Paul Whitfield

Paul Whitfield
Personal information
Date of birth	6 May 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	St. Asaph, Wales
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
–2000	Wrexham
Senior career*
Years	Team
2000–2004	Wrexham
2000	→ The New Saints (loan)
2001	→ Connah's Quay Nomads (loan)
2002	→ Newtown (loan)
2004	Bangor City
2004	Buckley Town
2004–2005	Airbus UK
2005–2007	Rhyl
2007–2008	Cammell Laird
	Llangefni Town
2009–2012	Llandudno
2013–	Rhyl
	Caernarfon Town
	Llandudno Albion
2021–2022	Llandudno
International career
2001–2003	Wales U21
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Whitfield (born 6 May 1982) is a Welsh footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made appearances in the English Football League with Wrexham, and was part of their promotion-winning 2002–03 season from the Football League Third Division.^[1] He is now goalkeeping coach for the under-18 and under-23 teams at Swansea City.

Career

Whitfield started at Wrexham, coming through the youth team. His run with the team however was plagued by injury, needing an operation for a cartilage in his right leg from an injury sustained in the warm-up for a game against Kidderminster Harriers.^[3]

During his time with club he spent time on loan at The New Saints during the 2000–01 season and travelled with the club to Estonia for a Uefa Champions League match against FC Levadia Tallinn.^[4] He also spent additional loan spells at both Connah's Quay Nomads^[5] and Newtown.^[6]

Whilst at Wrexham, Whitfield would earn a Wales under-21 cap against Azerbaijan.^[7] He was named as an unused substitute for another eight Wales under-21 games between 2001 and 2003.

After leaving Wrexham in 2004,^[8] Whitfield would play for various clubs in the Welsh Premier League including Bangor City, Airbus UK^[9] and Rhyl.^[10] He also played for Buckley Town.^[11] For the 2007–08 season he moved to Cammell Laird^[12] where he helped them win promotion to the Unibond Premier League.^[4] He returned to Wales playing for Llangefni Town^[13] and hometown club Llandudno, where in the first season he won the Welsh League Cup in the first season and narrowly missed out on promotion to the Welsh Premier League.^[14] In 2013 he re-joined former club Rhyl^[15] and later played for Caernarfon Town^[16] and Llandudno Albion, helping them reach the FAW Trophy final in the 2019–20 season,^[17] although the final was not played due to the Coronavirus pandemic.^[4] During the early part of the 2021–22 season he again played for Llandudno, playing the full-game in a Welsh Cup match against Llay Welfare.^[18]

Coaching

Whitfield now works as a coach, having been named goalkeeping coach at Prestatyn Town in August 2017^[19] and having been head coach at Rhyl FC's Academy. He has also worked with the Welsh FA's Under-19's Women's National team and been goalkeeping coach at The New Saints.^[20] He returned to Llandudno FC as goalkeeping coach in June 2020^[21]^[4] and stayed with the club until January 2022.^[14]

Between November 2020 and January 2022 he was also an goalkeeping coach at Liverpool's academy.^[22] In January 2022 he joined Swansea City's coaching staff as a full-time goalkeeping coach^[14] for their under-18 and under-23 teams.^[23]

Personal life

Whitfield is an Everton fan.^[14]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Wrexham	2000–01^[1]	Second Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2001–02^[1]	Second Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2002–03^[1]	Third Division	8	0	1	0	1	0	3	0	13	0
	2003–04^[1]	Second Division	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	0
	Total		11	0	1	0	1	0	5	0	18	0

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Paul Whitfield". Soccerbase.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Paul Whitfield Football Player Statistics". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
^ "Wrexham Keeper Paul Whitfield Is Having Surgery". thefootballnetwork.net. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jones, Dave. "Paul Whitfield devotes much of his life to the art of goalkeeping". Grassroots North Wales. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ "Flynn delighted as youngsters make a point". Wales Online. 10 September 2001. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Keeper Paul stops the rot at Newtown". Wales Online. 20 January 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Wrexham Keeper Shines For Wales". Daily Post. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
^ "Smith sets sights on new faces". Cheshire Live. 18 May 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Walters at double to shoot down Airbus". Wales Online. 31 October 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Belle Vue call for Whitfield". North Wales Live. 28 October 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Football: Whitfield in for Buckley; CYMRU ALLIANCE". Free Library. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ "Lairds sign Wrexham goalkeeper". Wirral Globe. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ "News". Denbigh Town Football Club. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Llandudno FC - Podcast - Paul Whitfield". YouTube. Llandudno FC. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Rhyl FC's manager expresses delight with re-signed goalkeeper". Rhyl, Prestatyn & Abergele Journal. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ "Inconsistent Cofis out of Cup". Facebook. Caernarfon Town FC. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ Jones, Dave. "FAW Trophy: Llandudno Albion advance to final". Grassroots North Wales. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ Roberts, Wesley (14 August 2021). "Llay Welfare 2-4 Llandudno: Shaun Cavanagh inspires Seasiders comeback". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Paul Whitfield: 2017/2018 Biography & Statistics". Welsh Premier. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
^ Bloor, Stewart (16 July 2019). "Meet Paul Whitfield, TNS's goalkeeping coach". The New Saints. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ Jones, Dean (7 June 2020). "Llandudno FC: Sean Eardley bolsters backroom staff". North Wales Pioneer. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
^ "Paul Whitfield". LinkedIn. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^ "Swansea, Wales. 19 March, 2022. Swansea City Goalkeeper Coach Paul Whitfield during the pre-match warm-up before the Professional Development League game between Swansea City Under 18s and Colchester United Under 18s at the Swansea City Academy in Swansea, Wales, UK on 19, March 2022". Alamy. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[Soccerbase-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Paul Whitfield". Soccerbase.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

[11v11-2] "Paul Whitfield Football Player Statistics". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

[3] "Wrexham Keeper Paul Whitfield Is Having Surgery". thefootballnetwork.net. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

[grassrootswhitfield-4] Jones, Dave. "Paul Whitfield devotes much of his life to the art of goalkeeping". Grassroots North Wales. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[5] "Flynn delighted as youngsters make a point". Wales Online. 10 September 2001. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[6] "Keeper Paul stops the rot at Newtown". Wales Online. 20 January 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[7] "Wrexham Keeper Shines For Wales". Daily Post. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

[8] "Smith sets sights on new faces". Cheshire Live. 18 May 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[9] "Walters at double to shoot down Airbus". Wales Online. 31 October 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[10] "Belle Vue call for Whitfield". North Wales Live. 28 October 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[11] "Football: Whitfield in for Buckley; CYMRU ALLIANCE". Free Library. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[12] "Lairds sign Wrexham goalkeeper". Wirral Globe. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[13] "News". Denbigh Town Football Club. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[podcast-14] "Llandudno FC - Podcast - Paul Whitfield". YouTube. Llandudno FC. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[15] "Rhyl FC's manager expresses delight with re-signed goalkeeper". Rhyl, Prestatyn & Abergele Journal. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[16] "Inconsistent Cofis out of Cup". Facebook. Caernarfon Town FC. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[17] Jones, Dave. "FAW Trophy: Llandudno Albion advance to final". Grassroots North Wales. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[18] Roberts, Wesley (14 August 2021). "Llay Welfare 2-4 Llandudno: Shaun Cavanagh inspires Seasiders comeback". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[19] "Paul Whitfield: 2017/2018 Biography & Statistics". Welsh Premier. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

[20] Bloor, Stewart (16 July 2019). "Meet Paul Whitfield, TNS's goalkeeping coach". The New Saints. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[21] Jones, Dean (7 June 2020). "Llandudno FC: Sean Eardley bolsters backroom staff". North Wales Pioneer. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[22] "Paul Whitfield". LinkedIn. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

[23] "Swansea, Wales. 19 March, 2022. Swansea City Goalkeeper Coach Paul Whitfield during the pre-match warm-up before the Professional Development League game between Swansea City Under 18s and Colchester United Under 18s at the Swansea City Academy in Swansea, Wales, UK on 19, March 2022". Alamy. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

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