Tony Dinning

Early career and Stockport County

Dinning began his career at Newcastle United in 1993 after coming through Wallsend Boys Club.^[3] During his time at the club, he was loaned out to the Swedish team Djurgården in a player exchange program, where his first game ended in him producing an own goal. Dinning failed to make an appearance for Newcastle before being released. He joined Stockport County after his release in June 1994. He played twenty league games in County's Second Division promotion-winning 1996–97 campaign. County also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup, where he was sent off in a defeat to Middlesbrough.^[4] He cemented his place in the Edgeley Park first XI throughout their subsequent First Division campaigns, culminating in him picking up the Player of the Season award for the 1999–2000 season,^[5] in what turned out to be his final season with the club. On 7 December 1999, he scored a penalty kick to secure Stockport their first win over Manchester City at Maine Road.^[4] He played 219 games for the club and scored 28 goals, 13 of which came in the 1999–2000 season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In September 2000, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £700,000.^[6] However, the 2000–01 season was not a success and manager Colin Lee was sacked in December.^[4] Dinning remained at Molineux for less than a year; ironically, it was his former Stockport manager Dave Jones who decided he had no future at Wolves and sold him to Paul Jewell's Wigan Athletic for £750,000.^[7][8]

Wigan Athletic

Finding his form at Wigan,^[3] he was still soon loaned out to fellow Second Division side Stoke City for the closing months of the 2001–02 campaign,^[9] where he played in their play-off final triumph over Brentford. He returned to his parent club the following season, and played 44 games, helping them to win promotion as champions. However, he found himself out of favour in Wigan's subsequent second tier seasons, leading to loan spells at Walsall,^[10] Blackpool (who he captained^[11]),^[12] Ipswich Town,^[13] and finally, Bristol City,^[14] whom he eventually joined on a free transfer.^[15] At Blackpool he started the final as Blackpool won the 2003–04 Football League Trophy with a 2–0 victory over Southend United at the Millennium Stadium.^[16]

Bristol City, Port Vale and return to Stockport

With just twenty appearances, his time with Bristol City proved short-lived, and he moved to Port Vale on loan at the end of the 2004–05 season,^[17] signing permanently the following summer.^[18] He played 41 games in the 2005–06 campaign, also taking up the captain's armband.^[3] In May 2006, he agreed a deal to re-join former club Stockport County.^[19] Manager Jim Gannon described Dinning as a "born leader", and utilized him in 32 league games.^[3]

Chester City

In August 2007, Dinning had his contract with Stockport cancelled by mutual agreement,^[20] due to lack of first-team opportunities.^[21] After a month spent training with Chester City, he finally joined on 5 October 2007.^[22] He made his debut two days later in a 3–1 win over Shrewsbury Town and scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot in Chester's 1–0 win at Lincoln City the following month. Later in the season, Dinning and teammate, Paul Butler, became embroiled in a dispute with the club and manager Simon Davies.^[23] He remained at the club into 2008–09. However, Dinning was restricted to just two appearances in the opening half of the campaign, including a sending off shortly after coming on in a 1–0 defeat at AFC Bournemouth.^[24] He was allowed to join Scottish Premier League side Inverness Caledonian Thistle on trial in January 2009.^[25] He joined Conference National club, Grays Athletic on loan on 24 February 2009.^[26] On 26 March 2009, Dinning joined Conference North side Gateshead on loan until the end of the season.^[27]

Later career

After being released by Chester in May 2009, he joined Hednesford Town in the Southern Football League Premier Division, but soon left for Conference North club Stafford Rangers after Hednesford manager Dean Edwards left the club.^[28] He got into a car accident in December, and was sidelined for a few weeks due to a whiplash injury he sustained.^[29] Captaining the side for a handful of games when Nick Wellecomme was absent,^[30] he fell out of favour by the end of the season,^[31] after missing a penalty in an "embarrassing" ten men defeat to ten-man Ilkeston.^[32] Dinning left the club in the summer after falling out with manager Mark Wright.^[33]

In July 2010, he joined Midland Football Alliance club Bridgnorth Town as a player-coach, working under Lee Mills.^[34] Making 13 appearances for Bridgnorth,^[35] at the end of their first season the pair quit the club, citing a wish to move on to a new challenge.^[36]