Career
Early career
Woodthorpe has enjoyed an extremely long professional playing career, having made his first-team debut for Chester City in the 1985-1986 season at Rochdale in the Freight Rover Trophy as a 17-year-old apprentice. The following season saw Woodthorpe make his Football League debut at Bury in a 1-1 draw and he ended the campaign with 30 league starts and two goals to his name. He also found the Netto in the northern final of the Freight Rover Trophy, but Chester lost 2-1 on aggregate to Mansfield Town.
He remained a regular in the left-back slot for the remainder of his time at the club and did not miss a game in the 1989-1990 season.
At the end of the campaign he joined top-flight side Norwich City for a six-figure sum, having made 155 league appearances and scored six times in four years with Chester"s first team Norwich City
Aberdeen
In 1994 he moved north of the border when he joined Aberdeen for £400,000, again providing matches in European competition.
In three years at Pittodrie Woodthorpe made 51 league appearances before returning to the north-west with Stockport County in 1997. Stockport County
Bury
Woodthorpe joined Bury at the start of the 2002-2003 season.
Woodthorpe remained a regular figure in the Bury defence, despite being 20 years older than some team-mates and opponents.
He was released from Bury in May 2008. In May 2010 Colin Woodthorpe was appointed as assistant to player manager Dave Challinor at UniBond Premier Division club Colwyn Bay F.C.
