Background
Paul grew up in Croydon, and in 1969, Paul (along with his brother Martin) played in the final of the London FA Schools Cup, watched by Crystal Palace manager Arthur Rowe.
Paul grew up in Croydon, and in 1969, Paul (along with his brother Martin) played in the final of the London FA Schools Cup, watched by Crystal Palace manager Arthur Rowe.
Both performed well, and were taken on as apprentices. "Doris", as he was known by the fans, although his dressing room nickname was "Fish", originally began as a striker, but did not play that well in the role. In November 1976, Paul switched to playing at right-back.
Along with future England left-back Kenny Sansom, Paul shored up the Palace defence, and the club were promoted twice in three seasons, to reach the First Division in 1979.
In that season, Paul only missed one game, as Palace went up as champions. As well as this, he gained two caps for the England under-21 side.
Paul left Palace in 1983, transferring to He was the sold for a nominal sum along with Nicky Chatterton to Colchester United and then went to Non-League Dartford.
Later, he would reunite with former Palace teammate Steve Kember, as his assistant at Whyteleafe, and would become their manager after Kember left to take up a coaching role at Palace.
Paul"s family also have a strong footballing background. His father Wally was a professional football player in the 1950s & 60s, most notably at Reading and Bristol City. In 2005, Paul was named in Palace"s Centenary XI. Club.