Date / Year of birth: 8th November 1976

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1996/97

Season of last appearance: 2001/02

Also played for: Gillingham (0), Welling United, Folkestone Invicta, Herne Bay, Dover Athletic and Dartford

Effervescent whole-hearted striker widely known as 'Syko' who played for Kent Schools as a youth alongside future Margate player Jon Monteath before starting his senior career with Gillingham as a trainee.

Paul scored 15 goals for the Gills' youth team during the 1992/93 campaign before suffering a double fracture of an arm in March 1993 and his tally included five in a Kent Under-16's cup tie. He spent two more seasons with Gillingham and on 4.8.94 Paul scored twice as the Gills drew 3-3 in a friendly with Margate at Hartsdown Park. One goal was a 25-yarder and the other a 35-yard free-kick. He was released at the end of 1994/95 having never played for the first team.

Paul joined Welling for the start of the 1995/96 campaign and scored twice in seven appearances for the Wings during the season. He also had a loan spell with Folkestone where he scored once in four appearances. Paul was released by Welling in the summer of 1996.

He linked up with Margate ahead of the 1996/97 campaign and was one of new manager Chris Kinnear's first signings for the club. Paul made an early impression when he was sent off during a friendly at Ramsgate in July 1996 after a clash with former Thanet United player Chris Thomas. Paul had earlier scored in a game that finished 3-3.

He made his competitive debut in a 4-1 win over Yate at Hartsdown Park on 17.8.96 and scored what the Thanet Times called "a grand goal". His fellow striker Martin Buglione bagged a hat-trick and it was the start of a great partnership in which Paul's determination and aerial power perfectly complimented Buglione's pace and skill. Paul scored again in Margate's next match - a 3-2 win at Fisher on 20.8.96 - and then notched a brace in a 3-1 home win against Erith & Belvedere on 26.8.96 to take his tally to four goals in his first four games. The Isle of Thanet Gazette described him as being "a lanky livewire".

On 21.9.96 Paul was sent off for a second bookable offence just 52 minutes into a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Witney and with a ban still pending for his pre-season dismissal the Thanet Times said he "needed another red card like a hole in the head". Paul was suspended for one match for the Witney incident and then sat out four games in October and November as a punishment for his red card at Ramsgate in July.

On 2.12.96 Paul appeared at Thanet Court charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. On the way home after a game at Hartsdown Park in October he'd written-off his car after driving into a field near Ramsgate. Paul had waited for the police to arrive and admitted his guilt in court. He was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £300 with £50 costs. To add insult to injury the scrap value of his car was only £25. The local press reported that Paul was living on his Margate earnings of £70.80 per week at the time.

On 7.12.96 Paul quickly put his off-field troubles to one side in emphatic fashion by scoring both goals in a 2-1 win at league leaders Havant. The second was a stunning effort from fully 30 yards that the Thanet Times described as "a gem of a strike". On 21.12.96 he was on target in a 2-0 win over Forest Green at Hartsdown Park and celebrated his goal by sitting on Buglione's back and puffing on an imaginary cigar in front of the delighted Margate supporters. Paul was rapidly establishing himself as something of a cult hero for 'Gate fans. He continued to score regularly, often with his head, and on 15.4.97 Paul bagged a hat-trick in a 6-0 win at Fleet. Buglione also got three in a match that confirmed the quality of their striking partnership. Paul scored two more in a 3-1 home win over Cinderford on 19.4.97 and ended the season with an impressive record of 20 goals from 41 appearances (one as sub).

In an interview with the short-lived sports newspaper The Far Post ahead of the 1997/98 campaign Margate manager Chris Kinnear said Paul "had the heart of a lion" and added "Paul Sykes is only just twenty, and he's a good player. He looks a bit sharper this year. He makes a few mistakes, but he's only twenty - he's not twenty six, and he's so committed to Margate, and to football. He's a great player to have in the squad".

Paul's younger brother Peter joined Margate for 1997/98 and Paul started the new season in great form. On 16.8.97 he found the net with what the Thanet Times said was an "excellent strike" in a 1-1 draw with Trowbridge at Hartsdown Park - it was a low drive from just inside the penalty area. He scored in Margate's next two games as well and on 11.10.97 Paul was booked for what the Thanet Times called "a senseless foul" on the opposing goalkeeper during a 2-1 home win over Deal in the FA Cup. On 18.10.97 Paul scored twice in a 5-1 win at Whyteleafe with Martin Buglione getting the other three goals and in its report on a 3-1 win over Staines at Chertsey in an FA Cup tie on 24.10.97 the Thanet Times described Paul as being a "Hartsdown icon". He scored one of the goals and made another as Margate made it through to the 1st Round for the first time in 25 years. On 28.10.97 Paul scored twice in a 4-0 home win over Tonbridge and he marked his 21st birthday on 8.11.97 by being booked for what the Thanet Times said was a "needless foul" on Waterlooville's keeper as Margate beat the Hampshire side 3-2 at Hartsdown Park.

On 16.11.97 he played as Margate lost 2-1 to visitors Fulham in the FA Cup 1st Round. The match was shown live on Sky Sports and Paul unfortunately missed a good chance to level the tie in the closing minutes.

He kept up an impressive strike rate as the season progressed and on 8.12.97 Paul scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 home win over Corby in the FA Trophy. He scored his 19th and 20th goals of the campaign in a 4-0 win over visitors St.Leonards Stamcroft on 6.1.98 and notched up another double to earn Margate a 2-0 win over Weymouth at Hartsdown Park on 24.1.98. The Thanet Times said they were "two superbly headed goals". On 3.2.98 Paul scored twice in a 2-1 home win over Cambridge City and on 7.2.98 he scored with a brilliant 30-yard lob in a 2-0 win over visitors Havant before being carried off with a knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for five matches.

After regaining his fitness Paul scored in a 4-0 win at Cinderford on 28.3.98 and on 31.3.98 he notched up his 30th goal of the season to earn Margate a 1-0 home win over Gillingham in the semi-final of the Kent Senior Cup. On 7.4.98 he was on target as Margate beat Redditch 2-0 in the 1st Leg of the Southern League Cup Final at Hartsdown Park and Paul also played in the 2nd Leg on 21.4.98 which the home side won 1-0. That result meant that Margate claimed the trophy with a 2-1 aggregate victory.

He took his goal tally to 32 with a strike in a 3-1 home win over Clevedon on 25.4.98 and on 4.5.98 Paul featured as Margate beat Gravesend & Northfleet 1-0 at Stonebridge Road to win the Kent Senior Cup. He ended the campaign having made a total of 59 appearances (four as sub) and Paul's 32 goals meant that he edged out Martin Buglione by a single goal to finish the campaign as Margate's top scorer. Paul and Buglione had scored 110 times between them in two seasons together but his fellow striker left the club in the summer of 1998.

In May 1998 Paul signed a long-term contract and during the summer he had a minor knee operation. In August 1998 he played as a centre-back in a friendly at Deal and on 29.8.98 he scored his first goal of the 1998/99 campaign in a 2-2 draw at Raunds. By mid-October Paul had scored five goals and had a new strike partner in Phil Collins.

Collins struggled to win over the Margate fans initially and after he'd been the target of abuse in the first half of a 2-0 home defeat against Raunds on 24.10.98 Paul intervened as only he could. As the rest of the players left the field at half-time he ran over to the Hartsdown Road terrace where the majority of the Margate supporters were standing and launched into an astonishing impassioned defence of Collins, calling on people to get behind him. It was a remarkable show of support for his strike partner and the sight of Paul berating the Hartsdown Park faithful would live long in the memories of those that witnessed it.

In Margate's next match at Yate on 7.11.98 Paul played despite having a broken nose and scored in a 3-0 win. That started a run of four consecutive games in which he found the net and the sequence included two goals in a 3-2 win at Chelmsford on 14.11.98. In December 1998 Paul embarked on another four game scoring spree that started with a goal in a 3-1 win at Andover on 5.11.98. He then bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 home win over Bashley on 12.12.98 before scoring twice in a 6-1 win at St.Leonards on 19.12.98. Paul ended the run with a brace in a 2-1 win over Sittingbourne at Hartsdown Park on 26.12.98 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette described him as a "Margate hero" as he scored the winner with an injury time penalty although he was suffering with 'flu. On 9.1.99 Paul got both goals in a 2-0 home win over Tonbridge. His first was a "25-yard screamer" according to the Thanet Times whilst his second was his 20th goal of the season.

Paul's form dipped in the second half of the campaign and the Thanet Times reported that he missed several chances and had a "sorry game" in a 2-2 draw with Dartford at Hartsdown Park on 23.01.99. He was booked for dissent after what the paper said was "an obvious dive in the box" and Paul clashed with a Dartford defender soon afterwards. The match report said Chris Kinnear then "brought him off before he was sent off" and described Paul's departure dramatically saying "Angry, he tore his shirt off and stomped down the tunnel". The paper said his "reaction smacked of petulance".

Paul bounced back by scoring twice in Margate's next four games but didn't find the net in the following four matches and found himself on the subs bench six times during March and April 1999. On 30.3.99 he came on to notch a last-minute goal that secured a 1-0 win at Newport IOW but although he regained the number nine shirt for the last seven matches of the season Paul didn't score again. The Isle of Thanet Gazette noted that he "unusually looked low on confidence" during a 2-1 home defeat against Fleet on 13.4.99 but on 1.5.99 Paul ended the campaign on a brighter note when he played in a 4-0 win at Brackley that sealed Margate's promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. He finished up as the club's top goalscorer once again having scored 23 times in his 49 appearances (seven as sub).

Paul started the 1999/00 season in great style by scoring twice in Margate's shock 3-1 win at Southern League Premier Division title favourites Worcester on 14.8.99. The Thanet Times said his first goal was a "sweet 20-yard strike" into the bottom corner. Paul then found the net in three consecutive matches later in August, starting with what the Thanet Times called a "30-yard belter" in a 3-0 win over Gloucester at Hartsdown Park on 21.8.99. Next came the only goal of the game that secured a 1-0 win at Weymouth on 24.8.99 and Paul's effort was described as being a "fabulous strike" by the Isle of Thanet Gazette. He cut inside two defenders before curling home a 25-yard effort and the paper said it was a "moment of brilliance". Paul ended the run with a goal in a 3-2 home win over Ilkeston on 28.8.99 and the Thanet Times said he was "in prime form up front". He'd scored six goals before picking up a hamstring injury in October that ruled him out for seven games. Paul returned to the Margate side for a 2-0 win at Sittingbourne on 16.11.99 and was a fixture in the number nine shirt after that but he didn't score again during 1999.

On 3.1.00 Paul was sent off before half-time as Margate beat Crawley 1-0 at Hartsdown Park but the general consensus was that his two bookings were harsh - one for dissent on 38 minutes and the other two minutes later for a foul on the Crawley keeper. Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "We couldn't believe that he was booked for dissent and Paul says he didn't touch the player when he was sent off".

On 22.1.00 Paul scored from the penalty spot to secure a 1-0 home win over King's Lynn and his effort ended a run of 15 appearances without a goal, a run that stretched back to September 1999. Chris Kinnear told the Thanet Times "It was good to see Paul score. Every striker has an iffy patch, but once he starts scoring again we'll be quite a force up front" and Paul repaid his manager's faith in him by finding the net in each of Margate's next three games. He was on target with a looping header in a 3-2 home defeat against Folkestone on 25.1.00 and then scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Atherstone on 29.1.00 before finishing the run with two goals in a 5-2 win at Fleet on 1.2.00. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said that Paul "worked himself into the ground" during a 1-0 win over Burton at Hartsdown Park on 22.2.00 and "earned a terrific ovation" when he was substituted with three minutes left due to cramp. That match was one of a run of five without a goal for Paul but on 11.3.00 he bagged a brace in a 4-3 win at Merthyr. His second was a header that won the game for Margate and it was his 13th goal of the campaign.

Disaster struck for Paul in his next outing - a home game against Bath on 18.3.00. He threw himself into a slightly ill-advised challenge with typical gusto and was carried off in agony. He'd ruptured a knee ligament and the injury not only ended his season but effectively finished his Margate career. Paul had made 34 appearances (one as sub) before fate intervened.

On 16.9.00 Paul attempted a comeback when he played for the reserves in a 1-0 win over Whitstable Reserves at Hartsdown Park but he suffered a recurrence of his knee injury and had to go off after just ten minutes. He didn't play again during the 2000/01 campaign.

In June 2001 the Isle of Thanet Gazette reported that Paul was fit again and Chris Kinnear said "I am delighted that Paul has recovered so well and we look forward to seeing him back in contention at the start of the season." Despite that early optimism Paul didn't feature at all in Margate's friendlies ahead of the 2001/02 campaign - the club's first in the Conference - but after some home games early in the season he could be seen running laps round the Hartsdown Park pitch. Paul finally returned to action on 16.10.01 when he played the last 20 minutes of a friendly at Tonbridge that the home side won 5-2. He then managed a run of reserve team games and scored four goals in as many outings for them.

On 13.11.01 Paul made a hugely popular return to first team duties when he came on as a substitute with 20 minutes left of a Kent Senior Cup tie against Bromley at Hartsdown Park. His last senior appearance had been almost 20 months earlier. Paul was clearly delighted to be back and was up to some typical antics almost immediately - encouraging the crowd as only he could and cupping his hand to his ear when 'Syko' chants rang out. Margate won 3-1 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette's headline for its match report was "Sykes finally ends injury nightmare". Chris Kinnear said "Paul will still take a while to get fully ready, but he is keen to get back into the side. He was there at the beginning when we began to do well and has worked hard." The paper said "his appearance was one of an admittedly short list of highlights".

Just when it seemed that Paul's problems were behind him he went off injured in a reserve team game against Ramsgate on 20.11.01 and after recovering he picked up a hamstring injury in a 3-1 defeat against Deal Reserves on 5.12.01.

In February 2002 Paul was loaned to Kent League club Herne Bay and made his debut in a 2-1 home win over Greenwich on 9.2.02. Chris Kinnear told the Thanet Times "We'll see how Sykes gets on at Herne Bay, and he'll stay as long as it takes."

Paul scored three goals in seven appearances for Herne Bay but left the club before the end of the 2001/02 season. He didn't return to Margate and his cameo as a substitute in the Bromley game had been his only first team outing.

In August 2002 Paul signed for Dover who had just been relegated to the Southern League Premier Division and his first appearance for his new club was as a substitute in a 2-1 friendly win over Margate at Crabble on 3.8.02. He made his first competitive start in a 2-0 win at Moor Green on 17.8.02 and Paul scored his first goal for Dover on his home debut - a 2-1 win over Crawley on 19.8.02. He then struggled for goals but did score twice in a 3-2 home defeat against Sittingbourne in the Kent Senior Cup on 4.11.02.

Later in November 2002 Paul was loaned to Dartford and scored four goals in seven appearances there. He was also sent off for foul and abusive language in a game against Stamford on 17.12.02.

At the end of December 2002 he returned to Dover and on 25.1.03 Paul managed to get sent off before he'd even touched the ball just a minute after coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat against Chippenham at Crabble. He chased down the visitors custodian who'd come out of the penalty area to clear and challenged for the ball but unfortunately Paul mistimed his tackle and caught the keeper. The general consensus was that there was no malice in his challenge and that a yellow card would have been a more fitting punishment. Paul eventually scored five goals from 26 appearances (19 as sub) for Dover before being released in May 2003.

He joined Dartford on a permanent basis in the summer of 2003 and Paul was reunited with his old Margate strike partner Martin Buglione there. Paul soon became a hugely popular player for the Darts. On 14.2.04 he played in went in goal only four minutes into a game at Erith & Belvedere and did well as the Darts lost 2-0. Paul also turned out in midfield and as a central defender during his time with the club. In November 2004 he left Dartford and manager Tommy Sampson explained "He has found it increasingly difficult with work commitments and a new addition to his family. He found it tough to juggle a life that consists of looking after his young son Thomas, spending time with wife Carly and making the 75-mile trip from his home between Dover and Hythe, working as a milkman, which involves getting up much earlier than most people, and playing for the Darts." Sampson added: "I don't want Paul to go and he doesn't want to really, but his life, family and health comes first. He will be a great addition to any club and it doesn't matter where he goes. He can play in the Southern, Ryman or Kent League but he has to train nearer to his home. He is a lovely lad who always did his best for us. Unfortunately he never had a real injury free run and it was my intention to turn him into a centre half."

Paul signed for Folkestone a few days after leaving the Darts and made his debut in a 4-3 home win over Cheshunt on 13.11.04. On 18.1.05 he was sent off in a Kent Senior Cup tie against his old club Dartford. He'd scored three goals in 23 appearances (three as sub) for Folkestone before lining up to play for them in the Kent Senior Cup semi-final against Margate at Cheriton Road on 12.4.05.

Paul typically exchanged some banter with Margate players and supporters before the kick-off but with Folkestone 1-0 down around 30 minutes into the game he collapsed in the Margate penalty area. Many people present initially thought that it was typical horseplay from Paul but it rapidly became apparent that something was seriously wrong. Margate's physio John Griffin and his Folkestone counterpart were quickly on the scene and tried to revive Paul along with other medical staff but after being taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford Paul was tragically pronounced dead around 10.00 pm. He was only 28 and his passing was later found to be due to a form of Sudden Death Syndrome. There were tributes galore for Paul from players, supporters and managers all over Kent that proved beyond all doubt that he'd been one of the most popular football personalities in the county. An estimated 600 people attended his funeral with around 250 more outside the church in Buckland, Dover.

On the 15.4.05 the Isle of Thanet Gazette wrote "Kent football has been united by grief this week by the tragic death of Folkestone Invicta's former Margate striker Paul Sykes" and said he would "be remembered as much for his approachability and humour off the pitch as for his commitment and talent on it, always being the centre of clubhouse and dressing room attention". The article continued "His infectious sense of humour always seemed to penetrate the most difficult of times in football, and he often spoke of his genuine love for Margate - saying the club made him feel the town was as much a part of him as his hometown of Dover".

Chris Kinnear spoke to the Gazette and said "I knew Paul pretty much right through his career, and he played his best football under us. The sad thing was we were having a laugh and mucking about just before the game. He was a great fella. I told him that night that him and Phil Collins were the best strike pair we had. His death is such a shock and no one had any idea." Kinnear told the paper the Margate squad were struggling to cope and said "The players are not dealing with it very well, particularly Bill Edwards and Peter Trego, who were trying to help him and John Keister - who was the only player in our squad to play with Paul apart from Bill. The players were in a mess, and it will be difficult to get them in shape for the weekend." Kinnear added "They are all thinking what they could have done, but I don't think anyone could have done anything. When he went down everyone thought he was joking - but that was Sykesy."

In the wake of the tragedy Folkestone opted to allow Margate to progress to the Kent Senior Cup Final to play Dover and it was decided that all the proceeds of the game would go to Paul's family. In the programme for the match that took place on 2.5.05 Chris Kinnear and his assistant Kevin Raine wrote an article about Paul that described him as a "larger than life character" and "his own greatest critic". They recalled an away game at Newport County where Paul had been so disgusted with his own performance that he'd locked himself in the toilet at half-time and refused to go out for the second half. Over 2,000 people attended the final which Margate won 2-1.

In April 2006 a fund-raising match dubbed 'The Syko Challenge' was played at Hartsdown Park with the proceeds again going to Paul's family and around 500 people watched two teams mostly consisting of his former team-mates.

Towards the end of his life Paul had been joint manager of St.Margaret's Under-15's and Dartford later awarded the 'Paul Sykes Trophy' as a prize for outstanding young players.