00) 2004-04-28 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
1–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 10 (00) 2004-05-30 Waterford WaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
1–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
11 (00) 2004-06-02 Basseterre BasseterreBasseterre , estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands...
2–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
12 (00) 2004-06-06 Bacolet BacoletBacolet is a town on the island of Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The town itself lies beneath Fort King George at the Bacelot Bay, near Scarborough, Tobago, to the south-east of the island-capital. It is one of the most developed parts of Tobago where the high society of the island lives...
, TobagoTobagoTobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
3–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 13 (00) 2004-08-18 Zurich ZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
0–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
Honours
with Burnley- Football League Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
champion: 1991–92
with Birmingham City
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
runner-up: 20012001 Football League Cup FinalThe 2001 Worthington Cup Final was a football match played between Liverpool and Birmingham City at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Sunday 25 February 2001...
External links
- BBC interview (whilst at Port Vale)
- Profile at Wrexham's site (with picture)