David Flitcroft

Preston North End

Born in Bolton, Lancashire, Flitcroft spent time as a child with Manchester City before he began an apprenticeship with Preston North End at the age of 14. He signed professional forms with the club in May 1992. He made his debut the following season at Deepdale under caretaker manager Sam Allardyce. He was to spend the season briefly involved in the first-team, but instead had a brief loan spell with Lincoln City and was then allowed to join Chester City in December 1993.

Chester City

Flitcroft made eight appearances as Chester pipped Preston to promotion from the Third Division at the end of the 1993–94 season. He credited the competitive dressing room spirit put together by manager Graham Barrow with getting the club over the line. However, the "Seals" lasted just one season in the Second Division and were relegated at the end of the 1994–95 campaign. Flitcroft was a regular in the Chester midfield under manager Kevin Ratcliffe, who took the club to an eighth-place finish in 1995–96. He underwent operations on his knee in October and December 1995 and signed a 12-month contract extension in March 1996. Flitcroft scored six goals in 34 games during the 1996–97 season, as Chester reached play-offs, though lost out to Swansea City at the semi-final stage. He signed a new two-year contract in May 1997. He featured 49 times in the 1997–98 campaign, scoring five goals, though the club dropped down to 14th-place. He won the Away Travellers…

Flitcroft was a tough-tackling midfielder. His limited skill set meant he rarely featured above the fourth tier, though his work rate and consistency kept him in the professional game. He was nicknamed "Flicker".

Barnsley

On 1 June 2011, Flitcroft was appointed assistant manager at Barnsley, following manager Keith Hill from Rochdale to Oakwell. He was made caretaker-manager of Barnsley after Hill was sacked on 29 December 2012. He said "Hilly getting sacked... really floored me" and that he had intended to leave but Hill persuaded him to stay on as caretaker as the two men remained close friends. After two wins in three games as caretaker manager, Flitcroft was appointed to the position permanently on 13 January. The club had come close to appointing Sean O'Driscoll and Terry Butcher but resorted to Flitcroft after those negotiations broke down. Promising centre-back John Stones was sold to Everton at the end of the month. Flitcroft brought in striker Jason Scotland, who had secured his release from Ipswich Town, and signed Chris O'Grady on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, who would later be signed permanently for £300,000. The "Tykes" reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they were beaten 5–0 by Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium, with Carlos Tevez scoring a hat-trick. Flitcroft guided Barnsley to Championship safety on the final game of the 2012–13 season with a 2–2 draw at Huddersfield Town and stated that it was "Mission Impossible achieved". In addition to O'Grady, Flitcroft spent £250,000 on Dale Jennings from Bayern Munich II in June 2013. Included in his free signings were Lewin Nyatanga, Jean-Yves Mvoto and Marcus Pedersen, whilst Paddy…

Flitcroft has been described as "creative... articulate, engaging and big on lateral thinking", citing Steve Jobs as an influence. He has great attention to detail and is not afraid to challenge upper management. He is flexible in his use of formations. He has a reputation for playing attractive football. He likes to create a family atmosphere at his clubs, motivating the dressing room by creating a close bond between players.