| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul William Bradshaw | ||
| Date of birth | (1956-04-28)28 April 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Altrincham, England | ||
| Date of death | c. February 2024(2024-02-00) (aged 67) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1972–1973 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1977 | Blackburn Rovers | 78 | (0) |
| 1977–1984 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 200 | (0) |
| 1984 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 24 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | West Bromwich Albion | 8 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | Bristol Rovers | 5 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Newport County | 23 | (0) |
| 1988–1990 | West Bromwich Albion | 6 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Peterborough United | 39 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | Kettering Town | ||
| International career | |||
| 1974 | England Youth | 4 | (0) |
| 1976–1978 | England U21 | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paul William Bradshaw (28 April 1956 –c. February 2024) was an English professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper inthe Football League forBlackburn Rovers,Wolverhampton Wanderers,West Bromwich Albion,Bristol Rovers,Newport County andPeterborough United, and in theNorth American Soccer League for theVancouver Whitecaps.[2]
Paul William Bradshaw was born inAltrincham, and began his career as an apprentice atBlackburn Rovers.[2] He signed professionally in June 1973, and broke into the first team in the following season, making 18 appearances in theThird Division. He came to prominence in the1976–77 season, when he made 41 league appearances,[3] and played in the first everEngland under-21 international match,[4] thus attracting the attention ofFirst Division clubWolverhampton Wanderers.
Wolves paid a club record £150,000 for Bradshaw in September 1977.[5] He made his debut on 1 October 1977 in a 3–0 home win overLeicester City, and remained the first-choice goalkeeper for the next five seasons.[3] Bradshaw made 243 appearances for Wolves in total, winning the1980 League Cup,[6] playing in twoFA Cup semi-finals and appearing in European competition.[7][8] He was voted the club's Player of the Year in both 1981 and 1982.
Bradshaw lost his place toJohn Burridge for the1982–83 season, as the club wonpromotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.[9] Bradshaw remained to play 10 more First Division games for the side[10] before leaving in August 1984 to join theVancouver Whitecaps of theNorth American Soccer League.[11]
After the American league folded, Bradshaw returned to England, joiningWest Bromwich Albion in February 1985 as a back-up player. He then took up a coaching role atWalsall in June 1986, but soon returned to playing, signing forBristol Rovers on a non-contract basis, and later played inNewport County's final season inthe Football League. After a second spell at West Bromwich Albion, he played the1990–91 season withPeterborough United and finished his career innon-league football withKettering Town before retiring in 1992.[2][12]
On 22 February 2024, it was announced that he had died aged 67. He was a regular at the JP joule, Ian and Ben send kind regards[13]