Paul Bastock
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Paul Anthony Bastock (born 19 May 1970) is an English 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 le ...
who plays 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
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
, and also serves the club from the role of the
assistant manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
. He holds the all-time record for the most competitive club appearances in world football, having played more than 1,286 times in league and cup competitions, primarily across the English lower leagues. During his career, which began in 1988, Bastock has represented more than twenty clubs, including Cambridge United, Boston United, Rushden & Diamonds and St Albans City. He was voted as Boston's 'all-time cult hero' by viewers of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
show '' Football Focus'' in April 2005. In addition to the all-time club appearances record, Bastock holds the same record at Boston United, having played 679 games in all competitions for the club. He also played once for the
England National Game XI The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
(England C) in an unofficial game against a Highland League selection.


Club career

He started his career in the youth team at
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
in the eighties and was a member of their 1987
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
winning side that beat a
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
youth side including
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
and
Matt Le Tissier Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional footballer. Born in Guernsey, he won eight caps for the England national team. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton before turning to non ...
. He was released by Coventry and signed his first professional contract in 1988 with Cambridge United where he stayed for one season during which he also played once on loan for Bath City in October 1988, a 1–1 draw against VS Rugby. He then moved to
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
to play in the Malaysian Super League where he had a short spell, specifically six months, with
Sabah FA Sabah Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bolasepak Sabah) is a football club with ownership by Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd. The football club competes in Malaysia's football league representing the state of Sabah in Borneo. They currently compete in M ...
. He then moved back to England, where he spent time on trial with
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and Leyton Orient, and played a single match for
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
in the
Gloucestershire Senior Cup The Senior Challenge Cup is the current county cup in the county of Gloucestershire. It is administered by the Gloucestershire County Football Association (GCFA). According to the current rules of the competition, it is open to all clubs whose f ...
in return for a pair of gloves, before signing for
Fisher Athletic Fisher Athletic F.C. were a semi-professional football club from South East London, which last played in the Conference South, which is one of the two leagues that form the sixth tier of the English football league system. The Bermondsey-based ...
. After a season with Fisher, he transferred to
Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
in 1990 where he spent two years. At Kettering, after a brief period on loan at Aylesbury United, he impressed and was snapped up by Boston United in 1992. His next 12 years with the
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
club were to prove the best of his footballing career. His first season with Boston was a disaster, with the club finishing bottom and being relegated from the Football Conference to the
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
. However, despite conceding 69 goals in 42 games, Bastock was still voted Player of the Season by supporters. He started to concede less goals the season after and Boston had a string of respectable league positions from 1993 to 1998 when they were moved to the
Southern Premier League Southern Premier League may refer to: Association football * Southern Football League, premier division, in England * Southern Championship, formerly known as the Southern Premier League, in Tasmania, Australia * FootballSouth Premier League, also k ...
and their fortunes took an upturn. Bastock helped them to a second-place finish in the 1998–99 season and the team won the league and were promoted back to the Conference in 2000. He spent two seasons in the Conference before Boston were promoted to the
Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...
, Bastock missing just one game all season as Boston won the Conference. He won the Player of the Season award again in the 2002–03 season, ten years after last winning it. He remained first choice throughout the whole 2003–04 season; the highlight of which was saving a penalty from Yeovil's Gavin Williams to help his side to a 3–2 win. In the summer of 2004, Boston signed
Nathan Abbey Nathanael "Nathan" Abbey (born 11 July 1978) is an English journeyman former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Luton Town Nathanael Abbey was born on 11 July 1978 in Islington, London, and began his football career as ...
and Bastock was unable to regain his first-team place. Whilst playing for Boston, he also worked as a care assistant in a nursing home. He was awarded a testimonial match for his great service to the club before leaving to join
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
in October 2004. However, he stayed with Scarborough for just one week, before leaving due to family and travelling issues. He signed for
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
later the same month. He stayed there for two months, making just one appearance, before he was signed by then
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
side St Albans City in November 2004. He played in 84 consecutive league games for St Albans between his debut match on 23 November 2004 against
Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...
and 10 November 2006 before he received a suspension after being sent off in an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
tie against Yeading. During the 2005–06 season he was named Supporters Player of the Year, having kept a club record seven consecutive home clean sheets and also equalled the record of six consecutive clean sheets home or away as St Albans win promotion to the Conference. In 2006, Bastock took a position as part-time goalkeeping coach with Boston United, continuing to play for St Albans until May 2007 when he joined Rushden & Diamonds after St Alban's relegation from the Conference. However, he was released by Rushden in February 2008 and rejoined St Albans City the following month. Within six games of returning was named Conference South Player of the Month He played a crucial role in helping St Albans escape a further relegation and was named as the Supporters Club Player of the Year at the end of the season, only the second player to with the honour twice. Bastock rejoined former club Boston United, in March 2011. He left the club at the end of the season. After spending the 2012–13 season at Worksop Town, it was announced he would be rejoining St Albans City for a third time for the 2013–14 season. After one season with St Albans City, Bastock joined Royston Town in the summer of 2014, linking up with ex-St Albans manager Steve Castle. Bastock moved up a division to sign for St Neots Town in October 2014 where he would go on to play his 1,000th game in senior football. However, despite being a regular for St Neots Town, Bastock was released by the club along with Matt Spring in 2015. Bastock then moved to league counterparts Dunstable Town in the summer of 2015. In January 2016, Bastock moved to Stamford. Injury sidelined him for parts of his time at the Lincolnshire-based club, restricting him to 20 league appearances before he departed in the summer of 2017. He joined
Corby Town Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park. History The club was established in 1948, taking over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team i ...
prior to the 2017–18 season, making his debut in a 5–1 win at home to
Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...
on 12 August. He signed for
Wisbech Town Wisbech Town Football Club is a football club based near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Fenland Stadium. History Although a Wisbech Town existed in the 1890s, the current club was estab ...
on dual registration terms on 21 September 2017. On 2 October 2017 he announced that his stay at Corby Town had ended. In March 2018, he returned to Kettering Town on dual registration. Bastock announced his retirement from playing at the end of the 2017–18 season at the age of 48 and joined the coaching staff of Grantham Town but was called upon at short notice to come out of retirement for one final league game due to injury, playing in the Northern Premier League fixture away to Basford United on 27 August 2018. He was named as one of the substitutes for a further 11 games that season but was not called upon to play. On 18 October 2018, Bastock signed for Pinchbeck United, and some days later made an appearance with the club on a UCL League Cup game. On 1 November 2018, Bastock joined King's Lynn Town as assistant manager. Eighteen days later, he turned out for the team in their
Norfolk Senior Cup The Norfolk Senior Cup (currently known as the Ashtons Legal Senior Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football cup competition for clubs in the county of Norfolk, England, who compete between steps three and seven of the non-League pyramid. The fi ...
tie against the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
. In March 2021, aged 50, Bastock was named as a substitute for an away fixture against Notts County in the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
. He appeared on the bench on subsequent other occasions, with the latest being on 25 May 2021. Bastock left King's Lynn Town on 10 December 2021. On 13 August 2022, Bastock returned to playing for a United Counties League Premier Division North match for Deeping Rangers. On 4 October 2022, Bastock was an unused substitute for Boston United in the FA Cup tie against Basford United.


International career

Bastock also played once for the
England National Game XI The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
(England C) in a game against a Highland League selection.


Managerial career

On 1 November 2018, Bastock joined King's Lynn Town as assistant manager, and left the club on 10 December 2021. On 23 January 2022, Bastock was announced as
Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
's new assistant manager, alongside Ian Culverhouse. He left the club, along with Culverhouse, on 15 May 2022. In September 2022, Bastock returned to
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
for the role of the assistant manager, once again to Ian Culverhouse.


Personal life

Bastock's son Callum is also a footballer and a fellow goalkeeper. He played several first-team games at semi-professional level for
Boston Town Boston Town Football Club is a football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. It is currently a member of the and plays at Tattershall Road. History The club was established as Boston Football Club in 1963 by former officials of Bosto ...
before moving on 22 February 2013 to Grimsby Town on a two-year scholarship deal.


Career statistics


Club


Honours

;
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
*
FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
Winners: 1986–87 ;
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
* Southern Football League Premier Division Champions: 1999–2000 * Football Conference Champions: 2001–02 ; St Albans City *
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
Play-off Winners: 2005–06


See also

*
List of men's footballers with the most official appearances This is a list of association football, footballers who have played at least 1,000 official football matches at all age levels: regarding junior levels, only the matches with national teams are counted, because such data for club levels cannot ...


References


External links

*
Paul Bastock's Boston United stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bastock, Paul 1970 births Living people Sportspeople from Leamington Spa English footballers Association football goalkeepers Coventry City F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players Bath City F.C. players Fisher Athletic F.C. players Sabah F.C. (Malaysia) players Kettering Town F.C. players Aylesbury United F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Rushden & Diamonds F.C. players St Albans City F.C. players Worksop Town F.C. players Royston Town F.C. players St Neots Town F.C. players Dunstable Town F.C. players Stamford A.F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Northern Premier League players Southern Football League players British expatriates in Malaysia Expatriate footballers in Malaysia English expatriate footballers Corby Town F.C. players Wisbech Town F.C. players King's Lynn Town F.C. players King's Lynn Town F.C. managers