*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 Pilkington
Appearances: 106+15 Goals: 12
Date / Year of birth: 7th November 1971
Position: Left-back / Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 1996/97
Season of last appearance: 1998/99
Also played for: Southend United, Maldon Town, Great Wakering Rovers, Dover Athletic and Chelmsford City
Versatile left-sided player who started his career in Southend's youth set-up and played for the Essex representative side before dropping into non-league football to join Maldon.
Paul moved on to Great Wakering for the start of the 1992/93 season and spent three years there before being signed by Dover in September 1995.
He made 30 appearances for Dover during 1995/96, scoring twice, and played three more times at the start of 1996/97 before joining Margate on loan in October 1996.
Paul made his debut in the number three shirt as Margate won 3-0 at Fareham on 26.10.96 and the Thanet Times said he was "a pillar of strength at left-back". He was a fixture in the side over the weeks that followed and on 30.11.96 Paul scored his first goal in a 2-0 win over Fareham at Hartsdown Park.
In December 1996 his transfer became permanent and Paul continued to impress for the remainder of the campaign with his sound defensive work and willingness to join in with attacking play. On 5.4.97 he scored twice in a 3-0 home win over Fleet and the Thanet Times described his first strike as "a gem of a goal". The paper elaborated "the defender latched on to the ball a few yards outside the area and his left-footed cannonball probably decapitated a few daisies before zooming into the net". Paul finished the season having scored four times in 28 appearances (one as sub).
He played as a centre-back in the first league game of the 1997/98 campaign - a 1-1 draw with Trowbridge at Hartsdown Park on 16.8.97 - but Paul was then an unused substitute for Margate's next four matches. He made three sub appearances at the start of September and the Thanet Times said he was a "good prompter" in midfield after coming on in a 3-1 win at Weston-Super-Mare on 20.9.97. On 23.9.97 Paul made his first start for over a month when he wore the number eleven shirt in a 2-0 home win over Baldock and on 27.9.97 he scored twice in a 4-0 win over Harrow in an FA Cup tie at Hartsdown Park. He was a regular in midfield for the next few months and on 16.11.97 Paul played as Margate lost 2-1 at home to Fulham in an FA Cup 1st Round tie that was shown live on Sky Sports.
On 29.11.97 he played up front in an FA Trophy tie at Corby and scored in a 2-2 draw. Paul was also on target with what the Isle of Thanet Gazette called "a thumping drive" as Margate drew 1-1 at Erith & Belvedere on 27.1.98. However in February 1998 he fell out favour and during the closing months of the season Paul was often used as a substitute.
On 7.4.98 he came off the bench as Margate beat Redditch 2-0 in the 1st Leg of the Southern League Cup Final at Hartsdown Park and Paul also featured as a sub as Margate beat Gravesend & Northfleet 1-0 at Stonebridge Road on 4.5.98 to win the Kent Senior Cup. He made a total of 53 appearances (14 as sub) and scored four goals during the campaign.
Paul was used as something of a utility player at the start of the 1998/99 season and in his first eight appearances up to the end of September 1998 he played in four different positions - centre-back, left-back, right-back and midfield. At the start of October Paul settled into the number eleven shirt and from then on he was a fixture in the engine room of the Margate side.
On 28.11.98 he scored his first goal of the season in a 6-0 thrashing of Corby at Hartsdown Park. It was a brilliant strike as Paul picked the ball up on the halfway line and ran forward before smashing a dipping 25-yarder into the net. He then scored twice in a 6-1 win at St.Leonards on 19.12.98 and his second goal was a superb diving header. The Thanet Times said Paul had a "good game" in a 1-0 win at Yate on 6.2.99 and on 6.3.99 he scored in a 2-1 win at Fleet. On 10.4.99 Paul wore the number ten shirt in a crucial top-of-the-table clash with Havant & Waterlooville at Hartsdown Park that Margate won 2-0 but he suffered an ankle injury that ended his season prematurely. He missed the last six games of the campaign as Margate secured promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League and finished with a record of four goals from forty appearances.
Paul stayed with the club for the start of the 1999/00 season but couldn't break into the first team and a few weeks into the new campaign he decided to rejoin Great Wakering.
At the start of 2000 Paul moved on to Chelmsford and after making four appearances for the Clarets he linked up with Maldon where he finished the 1999/00 season.
In July 2000 Paul went back to Great Wakering for a third spell but injuries restricted him to just 12 appearances (four as sub) during the 2000/01 and 2001/02 campaigns. He then made 30 appearances (five as sub) during 2002/03 before leaving the club during the 2003/04 season and dropping out of senior football.
Paul returned to Great Wakering for the start of the 2005/06 campaign but didn't play for the first team and soon retired having made a total of 224 appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals.
In April 2010 Paul played for Dover's veterans side in the Isthmian League Veterans Cup and shortly afterwards he turned out for a Great Wakering veterans side in a charity match.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
KSC |
KLC |
KSS |
|
|
1996/97 (MFC) |
27 (48) |
1 |
4 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 22) |
PR |
1QR |
2R |
1R |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1997/98 (MFC) |
39 (67) |
14 |
4 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (6TH OF 22) |
1R |
2R |
W |
W |
|
Played in FA Cup 1st
Round (16.11.97 - lost 2-1 to Fulham at home).
Played (as sub) in Southern League Cup Final 1st Leg (07.04.98 - beat Redditch United 2-0 at home). Played (as sub) in Kent Senior Cup Final (04.05.98 - won 1-0 at Gravesend & Northfleet). | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
SLCH | |
|
1998/99 (MFC) |
40 (50) |
0 |
4 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (2ND OF 22) |
PR |
2R |
1R |
SF |
RU |
Margate promoted to
Southern League Premier
Division. | |||||||||