PAUL WILKINSON

Full Name: Paul Ivan Wilkinson

Born: 19 April 1952

Came from: Norwich City   Went to: Norwich City

First game: 01 February 1971   Last game: 06 February 1971

Appearances: 2 (2/0)   Goals: 0

Wilkinson was born in the parish of Themelthorpe, near Reepham, a village just north of Norwich. He started as a youth with Norwich City and was a midfielder who signed apprentice terms in July 1967.

However he was soon rendered unable to play for two years, after a double facture of his leg, in the very first minute of an FA Youth Challenge Cup match against local rivals, Ipswich Town, at Portman Road, in November 1967.

Despite the relative shortness of playing time from signing apprentice terms, to his leg break (barely four months) he had impressed enough as he signed his first professional contract in April 1970 and also still managed to amass 25 appearances for City's reserves.

In late January 1971, presumably in part as further rehabilitation, he was then loaned to Argyle under Ellis Stuttard, on a one-month deal. He made his debut, aged just 18, in a Monday night home match against Barnsley on the first day of February 1971. The game had fallen foul of the weather on the previous Saturday and Barnsley could stay locally in Torquay over the weekend to enable a quick second attempt. Wilkinson started the game, and had a good opening 45 minutes as Argyle triumphed 2-1. He made his second appearance the following weekend in a 1-0 defeat away at Walsall, at Fellows Park during which he was substituted in the 65th minute. He returned to Norwich the following week with perhaps the ramifications of his original injury still having some effects following the step-up to Football League level.

Clearly talented, whilst back in Norfolk he had also played cricket for Ingham and Barleycorns, and had a trial with Middlesex in the summer of 1971 after returning from Home Park. Those two clubs were the strongest in Norfolk and in 1999 merged to form the present-day Norwich Cricket Club.

He was subsequently released by City in May 1971 having not played a first team game and received a free transfer, enabling him to join local Suffolk side Lowestoft Town. In 1975-76, he was appointed player-managed of Reepham Town.

After leaving Reepham Town he moved to St Andrews FC in the Thorpe area on the edge of Norwich, where he was player-manager from 1979-83. In his time at the club they won the Norfolk Senior Cup, at Carrow Road, with his brother Peter, also part of that team.

Wilkinson then moved from two legs to four and has been a licensed on-course bookmaker within the horse-racing circuit for the last forty years.