| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wesley Saunders[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-02-23)23 February 1963 (age 62)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Sunderland,[1] England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1981 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1985 | Newcastle United | 79 | (0) |
| 1985 | →Bradford City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1985–1988 | Carlisle United | 97 | (11) |
| 1988–1990 | Dundee | 50 | (2) |
| 1990–1993 | Torquay United | 61 | (6) |
| Spennymoor United | |||
| Total | 291 | (19) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1991–1992 | Torquay United (caretaker) | ||
| 1998–2001 | Torquay United | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Wesley Saunders (born 23 February 1963) is an English former professionalfootball player andmanager, who played as acentral defender. He played forNewcastle United,Bradford City,Carlisle United andTorquay United inthe Football League andDundee in theScottish Football League. He later managedTorquay United from 1998 to 2001.
Saunders was born inSunderland and brought up inEast Boldon, attendingBoldon Comprehensive School. He began his career as a junior withNewcastle United, turning professional in June 1981.
Increasingly out of the first team picture atNewcastle United, Saunders joinedBradford City on loan in March 1985, moving toCarlisle United for a fee of £20,000 in August 1985.
Saunders subsequently joinedDundee before joiningTorquay United in July 1990 for a then club record fee of £60,000. He captained theTorquay United side to promotion the following season,Torquay United beatingBlackpool on penalties in the play-off final at Wembley. The following season he had a lengthy spell as caretaker manager of the team following the sacking ofJohn Impey, and reverted to his playing role upon the appointment ofIvan Golac as manager. His professional playing career was ended by a knee ligament injury just a couple years later.
On leavingTorquay United he played non-league football forSpennymoor United and went on to play for and coach a number of non-league sides in the north east of England while working in his family's textile firm.
In summer 1998, Saunders became manager of Torquay United, this time on a permanent basis, after the departure ofKevin Hodges. He struggled to maintain the progress made by Hodges and in the 2000–01 season, Torquay struggled to the extent that former playerColin Lee was brought in as a consultant. Saunders was dismissed by Torquay on 28 March 2001 after a 1–0 defeat to Carlisle United the previous week had left the club at the bottom of the league and facing relegation to theFootball Conference.
He subsequently became a player agent and his players included formerEngland internationalPaul Gascoigne.[3]