Paul Heald (born 20 September 1968 in
Wath-on-Dearne) is a former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
for
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
,
Wimbledon,
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
and
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
. He also had loan spells with
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
,
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
,
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
and
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
.
Playing career
Leyton Orient
Heald started his career at
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
in 1987 and moved on to
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
where he made a total of 176 league appearances. Heald also had loan spells at
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
,
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
and newly promoted
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
. He was one of four goalkeepers used by Swindon during their
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
season alongside
Fraser Digby,
Jon Sheffield
Jonathan Sheffield (born 1 February 1969) is an English former professional football goalkeeper who has subsequently worked as a coach.
Playing career
Born in Coventry, Sheffield came through the youth system at Norwich City, but made just on ...
and
Nick Hammond
Nicholas David Hammond (born 7 September 1967 in Hornchurch, England) is an English former football goalkeeper.
Playing career
Hammond was an Arsenal apprentice, making his league début whilst on loan at Bristol Rovers in 1986, followed by ...
.
Wimbledon
In 1995 a £125,000 fee took him to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
side
Wimbledon, where he acted mainly as backup for first
Hans Segers
Johannes "Hans" Segers (born 30 October 1961) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper.
As a player, he notably spent eight years with Wimbledon where he featured in the Premier League. He also played ...
and then
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan (born 24 February 1970) is a professional football player and coach. He played as a goalkeeper from 1988 until 2013, playing in the Premier League for Wimbledon, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and represented Scotland internat ...
. He played a total of 38 league games for the club.
In his first season at Wimbledon he was the goalkeeper who was unable to stop
Tony Yeboah
Anthony Yeboah (born 6 June 1966) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He is considered one of the most prominent and prolific goal scorers in Ghanaian and African football history and gained a reputation for sc ...
's famous strike in September 1995, the goal going on to win the
BBC Goal of the Season
In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's '' Match of the Day'', in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season. It is typically contested between the winners of the preceding ten Go ...
.
Heald had a brief spell on loan with
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
in 2002. He stayed with Wimbledon until the club's demise and replacement with a team based in
Milton Keynes in 2003. He remained a player with the new
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
until his retirement in 2005.
Coaching career
Since retiring, Heald has continued as goalkeepers coach for Milton Keynes Dons until leaving in 2019.
References
External links
*
1968 births
Living people
English footballers
Association football goalkeepers
Premier League players
Wimbledon F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players
Milton Keynes Dons F.C. non-playing staff
Sheffield United F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Swindon Town F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
{{England-footy-goalkeeper-stub