As the Wembley series gears towards its conclusion, we take a look this week at the final member of the squad who made it onto the hallowed turf, Jason White.
Tall, quick(ish) and with an eye for goal (sometimes), Jason White was in and out of the team in the 1996/97 season. He ended up on the bench for the Wembley showpiece with Ian Atkins going for his trusted “big man, little man” front two of John Gayle and Neil Grayson instead.
Before joining the Cobblers, White was a trainee at Derby County but never made an appearance for the Rams. His career kicked off when he joined Scunthorpe United in 1991. Spending just over two years with the club, White hit 18 goals, before being released on a free transfer and joining Scarborough in December 1993.
Hitting 20 goals in 60 league starts for the club, White alerted the attention of Ian Atkins, who paid £35,000 for his services in 1995 to bring the front man to Sixfields. I remember White not as a spectacular player or a big talent but he got the job done, put himself about and scored the odd crucial goal for us. He was exactly the type of player Atkins wanted at the club and it was a bit of a shame that White, like Larry, never really got a chance at the higher level.
White initially left the club on a month long loan deal as the arrivals of David Seal and Chris Freestone the following season pushed him down the pecking order at Sixfields. The loan took him to Rotherham United and after a successful period with the Millers, he joined them permanently in a £25,000 deal.
White spent three seasons at Millmoor but when they reached League One by finishing in second place (a place above our good selves) in 2000, he was again denied the opportunity to play in the higher league. White was released and joined Cheltenham Town but made just 8 starts before ending his career with a loan spell at Mansfield Town.
White reappeared in town for the Andy Woodman benefit match a couple of weeks ago.
Next week we tie up the Wembley series with the focus turning to manager Ian Atkins!
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