Paul Crichton

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Paul Crichton
Crichton with the Orlando Pride in 2024
Personal information
Full name Paul Andrew Crichton
Date of birth (1968-10-03) 3 October 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth Pontefract, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Position(s)
Goalkeeper
Youth career
Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1988 Nottingham Forest 0 (0)
1986 → Notts County (loan) 5 (0)
1987 → Darlington (loan) 5 (0)
1987 → Peterborough United (loan) 4 (0)
1987 → Darlington (loan) 3 (0)
1987 → Swindon Town (loan) 4 (0)
1988 → Rotherham United (loan) 6 (0)
1988 → Torquay United (loan) 13 (0)
1988–1990 Peterborough United 47 (0)
1990–1993 Doncaster Rovers 77 (0)
1993–1996 Grimsby Town 133 (0)
1996 → West Bromwich Albion (loan) 5 (0)
1996–1998 West Bromwich Albion 27 (0)
1997 → Aston Villa (loan) 0 (0)
1998 → Burnley (loan) 1 (0)
1998 → Burnley (loan) 0 (0)
1998–2001 Burnley 83 (0)
2001–2004 Norwich City 6 (0)
2004 York City 4 (0)
2004 Gainsborough Trinity ? (?)
2004 Stafford Rangers 2 (0)
2004 Leigh RMI 4 (0)
2004–2005 Accrington Stanley 19 (0)
2005–2006 Gillingham 1 (0)
2006–2007 Cambridge United 32 (0)
2007 → King's Lynn (loan) ? (?)
2007–2008 King's Lynn ? (?)
2008–2009 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 (0)
2010–2011 Sheffield United 0 (0)
Total 540 (0)
Managerial career
2019–2021 Miami FC (assistant head coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Andrew Crichton (born 3 October 1968) is an English football coach and former footballer. He is the goalkeeper coach of National Women's Soccer League club Orlando Pride.

Aa a player he was a goalkeeper from 1986 to 2011. During his playing career Crichton notably had lengthy spells with Grimsby Town, Doncaster Rovers, West Bromwich Albion and Burnley having also played as a professional for Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Darlington, Peterborough United, Swindon Town, Rotherham United, Aston Villa and Norwich City. He then moved into the Non-League game where he turned out for York City, Gainsborough Trinity, Stafford Rangers, Leigh RMI and Accrington Stanley.

Although never officially announcing his retirement, Crichton moved into coaching in 2005 and has since been the goalkeeping coach of Gillingham, Cambridge United, King's Lynn, Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield United as well as being registered as a player with each club.

Playing career

Nottingham Forest

Crichton started his career as a trainee at

free transfer
.

Doncaster Rovers

He was released at the end of the following season and joined

Rochdale at Spotland, Crichton achieved a rare if not unique feat by saving the same penalty three times. The referee had insisted it be retaken twice. Rovers went on to win 3–0.[2] He appeared in 90 league and cup games for Doncaster.[3]

Grimsby Town

He moved to Grimsby Town on a free transfer in July 1993. He was an ever-present in his first season at Blundell Park, hardly missing a game for 3 years until September 1996, when he moved to West Bromwich Albion for £250,000, playing under his former Grimsby manager Alan Buckley.

West Bromwich Albion

His spell at

Brian Little selected Michael Oakes in goal and Crichton never played a competitive game for Villa.[4]

Burnley

He then joined Burnley on loan in August 1998, playing just once, in the opening game of the season, before being recalled to the Hawthorns after just 3 days.

He returned to Burnley in a permanent move on 19 November 1998, costing the Clarets £100,000 and quickly established himself in the Burnley side. He was an ever-present in the 1999–2000 season, as Burnley won promotion to Division One, but the following season lost his place to Greek international goalkeeper Nikolaos Michopoulos. His spell at Burnley may be remembered for his part in one of Burnley's worst ever spells in football. In February 1999, Burnley played Gillingham at Turf Moor, Gillingham won 5–0 with Robert Taylor scoring all 5 goals (at the time it was a post-war record for number of goals scored by one person on an away ground). Things went from bad to worst in the following fixture, again at home, this time to Manchester City as City won 6–0. Crichton was in goal for both games, and although the defence was perhaps more to blame than him, it was the most goals he had conceded in two games.

Latter career

On 22 June 2001 Norwich City paid £150,000 to sign him from Burnley. He was signed as a back-up goalkeeper, however, and spent his time playing understudy to Robert Green. After only 6 appearances in three seasons, Crichton joined York City on a free transfer in 2004, although he ended his final season at Norwich with a first division championship medal after the Canaries won promotion to the Premiership. However, he was sacked by York in September 2004 after an incident with a supporter,[5] and joined Gainsborough Trinity.[6] Later that month he joined Stafford Rangers, playing twice before leaving to seek a move to a club nearer his Norwich home.[7] However, in early October 2004 he joined Leigh RMI,[8] for whom he played five times before joining Accrington Stanley in November 2004.[9]

It was from Accrington, and following almost twenty appearances, that Crichton returned to league football, joining

2005–06 season. Crichton was signed as back up to Jason Brown, but was also given his first official coaching role.[10] His one appearance that season came in the home game against Yeovil, where he kept a clean sheet
in a 0–0 draw.

Coaching career

On 26 June it was announced that Crichton had left Priestfield and joined

Championship club Huddersfield Town.[16]

On 23 June 2014 he returned to former club Grimsby Town as the club's new goalkeeping coach.[17] On 9 July, having only taken part in a week's worth of pre-season training, Crichton departed Grimsby and joined Blackpool in a similar role.[18] On 7 August 2015 Crichton joined Queens Park Rangers, again as goalkeeping coach,[19] and left the club on 28 January 2016.[20]

After emigrating to the United States to open a soccer school, Crichton was appointed assistant coach of Miami FC, under manager Paul Dalglish.[21] In March 2021, he joined the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League as a goalkeeping coach.[22]

On 15 February 2023, it was confirmed Crichton had been appointed goalkeeper coach at National Women's Soccer League club Orlando Pride.[23]

Personal life

Crichton now lives in

Port Orange, Florida and is a coach for PSA Soccer Academy and technical director for the Miami FC Academy.[24]

Honours

As a player

Grimsby Town

  • 1995–96
  • Supporters Player of the Year winner: 1994

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5
    .
  2. ^ "Doncaster Rovers's results from season 1990/1991". Football Mad. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Paul Crichton". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. ^ Metcalf, Rupert (8 August 1997). "pounds 1.5m Platt ponders Boro move". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  5. ^ "York ban keeper after crowd incident". nonleaguedaily.com. 31 August 2004. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  6. ^ "Sacked Crichton joins Trinity". nonleaguedaily.com. 21 September 2004. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  7. ^ "Rangers bring in Danks on loan". nonleaguedaily.com. 28 September 2004. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  8. ^ "Leigh sign up Crichton". BBC Sport. 6 October 2004. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  9. ^ "Accrington sign keeper Crichton". BBC Sport. 19 November 2004. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  10. ^ Keeper Crichton joins Gillingham
  11. ^ Crichton for Cambridge[usurped]
  12. ^ Lynn borrow Crichton and like the look of Diggin[usurped]
  13. ^ Crichton becomes a permanent Linnett[usurped]
  14. ^ "Crichton appointed Norwich coach". BBC Sport. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
  15. ^ "Paul Crichton". Flown from the nest. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  16. ^ "Coaching Staff". Huddersfield Town official site. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  17. ^ "New Keeper Coach Announced - News - Grimsby Town". Archived from the original on 24 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Crichton Moves on - News - Grimsby Town". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  19. ^ "QPR Appoint Paul Crichton as New Goalkeeping Coach".
  20. ^ "PAUL CRICHTON LEAVES QPR". Queens Park Rangers. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Technical Staff".
  22. ^ Small, Jordan (29 March 2021). "Paul Crichton Joins Spirit Technical Staff as Goalkeeper Coach". Washington Spirit. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Pride head coach Seb Hines announces First Assistant, Goalkeeper Coach". www.orlandocitysc.com.
  24. ^ https://au.linkedin.com/in/paul-crichton-b2b36650 [self-published source]
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