Although he was born in the north-east, it was Crystal Palace who recognised his potential and after winning England Youth honours, Terry Venables signed him to his first professional contract.
Fenwick made his league debut against Spurs in December 1977 and in two years at Selhurst Park, won three England Under-21 caps and helped Palace to the Second Division title.
He followed Venables to Queens Park Rangers, where he played against Spurs in the FA Cup Final of 1982. As a member of Rangers' Second Division championship team of 1983, he followed Venables again to White Hart Lane in December 1987. By this time, he had won nineteen full international caps and added another in February 1988 by going on as a substitute against Israel.
Although signed principally as a central defender, Fenwick's versatility saw him play at full-back, in central defence, in midfield and in a continental style sweeper's role. He broke a leg in a Littlewoods Cup match at Old Trafford in October 1989 and within a month of making a full recovery, he broke an ankle in the pre-match warm for an FA Cup tie against Pompey.
He became manager of Pompey and after finishing 21st at the end of the 1995/96 season, he, with a great deal of help from his old friend Venables, led the club to the verge of the play-offs the following season with a famous 3 - 2 victory against Leeds United in the FA Cup at Elland Road.
With the club in turmoil and deep financial crisis he was sacked in 1998 and replaced by Alan Ball.
He went on to manage Northampton Town in 2003 but lasted just seven games before being shown the door. Fenwick has spent a considerable amount of time in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago over the past few years. He has enjoyed a great degree of managerial success there, winning the country's professional football league and a variety of cups. He is currently the manager of football club CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh, in the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League.
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