*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Paul Bagley
Appearances: 54+4 Goals: 12
Date / Year of birth: 11th July 1964
Position: Centre-back / Striker
Season of first appearance: 1983/84
Season of last appearance: 1986/87
Also played for: Dover, Folkestone, Whitstable Town, Ramsgate, Ashford Town, Hastings Town, Herne Bay, Canterbury City, Sheppey United, Chatham Town and Deal Town
Versatile Dover-born player who began his career with Dover, first appearing in their reserves as a 15 year-old during the 1979/80 season. Paul then joined Folkestone for 1981/82 but returned to Dover for the 1982/83 campaign.
In the summer of 1983 Paul joined Whitstable but after only a few months there he was on the move again.
He signed for Thanet United in December 1983 and made his debut in a 1-0 win over Hillingdon at Hartsdown on 10.12.83. Paul played in a sweeper role and in the eyes of the Thanet Times he turned in a "thoroughly promising display". United manager John Wickens was also pleased with Paul's performance and said "he looked as though he had been playing Southern League football for years...I was tremendously impressed." Paul then became a fixture in Thanet's defence before a knee injury ruled him out for two months. He returned for one match in April 1984 but the injury flared up again and finished Paul's season. He'd made a total of 11 appearances during the 1983/84 campaign.
Paul stayed with United for the 1984/85 season and after nearly six months out injured he made a comeback in the reserves in September 1984. Paul came on as a substitute but was carried off after only a minute with a recurrence of his knee problem. The injury ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
The 1985/86 season saw Paul regain full fitness and he enjoyed an excellent campaign. He returned to the first team for a 2-0 win over Hastings at Hartsdown on 5.10.85 and had a fine game at centre-back. It was his first game in the senior side since April 1984 and the Thanet Times said that Paul was "particularly dominant in the air" and "certainly merits an extended run in the first X1". Thanet manager John Wickens said that Paul "did very well".
He became a regular in the United side and on 23.11.85 Paul was switched to an attacking role for a game at Corinthian due to Karl Lloyd being injured. The match finished 0-0 but Paul did well enough for the experiment to be repeated and he wore the number nine shirt again for Thanet's next game - an Eastern Floodlight Cup tie at home to Sittingbourne on 26.11.85. Paul scored twice, his first ever goals for the club, as United ran out 4-0 winners and it was the start of a great run for him. Between 26.11.85 and 11.1.86 he scored 11 goals in 11 games as a striker, including a hat-trick as United drew 3-3 with Tonbridge in an Floodlight Cup tie at Hartsdown on 10.12.85. One of Paul's goals was an excellent volley. It was the only the second ever hat-trick for a Thanet player and the first by a home player at Hartsdown since December 1980.
According to the Isle of Thanet Gazette Paul "pounced like a ferret on a rabbit to turn the ball into the net" in a 3-1 win over Tonbridge at Hartsdown on 18.3.86 but it was his last goal of the season. During the closing months of the campaign he had a few games back in defence and he ended the season having scored 12 goals in 42 appearances (one as sub).
At the start of the 1986/87 campaign Paul found it difficult to break into the team and he only made one substitute appearance in United's first five games of the season. He made his first full appearance of the season on 6.9.86 when he played at centre-back in a 0-0 draw at Erith & Belvedere and the Thanet Times said that Paul "performed admirably". He also played in an Eastern Floodlight Cup tie at home to Tonbridge a few days later but it was Paul's last start for Thanet. After making two further substitute appearances, the last of them on 23.9.86 in a 3-1 Southern League Cup win over Canterbury at Hartsdown, Paul left the club and crossed Thanet to join Ramsgate.
He made an immediate impact at Southwood and in October 1986 the Isle of Thanet Gazette said that Paul was "proving a real capture" for the Rams. He stayed with Ramsgate until July 1988 when he joined Ashford.
Paul spent almost two full seasons with the Nuts & Bolts, scoring once in 77 Southern League appearances. He was also on target in an FA Trophy win over Margate in October 1989.
In May 1990 Paul joined Hastings Town for a brief spell before moving to Herne Bay for the 1990/91 campaign.
His next move took him to Canterbury and Paul spent the 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1993/94 seasons with City, winning the club's 'Player of the Year' award in the first two of those.
Sheppey was Paul's next port of call and he played for them during the 1994/95 and 1995/96 campaigns before linking up with Chatham for the 1996/97 season. Paul won the 'Manager's Player of the Year' award there and then joined Deal in the summer of 1997.
In the early 2000's Paul's son Nick had spells at Chelsea and Fulham as a youth player before moving on to Paul's first club Dover. In January 2006 Nick followed in his father's footsteps by signing for Ramsgate after a short period with Hastings United. Nick then joined Margate for the start of the 2006/07 season and made his first team debut in October 2006.
Paul's nephew Grant was at Dover during 2006/07 and later played for Deal.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1983/84 (TUFC) |
11 (49) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (18TH OF 20) |
2QR |
1QR |
3R |
2R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1985/86 (TUFC) |
41 (59) |
1 |
12 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (15TH OF 21) |
1QR |
PR |
GR |
1R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1986/87 (TUFC) |
2 (53) |
0 |
3 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (10TH OF 20) |
PR |
1QR |
GR |
1R |
GR |