Biography
Pacy wide man Gavin Whyte joined the Tigers on a six month loan in January 2021 to replace the departed Hakeeb Adelakun and broaden the choices available to Grant McCann as he plotted an immediate return to the Championship. He quickly showed his class to the extent that when he was missing through injury for three weeks, City’s goal count plummeted temporarily. He returned in March and scored a brace in an important win against Bristol Rovers that continued a three match winning run, then played a vital role as City surged to the League One title in May 2021.
Gavin Whyte was born in Belfast and came through the youth team system at Belfast-based Northern Ireland Football League side Crusaders. He made his senior debut in April 2014 and for the four seasons he was a first team regular for The Crues. Crusaders lifted the NIFL title three times in this period, in 2015, 2016 and 2018, and Whyte’s goals and assists were a key part of those successes. Gavin won several player of the year awards at club and league-wide levels and in 2017/18, amid interest from high profile clubs in Scotland and England, he struck 21 league goals. When he left Crusaders in July 2018 he had scored 44 goals in 134 appearances.
In July 2018 Whyte moved to League 1 side Oxford United and he played regularly for the U’s in 2018/19 season, scoring four goals in his first 7 appearances and ending the season with nine strikes in 47 appearances across all competitions including a fine hattrick in an April 2019 3-2 victory over Shrewsbury. In January 2019 he was warned by the Police for flashing his tackle in public while inebriated on the streets of Belfast, a moment that caused him little lasting damage beyond the crashing shame and embarrassment of appearing in the press for non-footballing reasons.
In July 2019 Cardiff City paid more than a million pounds for Whyte and in his first season with the Bluebirds he made 30 appearances, often as substitute. He made just seven appearances for Cardiff in 2020/21 season prior to his move to the Tigers.
After rumours of a permanent switch to Hull City abounded during the summer of 2021, the Tigers looked elsewhere and Whyte re-joined Oxford United in July 2021 on a season long loan. He scored one goal in 39 appearances for the U’s during the 2021/22 season before returning to Cardiff City, where he scored once in 16 appearances during the 2022/23 season. When his contract with Cardiff City expired in July 2023 Whyte had scored two goals in 53 appearances for the Bluebirds.
In July 2023 Whyte signed a two year deal with League One side Portsmouth, quickly becoming a first team regular and scoring his first goal for Pompey against AFC Wimbledon in December 2023. He ended his first season at Fratton Park with a League One title winners’ medal, scoring once in 33 appearances. In August 2024 he left Portsmouth by mutual consent.
Whyte was awarded the first of his seven Northern Ireland under-21 caps in October 2015 against North Macedonia. This led to his first cap for the senior team in September 2018 in a 3-0 friendly victory against Israel – Whyte came on as a second half substitute for Will Grigg and hit his first international goal within two minutes. By 2021 he had won 15 international caps for Northern Ireland and scored two goals.
Details
Nationality: Northern Ireland
Date/Place of Birth: 31 January 1996, Belfast
Hull City First Game: 16 January 2021, Blackpool H (League One), 24 years, 351 days old
Hull City Final Game: 9 May 2021, Charlton Athletic A (League One), 25 years, 98 days old
Clubs
Crusaders (2014-2018), Oxford United (2018-2019), Cardiff City (2019-2023), Hull City (2021, loan), Oxford United (2021-2022, loan), Portsmouth (2023-2024)
Hull City Record
Career: 20 apps, 4 goals
Gavin Whyte| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 10 (10) | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |