Paul Musselwhite

Football player infobox
playername = Paul Musselwhite


fullname = Paul Stephen Musselwhite
nickname = Mussie
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1968|12|22
cityofbirth = Portsmouth
countryofbirth = England
height = 6'2" (188cm)
currentclub = Gateshead
clubnumber = "TBA"
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1986-1988
1988-1992
1992-2000
2000-2004
2004-2006
2006
2006-2007
2007
2007-2008
2008-
clubs = Portsmouth
Scunthorpe United
Port Vale
Hull City
Scunthorpe United
Eastleigh
Kettering Town
Port Vale
Harrogate Town
Gateshead
caps(goals) = 000 (0)
132 (0)
312 (0)
095 (0)
074 (0)
000 (0)
010 (0)
000 (0)
008 (0)
024 (0)
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = 00:11, 14 August 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate =

Paul Stephen Musselwhite (born December 22 1968 in Portsmouth, England) is an English footballer, playing for Gateshead As of|2008|7|lc=on.

Football career

Musselwhite is a goalkeeper who started his career at his home town club, Portsmouth, without ever making an appearance in the first team. In 1988 he moved to Scunthorpe United on a free transfer, making 160 appearances for the 'Iron'.

In the summer of 1992 he signed for Port Vale for a fee of £17,500 to replace the outgoing goalkeeper Mark Grew. However, Musselwhite started the 1992/93 season as second choice behind Trevor Wood, until an incident in a match away at Swansea on September 51992. Wood conceded a penalty in an 'off the ball' incident with a Swansea player and was subsequently dropped by manager John Rudge.

Musselwhite made his Vale debut in the next match, a 2-2 draw against Exeter City on September 121992 and despite a nervy performance, he remained an ever present in the Vale side for almost three years, not missing a game until Vale played away at Charlton Athletic on April 291995, when he was rested to allow his understudy, Arjan van Heusden, to gain some first-team experience in an end of season fixture. This unbroken run in the first team included being part of the side which won the Football League Trophy in 1992/93, and automatic promotion from Division Two in 1993/94.

Standing at 6'2", Musselwhite was renowned amongst Vale fans 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.

Musselwhite was given a free transfer at the end of the 1999/2000 season, when Vale were relegated and subsequently had to cut their wage bill. He spent the next four seasons at Hull City before returning to Scunthorpe in the summer of 2004. In May 2005 he signed for non-league Eastleigh, but left shortly after as he was unable to sell his house in Scunthorpe.

In the 2006/07 season he has played for Kettering Town but was a free agent when he received a phone call from his former team mate, 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, an up and coming team looking to make it into the Conference reuniting him with Neil Aspin quoting "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 Town due to being offered a better contract with Gateshead FC on the 11th January 2008, and has been ever present as of the 30th of March, in a side that recently won promotion to the Blue Square North.

As of|2008|8, Musselwhite is a goalkeeping coach under Peter Jackson at League 2 side Lincoln City Football Club.fact|date=August 2008 [http://www.lincolncity-mad.co.uk/news/loadfeat.asp?cid=ED31&id=410320]

External links

*soccerbase|id=5743|name=Paul Musselwhite