 Paul Reece playing for Oxford United in 1992 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul John Reece | ||
| Date of birth | 16 July 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1987 | Stoke City | 2 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Kettering Town | ||
| 1988–1992 | Grimsby Town | 54 | (0) |
| 1992 | Doncaster Rovers | 1 | (0) |
| 1992–1994 | Oxford United | 39 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Notts County | 11 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | (0) |
| 1995 | → Ilkeston Town (loan) | ||
| 1997–2003 | Cliftonville | ||
| 2003 | Ilkeston Town | ||
| Total | 108 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paul John Reece (born 16 July 1968) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Doncaster Rovers, Grimsby Town, Notts County, Oxford United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion.[1] Reece is currently a Goalkeeping Coach for Select Soccer Center in Horsham, Pennsylvania.
Career
Reece was born in Nottingham and started his footballing career at Staffordshire side Stoke City.[2] He played just twice for Stoke both came towards the end of the 1986–87 where he deputised for the injured Peter Fox.[2] He conceded six goals in his two matches 4–1 to Shrewsbury Town and 2–1 to Barnsley and was released at the end of the season.[2] He joined Kettering Town for one season and won Player of the Year Award before signing for Grimsby Town for £10,000, where he played regular football.[3] He left for Doncaster Rovers in 1992 and made just one appearance for Doncaster.[4] He joined Oxford United and later played for Notts County, West Bromwich Albion, Ilkeston Town and Northern Irish club Cliftonville.[5]
Reece arrived at Solitude on a free transfer after being recommended to the club by former player Keith Alexander, who had been his manager at Ilkeston[6] and former teammate at Grimsby. He made his debut for the Belfast club in the final of the 1996–97 County Antrim Shield and he saved a penalty in the penalty shootout, ensuring Cliftonville won the trophy for the first time since 1979.[7] He subsequently wore the number one shirt during the club's Irish League title winning season the following year[8] and became established as a club legend in the eyes of the supporters.[9] Reece would also appear for the Reds in the UEFA Champions League qualifier against MFK Košice the following season[10] Later however Reece, who remained based in London during his time at Cliftonville, left the club due to the long distance from home and his family situation.
Reece subsequently returned to Ilkeston Town, remaining on the club's books until his retirement from playing in 2003. He worked as a goalkeeping coach for Nottingham Forest, Mansfield Town and the Derby County youth team before fulfilling the same role at football training camps.[11]
Career statistics
Source:[12]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Stoke City | 1986–87 | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Grimsby Town | 1988–89 | Fourth Division | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 1989–90 | Fourth Division | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 1990–91 | Third Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1991–92 | Second Division | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 56 | 0 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1992–93 | Third Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oxford United | 1992–93 | First Division | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| 1993–94 | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
| Notts County | 1994–95 | First Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1995–96 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 108 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 130 | 0 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in Football League Trophy
- ^ a b Appearances in Anglo-Italian Cup
References
- ^ *Lowe, Simon: "Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record" (Desert Island Books, ISBN 1-874287-39-2).
- ^ a b c Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ "Paul Reece". The Fishy. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Paul Reece". doncasterrovers.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Paul Reece stats". RAGE online. Archived from the original on 31 December 2005. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ A Strange Season in Solitude
- ^ "The History of Cliftonville Football Club". Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ Jeepers Keepers!
- ^ News: August 2008
- ^ Match report
- ^ Reece, Paul
- ^ Paul Reece at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
This page was last edited on 8 February 2024, at 18:17