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The year was 2006, Steve McClaren had yet to become England manager nor been associated with umbrellas, and the Teessiders were being torn apart by a Thierry Henry-inspired Arsenal at Highbury.
Five goals down, the Boro boss spared an 18-year-old Andy Taylor any further torture and replaced him with another untested youngster for the final half-hour.
Home-grown defender, Wheater, had just a couple of minutes of first team football under his belt at the time, making a brief appearance in a 1-0 defeat at Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup.
And it was with a certain amount of trepidation he jogged on to the pitch charged with stemming the flow of goals at The Clock End.
“Thierry Henry was on fire, he was probably the best player in the world at the time,” he told The Bolton News. “I thought ‘great’ but I had to go and chase him.”
With Wheater on the field, the Gunners made it seven, including a hat-trick strike for Henry which equalled Cliff Bastin’s all-time scoring record. As baptisms go, the Bolton skipper admits it was a fiery one.
“Henry would stand there on your shoulder and Cesc Fabregas, who was about 18 at the time, could just pick out a pass and he’d be off like a shot.
“But when I came on they scored two more. I let two goals in over half an hour, so that’s a better ratio than the other lads, isn’t it?”
The thought of Henry’s searing speed was enough to make most Premier League defenders a restless night’s sleep at his pomp but Wheater, now 31, is puzzled why his own pace so frequently comes into question.
Popular console game FIFA have just released their latest statistics, which did not exactly paint him in the greatest light.
“I am gutted,” he said. “I don’t know where they come from.
“I think I look slow but I’m not. Usain Bolt doesn’t look the fastest, but he is. I’m not sure I’d fancy a race now he’s playing football. I think I’d rather mark Thierry Henry.”
After squaring off with Arsenal, Wheater’s next senior game was at the rather more ramshackle surroundings of Belle Vue, then the home of Doncaster Rovers.
Another loan spell followed at Darlington in League Two, sandwiching a late-season appearance against Wanderers where Wheater was charged with marking Kevin Davies.
Then came his big chance – and a season which would end with him sitting on the bench for England and sunbathing with Rio Ferdinand.
“In pre-season Jonathan Woodgate got injured, Robert Huth got injured, Chrs Riggott got injured and I was basically the last man standing,” he said. “There was only me left.
“I played well enough in pre-season and managed to stay in the team.”
Wheater played 157 times for Boro before his £2.3million move to Owen Coyle’s Bolton in January, 2011.
“They were about eighth in the Premier League at that point,” he points out with purpose.
“It was a great move for me at the time. Middlesbrough were in the Championship and Bolton were flying high.
“We’ve been through a lot here. I’ve played in the Premier League, gone down twice, come back up. I’d like to think we’ll get back up there one day too.”
He travels back to the Tees tonight expecting the customary warm welcome from a crowd containing plenty of family and friends and a club who still considers him ‘one of their own’ even seven years after his departure.
“It’s always great going back there,” he said. “It’s just a shame it’s a midweek game because I don’t have any time to see anyone.
“Bolton’s home for me and the family now but they usually treat me okay when I go back.”
Coincidentally, McClaren, then man who granted Wheater his debut 12 years ago, was in the opposite dugout on Saturday as Wanderers stumbled against QPR.
“It didn’t go as we planned but we’ve got two games coming up quickly to try and put things right,” he said. “It’ll be tough at Boro, they are going well. But we’ll give it our all and see what we can come back with.
“It’s great playing in your home-town ground where you watched players when you are growing up as well. It’ll always be nice going back there. It’s fantastic.”
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Five goals down, the Boro boss spared an 18-year-old Andy Taylor any further torture and replaced him with another untested youngster for the final half-hour.
Home-grown defender, Wheater, had just a couple of minutes of first team football under his belt at the time, making a brief appearance in a 1-0 defeat at Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup.
And it was with a certain amount of trepidation he jogged on to the pitch charged with stemming the flow of goals at The Clock End.
“Thierry Henry was on fire, he was probably the best player in the world at the time,” he told The Bolton News. “I thought ‘great’ but I had to go and chase him.”
With Wheater on the field, the Gunners made it seven, including a hat-trick strike for Henry which equalled Cliff Bastin’s all-time scoring record. As baptisms go, the Bolton skipper admits it was a fiery one.
“Henry would stand there on your shoulder and Cesc Fabregas, who was about 18 at the time, could just pick out a pass and he’d be off like a shot.
“But when I came on they scored two more. I let two goals in over half an hour, so that’s a better ratio than the other lads, isn’t it?”
The thought of Henry’s searing speed was enough to make most Premier League defenders a restless night’s sleep at his pomp but Wheater, now 31, is puzzled why his own pace so frequently comes into question.
Popular console game FIFA have just released their latest statistics, which did not exactly paint him in the greatest light.
“I am gutted,” he said. “I don’t know where they come from.
“I think I look slow but I’m not. Usain Bolt doesn’t look the fastest, but he is. I’m not sure I’d fancy a race now he’s playing football. I think I’d rather mark Thierry Henry.”
After squaring off with Arsenal, Wheater’s next senior game was at the rather more ramshackle surroundings of Belle Vue, then the home of Doncaster Rovers.
Another loan spell followed at Darlington in League Two, sandwiching a late-season appearance against Wanderers where Wheater was charged with marking Kevin Davies.
Then came his big chance – and a season which would end with him sitting on the bench for England and sunbathing with Rio Ferdinand.
“In pre-season Jonathan Woodgate got injured, Robert Huth got injured, Chrs Riggott got injured and I was basically the last man standing,” he said. “There was only me left.
“I played well enough in pre-season and managed to stay in the team.”
Wheater played 157 times for Boro before his £2.3million move to Owen Coyle’s Bolton in January, 2011.
“They were about eighth in the Premier League at that point,” he points out with purpose.
“It was a great move for me at the time. Middlesbrough were in the Championship and Bolton were flying high.
“We’ve been through a lot here. I’ve played in the Premier League, gone down twice, come back up. I’d like to think we’ll get back up there one day too.”
He travels back to the Tees tonight expecting the customary warm welcome from a crowd containing plenty of family and friends and a club who still considers him ‘one of their own’ even seven years after his departure.
“It’s always great going back there,” he said. “It’s just a shame it’s a midweek game because I don’t have any time to see anyone.
“Bolton’s home for me and the family now but they usually treat me okay when I go back.”
Coincidentally, McClaren, then man who granted Wheater his debut 12 years ago, was in the opposite dugout on Saturday as Wanderers stumbled against QPR.
“It didn’t go as we planned but we’ve got two games coming up quickly to try and put things right,” he said. “It’ll be tough at Boro, they are going well. But we’ll give it our all and see what we can come back with.
“It’s great playing in your home-town ground where you watched players when you are growing up as well. It’ll always be nice going back there. It’s fantastic.”
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