Paul Bolland
Encyclopedia
Paul Graham Bolland is an English
professional footballer who plays for Conference National
side Mansfield Town
as a midfielder
. He has previously played for Bradford City
, Notts County
, Grimsby Town
and Macclesfield Town
.
, West Yorkshire
, Bolland started his career with his home town team of Bradford City
at the start of the 1997–98 season after progressing through the club's youth setup. His first manager was Chris Kamara
, before playing under Paul Jewell
. He found his time at Valley Parade
a hard one, and found it difficult to break into the first team setup, and he eventually left the club in April 1999.
, initially on loan, and then permanently for £75,000. Bolland was unexpectedly not given a contract extension by Notts County at the end of the 2004–05 season, prompting him to join Grimsby Town
.
at Grimsby Town
for the 2005–06 season. He slotted into his familiar central midfield role, alongside fellow new signings Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala
and Ciaran Toner
. Bolland was part of the Town side that defeated Tottenham Hotspur
in the Carling Cup that same season, and The Mariners went on to finally lose out in the League Two Play Off Final. Paul kept his regular role in the 2006–07 season, briefly captaining the side on several occasions under short lived manager Graham Rodger
and his replacement Alan Buckley
. On 15 September 2007, he made his 100th appearance for Grimsby, and later on in the same season, he scored on of his most notable goals which came in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy
semi-final first leg against Morecambe
in a 1–0 win at Christie Park. In the second leg at Blundell Park
, Grimsby defended for their lives as they earned a 0–0 draw. After the final whistle Bolland was mobbed by fans as he had played a major part in enabling the Mariners to play at Wembley Stadium
for the third time in their history. In the final, Grimsby Town played Milton Keynes Dons
, at Wembley Stadium
, where they lost 2–0. Bolland sadly spent the entire 2008–09 season out injured, after picking up an injury in the latter stages of the previous season. Bolland was released by Grimsby in the summer of 2009, with new manager Mike Newell
admitting he wanted to give Bolland a chance to prove himself in pre-season, but Bolland decided to leave the club, settling up his contract with one month remaining. On 18 June Bolland was linked with Chester City
on 29 June 2009. He was released by the club, along with 10 other players at the end of the 2009–10 season. He went on trial with Conference National
team York City
in July, although he was later re-signed by Macclesfield on a one-year contract on 19 July.
Bolland was voted as Player of The Year by his fellow Macclesfield Town Players and given a trophy 'Players Player of the Year' for 2010–11 season.
on 1 June 2011 on a two-year contract, after rejecting a new contract at Macclesfield.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer who plays for Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He has previously played for Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
and Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
.
Bradford City
Born in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, Bolland started his career with his home town team of Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
at the start of the 1997–98 season after progressing through the club's youth setup. His first manager was Chris Kamara
Chris Kamara
Chris Kamara is a retired English footballer. He ended his playing career in 1995 and last managed a club in 1998. He is now a presenter and football analyst on Sky Sports.-Playing career:...
, before playing under Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
. He found his time at Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
a hard one, and found it difficult to break into the first team setup, and he eventually left the club in April 1999.
Notts County
After struggling to break into the first team at Bradford, Bolland signed for Notts CountyNotts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, initially on loan, and then permanently for £75,000. Bolland was unexpectedly not given a contract extension by Notts County at the end of the 2004–05 season, prompting him to join Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
.
Grimsby Town
Bolland became one of the first new signings for Russell SladeRussell Slade
Russell Slade is an English football manager currently in charge of League One side Leyton Orient.-Notts County:Slade was assistant manager to Mick Walker at Notts County, and took over as caretaker manager when Walker was sacked in September 1994. When County appointed Howard Kendall as manager...
at Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
for the 2005–06 season. He slotted into his familiar central midfield role, alongside fellow new signings Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala
Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala
Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala , often referred to as Jean-Paul Kalala or JP Kalala, is a Congolese footballer, who plays a midfielder for Southend United. He started his career in France playing for Nice before moving to Grimsby Town in 2005...
and Ciaran Toner
Ciarán Toner
Ciarán Toner is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays for Conference North side Guiseley. He has represented Tottenham Hotspur, Peterborough United, Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Cambridge United, Grimsby Town, Rochdale and Harrogate Town...
. Bolland was part of the Town side that defeated Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in the Carling Cup that same season, and The Mariners went on to finally lose out in the League Two Play Off Final. Paul kept his regular role in the 2006–07 season, briefly captaining the side on several occasions under short lived manager Graham Rodger
Graham Rodger
Graham Rodger is a Scottish born English former professional footballer and football manager. He played as a defender from 1984 until 1998 for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City and Luton Town before finishing his career with a six year stint at Grimsby Town, where he retired in 1998 following...
and his replacement Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
. On 15 September 2007, he made his 100th appearance for Grimsby, and later on in the same season, he scored on of his most notable goals which came in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
semi-final first leg against Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
in a 1–0 win at Christie Park. In the second leg at Blundell Park
Blundell Park
Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
, Grimsby defended for their lives as they earned a 0–0 draw. After the final whistle Bolland was mobbed by fans as he had played a major part in enabling the Mariners to play at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
for the third time in their history. In the final, Grimsby Town played Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
, at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, where they lost 2–0. Bolland sadly spent the entire 2008–09 season out injured, after picking up an injury in the latter stages of the previous season. Bolland was released by Grimsby in the summer of 2009, with new manager Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
admitting he wanted to give Bolland a chance to prove himself in pre-season, but Bolland decided to leave the club, settling up his contract with one month remaining. On 18 June Bolland was linked with Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
Macclesfield Town
Bolland signed for Macclesfield TownMacclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
on 29 June 2009. He was released by the club, along with 10 other players at the end of the 2009–10 season. He went on trial with Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
team York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
in July, although he was later re-signed by Macclesfield on a one-year contract on 19 July.
Bolland was voted as Player of The Year by his fellow Macclesfield Town Players and given a trophy 'Players Player of the Year' for 2010–11 season.
Mansfield Town
Paul signed for MansfieldMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
on 1 June 2011 on a two-year contract, after rejecting a new contract at Macclesfield.
Grimsby Town
- League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
Play-Off runner up: 2005–06 - Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
runner up: 2007–08
External links
- Profile of Paul Bolland at codalmighty.com