*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 Manning
Appearances: 86+10 Goals: 13
Date / Year of birth: 21st January 1974
Position: Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 1994/95
Season of last appearance: 1995/96
Also played for: Canterbury City, Millwall (1+1,0), Farnborough Town, Slough Town, Fisher Athletic (London), Sporting Kristina (Finland), Dover Athletic, Folkestone Invicta, Tonbridge Angels, Havant & Waterlooville, Herne Bay and Sittingbourne
Left-footed London-born player who was Thanet United Under-12's 'Player of the Year' for the 1985/86 season and later played for Canterbury's youth team, appearing for them during 1989/90.
Paul joined Millwall for the 1990/91 season and was a member of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 1991 with a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. During the 1992/93 campaign he made his first team debut as a substitute in an Anglo-Italian Cup tie at Portsmouth on 29.9.92 that ended in a 1-1 draw. Paul replaced Ian Dawes at left-back after 79 minutes.
In February 1993 he was loaned to Farnborough where he made 18 appearances without scoring before going back to Millwall just before the end of the season.
On 8.5.93, a few days after returning from Farnborough, Paul made his second senior appearance when he started at right-back as Millwall went down 3-0 at home to Bristol Rovers in a league game - the last ever match at the original Den ground. He played for the first hour before being substituted.
In November 1993 Paul was loaned to Slough and the move soon became permanent when he was released by Millwall a few weeks into his loan spell. A Slough fanzine was named 'Banging With Manning' in his honour but Paul was released by the club at the end of the 1993/94 campaign.
In the summer of 1994 he signed for Margate aged 20 and made his debut in a 3-1 win over Bashley at Hartsdown Park on 20.8.94, the opening day of the 1994/95 season. Paul was a regular in midfield, usually on the left side, from then on. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said he was "a key figure" in a 1-0 win over Wealdstone at Yeading on 24.8.94 and on 4.10.94 Paul scored his first goal in a 5-1 win at Fisher. In December 1994 he fell out of favour for a few weeks but Paul regained his place by the end of the month and scored again in a 7-3 home win over Tonbridge on 2.1.95. After missing two matches in March Paul returned to play at right-back in a 2-0 defeat at Havant on 22.3.95 and his next six appearances were all in the number two shirt. He then reverted to his favoured midfield role for three games, the last of which was a 2-2 draw at Poole on 22.4.95. Paul didn't feature in Margate's last four matches and finished the campaign having scored twice in 47 appearances (six as sub).
Paul was appointed as Margate's captain for the start of the 1995/96 season and he was a fixture in the midfield, always wearing the number eight shirt. On 2.9.95 he scored his first goal in a 1-1 draw with Cinderford at Hartsdown and the Thanet Times said Paul was "instrumental" during the match. The paper later said he "excelled" in a 2-2 home draw with Newport IOW on 25.11.95 and by the end of 1995 Paul had scored six goals. He was on target again in a 6-0 win over Poole at Hartsdown on 6.1.96 and the Times said the strike "capped an intelligent display". Paul scored his 11th and final goal of the season in a 3-1 defeat at Sittingbourne on 8.4.96 and when he played in a 2-1 defeat at Fareham on 4.5.96 it was his last game for Margate. Paul had made 49 appearances (four as sub) during 1995/96 but after failing to break into the first team during the early weeks of the 1996/97 season he joined Fisher in October 1996.
He went on to spend almost three years with Fisher and in the summer of 1998 Paul also played in Finland for minor club Sporting Kristina.
Just after the start of the 1999/00 season Paul joined Dover on a free transfer and made three substitute appearances for them in the Conference before leaving the club to join Folkestone at the end of September 1999.
A few weeks later Paul moved on to Tonbridge and after making 11 appearances without scoring for the Angels he signed for Havant & Waterlooville towards the end of the 1999/00 campaign.
In the summer of 2000 Paul rejoined Fisher and spent over two years there before linking up with Herne Bay, initially on loan, in October 2002.
Paul later became Herne Bay's captain and at the start of 2004 he moved on to Sittingbourne. He left the Brickies at the end of the 2004/05 and retired from senior football aged 31.
Paul played for Westbrook Social Club in the Thanet Sunday Football League during the 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons and his son Charlie was playing in local youth football at that time.
In 2008 Paul was living in Margate and working as a window cleaner.
During the 2010/11 season he played for Coastal Data Systems in the Thanet Sunday Football League.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1994/95 (MFC) |
41 (55) |
6 |
2 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (13TH OF 22) |
3QR |
1QR |
3R |
2R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1995/96 (MFC) |
45 (51) |
4 |
11 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (11TH OF 22) |
2QR |
1QR |
2R |
1R |