Date / Year of birth: 7th April 1959

Position: Left-back

Season of first appearance: 1978/79

Season of last appearance: 1985/86

Also played for: Gillingham (0), Ashford Town, Canterbury City, Gravesend & Northfleet, Crawley Town, Tonbridge, Herne Bay, Chatham Town,Sittingbourne and Whitstable Town

5' 9" tall, hard-working full-back born in Gillingham who started his career in the Gills' youth team and then had a spell at Ashford before joining Canterbury in the summer of 1977.

Wayne made 35 appearances (two as sub) for City in the Southern League during the 1977/78 season and scored once, in a 6-3 defeat at home to Trowbridge on 3.12.77.

In August 1978 Wayne joined Margate and played for the reserves initially. He made his first team debut in a Southern League game at Yeovil on 11.11.78 and the Thanet Times said "he looks a natural left-back with a sound positional sense and strength in the tackle". He went on to make 30 appearances before the end of the 1978/79 campaign, occasionally playing at right-back but usually on his favoured left-hand side.

During the 1979/80 season Wayne made a further 42 appearances and played numerous games in midfield and a few at right-back. However left-back was still his primary position.

Wayne made his 100th appearance during the 1980/81 campaign, playing regularly once more and again featuring either at left-back or in midfield. However in February 1981 he left the club and joined Gravesend & Northfleet. This was due to Margate's desperate cost-cutting measures that saw several established players depart. Wayne had made 32 appearances during the season, three of them as a substitute.

After making nine appearances during a short stint with Crawley Wayne had a spell with Tonbridge before returning to Hartsdown Park to join Thanet United in October 1981. His first game back was a 4-0 defeat at Chelmsford on 19.10.81. Wayne went on to make 32 appearances before the end of the 1981/82 season and once again played at either left-back or in midfield. He managed to score three goals and Wayne's first for the club came in a 2-1 win over Salisbury on 24.4.82. The other two were both scored in a 4-3 defeat at home to Andover on 3.5.82 and one of Wayne's efforts was a shot from way outside the penalty area. Despite the last day victory United finished bottom of the Southern League Southern Division.

He stayed with Thanet for the 1982/83 campaign and missed only one match, adding another 43 appearances (one as sub) to his career tally and scoring once. Wayne began the campaign at left-back but later became a regular in midfield and even played as a striker on occasions. His barrage of shots in a 1-0 defeat against Salisbury on 5.3.83 prompted the Thanet Times to say that he had a "siege gun boot".

He was almost ever-present once again during the 1983/84 season, mostly playing in midfield, and his 47 appearances (one as sub) took him comfortably past 200 for the club. Wayne also managed to score three times during the campaign. On 28.4.84 he had an outstanding game in a sweeper role as Thanet won 3-1 at Woodford and Wayne also appeared at left-back and centre-back during the season.

During the 1984/85 campaign Wayne missed only one of Thanet's 62 games and he spent almost the whole season at left-back, apart from two early appearances in midfield. He scored once - from the penalty spot in a 2-0 home win over Dunstable at on 4.5.85. Wayne's performances earned him the club's 'Players Player of the Year' award and he was runner-up to Joe Radford for the 'Supporters Player of the Year' honour.

Wayne was as consistent as ever during the 1985/86 campaign, making 54 appearances (two as sub) to take his tally for the club past 300. He started the season at left-back but after a lengthy run there Wayne switched to right-back towards the end of 1985. He also played a few games in midfield towards the end of the season. Probably Wayne's best performance of an outstanding campaign came in a 1-0 win at Dover on 2.11.85. The Thanet Times said that he "gave absolutely nothing away". In February 1986 Thanet manager John Wickens said that Wayne had been "a solid and consistent performer for the club for five seasons" and added that he was "a smashing lad." On 4.2.86 Wayne scored his only goal of the season to earn Thanet a 1-0 win over Dover in an Eastern Floodlight Cup tie at Hartsdown and it turned out to be his last for the club. The last match of the season, a 2-0 win at Dunstable on 3.5.86, was Wayne's final game for United and his 237th as a Thanet player, a record for the club.

Before he left the club Wayne was granted a testimonial match at Hartsdown on 17.5.86. A Thanet / 1st Division X1 played a Maidstone United X1 and a bumper crowd was expected. The Thanet side included West Brom's goalkeeper Tony Godden - Wayne's brother - and internationals Derek Statham (England) and Terry Cochrane (Northern Ireland). Unfortunately for Wayne only 250 people paid for entry and at the same time the match was taking place evangelist Eric Delve was speaking to a capacity crowd in a large marquee directly adjacent to the ground. That may have influenced the attendance for Wayne's big game but he was philosophical about it, simply saying "it's a pity we couldn't have had a crowd like they've had next door".

The programme for his benefit match was full of praise for Wayne, Thanet's club president Bob Griffiths said Wayne was "always a trier and never a moaner" and that he had "proved to be a first class clubman, ever reliable". Local press legend Dave Cooper described Wayne as being a "chirpy, cheery character" and added "he would give 100% whether the game was at Wembley or John O'Groats". John Wickens had the final word - "players mainly get testimonials because of their character, friendliness and being liked by all, to me Wayne has all these qualities".

In the summer of 1986 Wayne joined Gravesend & Northfleet and he made 47 appearances (one as sub) without scoring for the Fleet during the 1986/87 season.

Just before the start of the 1987/88 campaign Wayne moved on to Herne Bay. His spell there was very brief and he only made one appearance before signing for Chatham.

Wayne left Chatham in December 1987 and joined Canterbury where he made 52 Southern League appearances (one as sub) without scoring before moving to Sittingbourne in March 1989.

Wayne stayed with the Brickies for two full seasons before leaving the club at the end of 1990/91.

In the summer of 1991 he featured in a couple of friendlies for Margate before opting to join Whitstable.

He made his debut for the Oystermen on 10.8.91 but later in August he had a short spell with Ashford where he made three appearances before returning to Belmont Road. It was the start of a long association with Whitstable. After two seasons as a player Wayne had a spell as the club's player-manager from 1993/94-1997/98 and made over 130 appearances, his last in the first team during 1996/97, before moving on.

Wayne became coach at Lordswood for the 1999/00 campaign and then took over as the Kent League club's manager during 2000/01. He was sacked in February 2002.

Wayne's younger brother Craig played in goal for Margate and Thanet United whilst Tony Godden's clubs also included Chelsea. Another younger brother called Justin played for Whitstable's youth and reserve teams during the early 1990's.

Wayne worked as an Advertising Sales Executive during his final spell at Hartsdown Park.