Wes Saunders

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Wes Saunders
Personal information
Full name	Wesley Saunders
Date of birth	February 23, 1963 (1963-02-23) (age 45)
Place of birth	Sunderland, United Kingdom
Playing position	Central defender
Youth clubs
–1981	Newcastle United F.C.
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1981–1985 1985 1985–1987 1987–1990 1990–1993	Newcastle United → Bradford City (loan) Carlisle United Dundee Torquay United Spennymoor United	79 0(0) 04 0(0) 97 (11) 50 0(2) 61 0(6)
Teams managed
1998–2001	Torquay United
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Wes Saunders (born February 23, 1963) is an English former professional footballer and football club manager.

Saunders was born in Sunderland and brought up in Boldon Colliery, attending Boldon Comprehensive school. He began his career as a junior with Newcastle United, turning professional in June 1981.

Increasingly out of the first team picture at Newcastle, Saunders joined Bradford City on loan in March 1985, moving to Carlisle United for a fee of £20,000 in August 1985.

Saunders subsequently joined Dundee before joining Torquay United in July 1990 for a then club record fee of £60,000. He captained the Torquay side to promotion the following season, Torquay beating Blackpool on penalties in the play-off final at Wembley. His professional playing career was ended by a knee ligament injury just a couple years later.

On leaving Torquay he played non-league football for Spennymoor 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, after the departure of Kevin Hodges. He struggled to maintain the progress made by Hodges and in the 2000–01 season, Torquay struggled to the extent that former player Colin Lee was brought in as a consultant. Saunders was dismissed by Torquay on March 28, 2001 after a 1-0 defeat to Carlisle United F.C. the previous week had left the club at the bottom of the league and facing relegation to the Football Conference.

He subsequently became a player agent and his players included former England international Paul Gascoigne.^[1]

He is the brother-in-law of former Torquay United players Matt Elliott and Micky Holmes.

He now lives in East Boldon with his wife, Tina and two children, Lola and Harris.

[edit] References

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