Paul Dyson

Paul Dyson

Paul Dyson

Defender
Place Of Birth Birmingham, West Midlands
Age 66 · 27 December 1959
Last Win 12 February 1983 15901days ago
Last Loss 30 April 1983 15824days ago
Statistics
Games Played
166
-
Per Game
Games Started
166
1.0
Per Game
Substituted In
0
0
Per Game
Minutes
14910
89.8
Per Game
Goals
5
0.03
Per Game
Goal From Penalty
0
0
Per Game
Assists
0
0
Per Game
Cards (All)
0
0
Per Game
BioStatsMatchesTeammates

Paul was the regular centre-half for Coventry City from January 1979 through until May 1983 when he left the club to join Stoke City. He developed an excellent partnership with a young Gary Gillespie and was part of an exciting young team put together by manager Gordon Milne and nurtured by his successor Dave Sexton.
He joined City as a 15-year old and played for the youth team for three seasons, alongside players such as Gary Bannister, Andy Blair, Ray Gooding, Les Sealey and Garry Thompson. His first team debut came out of the blue four days before his 19th birthday and he played alongside Jim Holton and helped the Sky Blues to end Everton’s 19-match unbeaten run. In January 1980 with Holton suspended, Paul was called up for a Cup-tie at Oldham. City won 1-0, Dyson excelled and missed only three games in the next four years; Holton never played for the first team again.
Two weeks after the Oldham game Paul was a national celebrity when the Match of the Day cameras were at Highfield Road to record City’s ‘kids’ beat the mighty Liverpool 1-0 with Paul scoring the winning goal – a superb glancing header. Paul was a tall, tough, uncompromising defender in the mould of the classic British centre-half and he left his mark on many strikers. In 1980 his outstanding club performances earned him a call-up to the England Under 21 side and he won four caps under the management of Dave Sexton. That season he was also a key figure as the fearless young team reached the semi-finals of the League Cup only to lose to West Ham.
In City’s summer of discontent of 1983 Paul was out of contract and signed for First Division Stoke, where after a good first season he suffered a traumatic second as the Potters registered their worst season ever in Division One, being relegated with only three wins and 17 points.
Paul joined West Brom in March 1986 but could not stop them being relegated from Division One. He played alongside youngsters Carlton Palmer and David Burrows and made 64 appearances for the Baggies before brief periods at Darlington and Crewe saw his professional career end at the age of 30.
He subsequently played non-league football for Telford United and Solihull Borough before a successful spell as manager of Solihull in the late 1990s. He had a spell as a prison officer but went on to run his own sports shop in the Kings Heath district of Birmingham.