Paul Canoville
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| Paul Canoville | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Canoville | |
| Date of birth | March 4, 1962 (age 45) | |
| Place of birth | Hillingdon, England | |
| Nickname | The King | |
| Playing position | Winger | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1981-86 1986-87 |
Chelsea Reading |
79 (11) 16 (4) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Paul Canoville (born 4 March 1962 in Hillingdon) is an English former footballer, most notable for being the first black player to play for Chelsea.
Starting out playing for non-league Hillingdon Borough, he signed for Chelsea in December 1981. At the time Chelsea, along with various other British clubs, had among their support a minority of hardcore members of the far-right, for whom Canoville became an immediate and regular target for racist abuse, which in turn provoked a public show of support from then-club chairman Ken Bates and several team mates, most notably Pat Nevin. He was also nicknamed The King by Chelsea fans, because he used to run as if he was wearing a crown.
Canoville was a talented, though inconsistent, left-sided player who joined Chelsea at a time when the club seemed to be imploding, both on and off the pitch. He made his debut in April 1982 against Crystal Palace. His first full season with the club was one of the worst in its history, as the team avoided relegation to the Third Division on the final day of the season. Canoville nevertheless made an invaluable contribution to the cause with an equaliser against Fulham and a brace in a 4-2 win over Carlisle United.
The following year at Chelsea proved more successful, as a side rejuvenated by a series of John Neal signings were promoted as Second Division champions. He again played an important part by scoring seven goals, including a hat-trick against Swansea City - his only treble for the club. However, the high point in his Chelsea career was his role in a Milk Cup quarter-final win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1985. Chelsea trailed 3-0, and Canoville came on as a half-time substitute; he scored within 11 seconds of the restart, sparking a Chelsea comeback, which he capped by putting Chelsea 4-3 ahead, though a late penalty conceded by Doug Rougvie denied the side a win. But his performances continued to be inconsistent (he missed an open goal in the return game against Wednesday) and thereafter lost his place in the side to Nevin and Mickey Thomas, and was mainly used as a substitute. Canoville was sold to Reading in August 1986 for £50,000.
He had a bright start to his time at Reading, scoring and creating several goals, but suffered a broken leg not long into his debut season. After a failed comeback, he moved down to non-league football, making appearances for Enfield and Burnham, before retiring.
He is the second cousin of current Boston United defender, Lee Canoville.
