33 Facts About Roy Paul

Roy Paul was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a half-back for Swansea Town and Manchester City.

Roy Paul represented the Welsh national team over 30 times and is regarded as one of Wales' best ever players.

Roy Paul's football career was then disrupted by Second World War, during which he was a physical training instructor.

At Manchester City Roy Paul spent seven years as captain, leading the club to successive FA Cup finals in 1955 and 1956, losing the first and winning the second.

Roy Paul was born on 18 April 1920 in Ton Pentre, Glamorgan, in the valleys of South Wales, and was one of 12 children.

Roy Paul left school at 15, and like many boys from the Rhondda Valley he became a miner.

Roy Paul named Imrie as a strong influence in his early career, particularly for instructing him in the fundamentals of good wing-half play.

Roy Paul played for Swansea's junior sides, but just as he was approaching the fringes of the first team, the league was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

At the start of the war Roy Paul returned to the mines.

Roy Paul continued to represent Swansea in wartime leagues, and played for the senior team for the first time in 1939.

Roy Paul struggled to readapt to mining life, and volunteered for the Marines in 1940.

Roy Paul served as a sergeant physical training instructor, primarily in Devon, though he spent part of the war in India.

Once the war was over Roy Paul finally made his League debut for Swansea, having lost six years of his career to the war.

Later that year, Roy Paul received an offer of a trial with Colombian club Millonarios.

Roy Paul was one of seven to make the trip to South America.

Once in Colombia, Roy Paul found himself unimpressed by the conditions.

Roy Paul stayed in Bogota for only ten days, without playing a single match.

Roy Paul joined a Manchester City side which had just been relegated to the Second Division, and were thus playing at the same level as Swansea.

Roy Paul played in all but one match that season, becoming club captain and helping his club win promotion, as runners-up behind champions Preston.

Promotion meant Roy Paul was playing club football at the highest level for the first time.

Roy Paul was critical of Broadis, a talented inside-forward, but one who in Roy Paul's view did not exert sufficient effort when defending.

The Manchester Guardian regarded Roy Paul to be well suited to the system, calling it "a strategy which shows off to perfection the strength and maturity of Roy Paul among his younger defenders".

City could not sustain their title challenge, finishing seventh, but Roy Paul's team enjoyed a successful run in the FA Cup, reaching the final, where they faced Newcastle United.

Publicly, Roy Paul vowed to take his team to Wembley again, but privately he blamed himself for the defeat, questioning whether he had failed as captain.

Roy Paul took the match ball from the final as a souvenir, and gave it to his son.

Roy Paul made 124 appearances for Worcester between 1957 and 1960, including a three-month spell as player-manager.

Roy Paul then moved to Brecon Corinthians, and later Garw Athletic, where he ended his career.

Roy Paul died on 21 May 2002 in Treorchy aged 82, following a long illness with Alzheimer's disease, leaving a wife, Beryl, and two children, Robert and Christine.

Roy Paul did not gain any under-age caps, as in his era Wales did not field an under-23 team.

Roy Paul took the kick, but it was saved by Norman Uprichard.

Roy Paul played as a half-back, with the exact position varying during his career.

At Swansea he was primarily used as a right-half, but when he joined Manchester City manager Les McDowall switched him to the left, a position which Roy Paul preferred despite being right-footed.

Roy Paul had a reputation as a physically tough player and inspirational captain.