Thanks to Dave Rowntree for many of the player images after 1984.
Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).
PAUL ANDERSON
Born: 23 July 1988
Came from: Unattached Went to: Released
First game: 23 February 2019 Last game: 22 April 2019
Appearances: 4 (0/4) Goals: 0
The Melton Mowbray-born winger joined Argyle as a free agent in February 2019 as Derek Adams looked for an additional attack-minded player after a season-ending injury to Joel Grant.
As a schoolboy, Anderson was attached to West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City before joining Hull City (the club for whom his father, Phil Anderson, had played). His performances for their academy team caught the eye of Liverpool, who took him to Anfield on an extended trial, which turned into a contract offer.
Whilst never making a first team appearance for Liverpool, he was a regular in their under-18 team that won the 2006 FA Youth Cup, and was also loaned out to Swansea (then of tier 3) in 2007-08, making 41 appearances and scoring 10 times. In 2008-09 he went on loan to Nottingham Forest (then of tier 2) making 28 appearances and scoring twice (the second was against Argyle in a 2-0 home win for Forest). During his time at Anfield, he was also capped four times (scoring once) by England under-19s in 2007.
In May 2009 Liverpool accepted a bid from Swansea for Anderson. However, following Roberto Martínez's departure from Swansea, he ended up moving to Forest on a permanent basis for a fee of £250,000 in June 2009. He went on to play a further 104 times, scoring nine goals over the next three Championship seasons.
He then moved to league rivals Bristol City (30 appearances and three goals) in 2012-13 before moving to Ipswich Town (70 appearances and seven goals) across the following two seasons.
Anderson then played 18 times (no goals) across two seasons for League One Bradford City before completing the 2016-17 season for Northampton Town, for whom he played 38 times and scored seven goals.
He then played 40 times and scored once for Mansfield Town in League 2 in 2017-18 before being released by the club, having not played at all in the following season.
He arrived at Home Park having not played a first team game for over nine months but did enough in a Central League game against Exeter City, appearing as "A. Trialist", for Derek Adams to offer him terms until the end of the 2018-19 season.
In October 2019 Anderson re-joined Northampton Town, for whom he played 25 times, scoring once, in the season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, although he was part of their 2020 EFL League Two play-offs win at Wembley Stadium.
In August 2021 he then fulfilled a long-standing promise by returning to sign for his home-town club, Melton Town, in the United Counties League.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.
APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]
The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.
I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.
The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.
Greens on Screen is run as a service to fellow supporters, in all good faith, without commercial or private gain. I have no wish to abuse copyright regulations and apologise unreservedly if this occurs. If you own any of the material used on this site, and object to its inclusion, please get in touch using the 'Contact Us' button at the top of each page.