Paul Musselwhite

Paul Musselwhite

Musselwhite pictured in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Paul Stephen Musselwhite
Date of birth	22 December 1968 (1968-12-22)
Place of birth	Portsmouth, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	York City (player-goalkeeping coach)
Number	1
Youth career
000?–1986	Portsmouth
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986–1988	Portsmouth	0	(0)
1988–1992	Scunthorpe United	132	(0)
1992–2000	Port Vale	312	(0)
2000	Sheffield Wednesday	0	(0)
2000–2004	Hull City	95	(0)
2004–2006	Scunthorpe United	74	(0)
2006	Eastleigh	0	(0)
2006–2007	Kettering Town	10	(0)
2007	Port Vale	0	(0)
2007–2008	Harrogate Town	8	(0)
2008–2009	Gateshead	60	(0)
2009–2011	Lincoln City	1	(0)
2011–	York City	0	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:36, 16 June 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Paul Stephen Musselwhite (born 22 December 1968) is an English footballer who plays for York City as a goalkeeper, where he is also the club's Goalkeeping Coach.

He has the most league appearances of any goalkeeper for Port Vale and as of 2010 has the 15th most league appearances of any Port Vale player, having made 312 league appearances between 1992 and 2000. He has also made 206 league appearances for Scunthorpe United, playing for them between 1988 and 1992 and again from 2004 to 2006. With around 100 games for Hull City between 2000 and 2004, he has made 614 appearances in the Football League and well over 700 appearances in all competitions.

Playing style

Musselwhite was renowned as an excellent shot stopper, capable of making world class reaction saves, but who is equally susceptible to the occasional lapse of concentration. One example of this is when he dropped a routine catch at the feet of the Everton striker Duncan Ferguson in an FA Cup game in 1996.

Playing career

Early career

Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Musselwhite started his career at his hometown club, Portsmouth, as an apprentice in the club's youth system before signing a professional contract on 1 December 1986. However, he did not make any appearances for the club in the first team and on 21 March 1988 he moved to Scunthorpe United on a free transfer.

Scunthorpe United

Scunthorpe missed out on promotion from the Fourth Division at the end of the 1987–88 season. Just one point short of Bolton Wanderers in third place, the Iron were then defeated by Torquay United in the play-off semi-finals. Scunthorpe also moved from the Old Showground to Glanford Park, becoming the first Football League club to move to a new stadium in over thirty years.

They suffered the same fate in 1988–89, one point off third place Crewe Alexandra, again with superior goal difference to the team above them, they lost to Wrexham in the play-off semi-finals.

The club fell away in 1989–90, finishing mid-table.

They pushed for promotion in 1990–91, in an unusual season an eight place finish was enough to see them into the play-offs. However, for third time in four years they lost in the semi-final stage to a team who would go on to lose in the final. Blackpool suffering the heartbreak in 1991 to Torquay's benefit.

At the end of the 1991–92 season Scunthorpe might have considered themselves cursed. This time they beat Crewe Alexandra in the play-off semi-finals, they lost the final to Blackpool 4–3 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw.

Over the past four seasons, Musselwhite had made over 160 appearances for the Iron, 132 of which were in the league. On 30 July 1992 he did what his club failed to do and made it into the new Second Division/old Third Division (the league was restructured due to the creation of the Premier League, having been bought by John Rudge's Port Vale for a fee of £17,500.

Port Vale

Signed to replace the veteran Mark Grew, who had left for Cardiff City, Musselwhite actually started the 1992–93 season as second choice behind Trevor Wood. However, on 5 September, Wood conceded a penalty at Vetch Field in an 'off the ball' incident with a Swansea player and was subsequently dropped in favour of Musselwhite. He made his Vale league debut in the next match, a 2–2 draw against Exeter City on 12 September and despite a nervy performance, he remained an ever present in the Vale side for the rest of the season. Unfortunately for his new club he seemed to carry the play-off curse with him from Glanford Park, finishing one point off Bolton, they lost in the play-off final 3–0 to West Bromwich Albion. Though they did have success at Wembley Stadium in the 1993 Football League Trophy Final, recording a 2–1 victory over Stockport County.

With Musselwhite between the sticks, Vale won promotion to the First Division in 1993–94, finishing in second place behind champions Reading.

Both club and goalkeeper adapted well to the second tier, finishing ten points above the relegation zone in 1994–95. When they played away at Charlton Athletic on 29 April, he was rested to allow his understudy, Arjan van Heusden, to gain some first-team experience in an end of season fixture.

The club finished comfortably in mid-table in 1995–96 and at 28, Musselwhite was approaching the peak of his goalkeeping prowess. He played in the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup Final, as Vale lost 5–2 to Genoa.

The club achieved their highest post-war position in 1996–97 – eight in the second tier. Musselwhite made a total of 36 appearances that season, after missing out on the first six weeks.

He made 44 appearances in 1997–98, keeping a clean sheet against Arsenal in the FA Cup on 3 January.

He made 40 appearances in 1998–99, missing most of November and all of December.

In 1999–2000 the club suffered relegation, manager Brian Horton was unable to halt the decline at Vale Park. Musselwhite played 32 games and was sent off against Grimsby Town on 12 February 2000, 86 minutes into a 2–0 defeat at Blundell Park. He was given a free transfer at the end of the season, the club looking to cut their wage bill.

Hull City

After having trials with former club Scunthorpe, Darlington and Sheffield Wednesday, Musselwhite signed for Wednesday on a free transfer on 25 August. However, he left less than a month later after joining Brian Little's Hull City of the Third Division on 19 September 2000. He was the club's first choice keeper as the Tigers reached the play-offs, only to lose out to Leyton Orient at the semi-final stage, after a sixth place finish in the 2000–01 season.

He played just 21 games in 2001–02, making his first appearance of the season on 29 December in a 3–0 win at Kidderminster Harriers.

First choice keeper from September to January in 2002–03, he played 22 games. On Boxing Day 2002 he was in goal for the club's first competitive fixture at the KC Stadium, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win over Hartlepool United.

In 2003–04 he made nineteen appearances, all in the first half of the season. The club finished second, winning promotion to the new League One. At the end of the season he returned to Scunthorpe United after signing on 3 June 2004, 12 years since his departure from the club.

Return to Scunthorpe

Scunthorpe were in the basement division, where Musselwhite had left them. They were runners-up in 2004–05, just three points off League Two title winners Yeovil Town. Musselwhite made a massive fifty appearances.

The club finished in the mid-section of League One in 2005–06, Musselwhite making 32 appearances having missed December and January. In May 2006 he signed for Conference South side Eastleigh, but left shortly after as he was unable to sell his house in Scunthorpe.

Non-League spell

He spent part of the 2006–07 season with Conference North side Kettering Town. However, was a free agent by January 2007 when he received a phone call from his former teammate, the Port Vale manager Martin Foyle, inviting him back to the club as cover for long-term injury victim Mark Goodlad.

In June 2007 he joined up with Harrogate Town of the Conference North. Here he was reunited with former Vale teammate Neil Aspin, saying "I played with Neil Aspin for seven years when I was first at Port Vale, and that was one of the main attractions of coming here. Neil is putting a good squad together, and hopefully with a few more additions we can challenge this season." Musselwhite left Harrogate in January 2008 after being offered a better contract with Ian Bogie's Gateshead, playing in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, immediately being made the number one goalkeeper for the newly promoted side, and making 29 appearances before the season's end.

The club won their second successive promotion in 2008–09, beating AFC Telford United 1–0 in the Conference North play-off final. He left the club upon the season's conclusion, having already announced in February 2009 his move from player to coach at Lincoln.

Coaching career

Lincoln City

Following his release from Gateshead, Musselwhite became player-goalkeeping coach under Peter Jackson at League Two side Lincoln City. He signed a new contract that would keep him at the club until 2011 on 1 April 2010. On 29 September, Musselwhite was appointed assistant-caretaker manager to Scott Lindsey following Chris Sutton's resignation. On 2 October, the 41 year old took to the field in a 1–0 defeat at Southend United, following an injury to Joe Anyon.

York City

After a new contract offer from Lincoln was dependent on Joe Anyon leaving the club, Musselwhite opted to sign for Conference club York City as player-goalkeeping coach on 16 June 2011.

Honours

Trophies

with Port Vale

• Football League Trophy winner: 1993
• Anglo-Italian Cup runner-up: 1996

Promotions

• 1993–94: Second Division Runner-up (promotion to First Division) – Port Vale
• 2003–04: Third Division Runner-up (promotion to League One) – Hull City
• 2004–05: League Two Runner-up (promotion to League One) – Scunthorpe United
• 2007–08: Northern Premier League Premier Division Play-off Winner (promotion to Conference North) – Gateshead
• 2008–09: Conference North Play-off Winner (promotion to Conference National) – Gateshead

External links

• Paul Musselwhite profile at the York City website
• Paul Musselwhite career stats at Soccerbase