FEATURED PLAYER STEVE BLATHERWICK
This season has been a frustrating one for last season's Player of the Year, Steve Blatherwick. A back injury which can be traced back to the 1-1 draw at Barnet just over a year ago has been responsible for Blathers only appearing once this season, in the opening day 6-3 loss against Colchester United, since then he's had scans, injections and setbacks galore, though he's back now in reserves action and could well be featuring in League football again quite soon.
The Nottingham born central defender was a youngster with Notts County at a time when another trainee was Mick Galloway but his first pro contract was to come from Brian Clough's Forest where team-mates included Stuart Pearce, Brian Laws, Carl Tiler (son of Ken, ex Chesterfield), Roy Keane, Teddy Sheringham and Steve Stone. Not a bad side!
No first team games in his first season there (92-93) but after Frank Clark took over as Manager, Steve soon tasted League action. September 11th 1993 saw Forest visit Barnsley in a Division 1 game, Blathers was alongside Steve Chettle, Des Lyttle and Stuart Pearce in defence, but Barnsley won 1-0. Two more games followed, losses at home to Stoke (2-3) and at Bolton (3-4), Stan Collymore bagged 2 v Bolton, and Steve then returned to the reserves.
He played two games on loan at League newboys Wycombe Wanderers in February 94, a loss against Wigan before he tasted victory for the first time, a 1-0 win at Gillingham. Martin O'Neill, an ex Forest player and now Celtic Boss, was Wanderers' Manager then.
No League games for Forest in 94-5 and 95-6 but in the Autumn of 1995, he played 10 games on loan at Hereford United, only two were lost (including one v Mansfield!), and he managed his first senior goal in a 2-2 home draw with Exeter City, Peter Fox was the keeper he beat, but he did manage an own goal in the same game!
1996-97 saw League games for Forest and another loan spell, Reading this time, and two games (both defeats) against Chesterfield, the pre season testimonial for Lee Rogers and the FA Cup 5th Round tie which you may remember ended Chesterfield 1 (Curtis, pen) Forest 0. His League games for Forest in this season were in the Premiership, opponents were Leeds, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn, Wimbledon, Leicester and his last League game for Forest, which was also his only win in 10 such games, a 1-0 triumph at West Ham. His Reading games were at the end of the season in Division 1, Martyn Booty was a colleague as was Mick Gooding.
Chris Waddle signed him for Burnley in the summer of 1997, £150,000 was the fee, he started the opening game of the season, a 1-0 loss at Watford, ex Spireite loan man Paul Barnes was in the side, as was Waddle. The Clarets made a dreadful start to the season, and after just 3 points in the opening 7 games, including Chesterfield 1 (Lormor) Burnley 0, Steve was left out of the side. It took until game 11 for a win to come and by November Steve was back in the side, though by the 0-0 draw on Boxing day with The Spireites, he was absent again.
Burnley just avoided relegation, Stan Ternant took over the Manager's job, Blathers again started the season in the team, the opener was won (2-1 v Bristol Rovers), game two ended Chesterfield 1 (reeves, pen) Burnley 0 and game 3 was his last League match for Burnley, a 1-0 home loss v York.
Joined Chesterfield, initially on loan, in September 1998, made his debut for John Duncan's side on 26th of that month in a 2-1 win (Jon Howard scored both) over Wrexham and he played the next game, a 0-0 draw at Wrexham. Mark Williams returned to the side after that. The two months loan ended, Burnley wanted £75,000 for Steve, Chesterfield refused to pay that amount, but a compromise fee of £50,000 was agreed and Blathers became a Spireite.
Scored his first Chesterfield goal in a 1-1 home draw with Stoke City in April 99, just before Mark Williams moved to Watford, a situation which put Steve into the first team on a regular basis, but his partnership with Ian Breckin couldn't prevent relegation in 2000.
Last season, on the field at least, was a superb one for the defender. His no nonsense approach to defending and his link up with Breckin and Steve Payne saw clean sheet after clean sheet, a run of 8 straight shut outs ending at Barnet (1-1), the game which saw Blathers kick the hard surface and jar his back, the problem which started the long back and calf related injuries which have restricted his performances this season. Was voted both the Supporters Club and SIFA Player of the Year last term as The Spireites overcame their problems to win promotion and his re-signing last summer was crucial as CFSS battled to come to grips with the financial turmoil left by Brown.
Hopefully it won't be long before we see Steve back in a Blue first team shirt.
Steve's League Career
League Games Goals
Nottingham Forest 10 0
Wycombe (loan) 2 0
Hereford (loan) 10 1
Reading (loan) 7 0
Burnley 24 0
Chesterfield 89 2
Total 142 3
