Former Birmingham City, Fulham and Hull star sacked by non-league club after just 48 days

Former Birmingham City goalkeeper David Stockdale has been relieved of his duties as manager of Blyth Spartans.

Blyth was Stockdale's first job in management, having left York City in the summer where he worked as head of recruitment. Stockdale was first appointed as assistant manager to ex-Aston Villa midfielder Nolberto Solano but he was sacked, and Stockdale replaced him on a caretaker basis before getting the job permanently in mid-September.

Since getting the job permanently, Stockdale oversaw seven consecutive defeats, where they were eliminated from the FA Cup, FA Trophy, and the Northumberland Senior Cup. The Northumberland outfit sit rock bottom of English football's seventh tier, having only fallen out of the National League North last season.

Yesterday (October 31) it was announced that the club's chairman Irfan Liaquat was selling the club. Local businessman Martin Trinder will take on the reigns, and as a result, Stockdale along with former Leicester City forward Steve Howard have departed the club.

“Gutted to have been SACKED,” he said in a passionate post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Not what I wanted or worked for.

“It’s been a great time me and worked with some great people. Hopefully I can try somewhere else. I wish @Blyth_Spartans all the best but more so the staff and players I had while there. Truly great people.”

Stockdale had a playing career that spanned 21-years. For those that need reminding of his time at Birmingham City, he was signed in 2017, having helped Brighton & Hove Albion win promotion. Harry Redknapp signed him but he would only be his manager until mid-September before Steve Cotterill and then Garry Monk took the reins.

He would turn out 40 times in total for the club, and had loan spells with Southend United, Wycombe Wanderers, and Coventry City. Stockdale departed in 2020 to join the Chairboys, and helped play a part in their promotion to the Championship. The other teams in his career include Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Fulham, and a few others.