Paul Anderson (footballer)

Paul Anderson (born 23 July 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger. He is a former England U19 international.

Paul Anderson

Personal information
Date of birth	23 July 1988
Place of birth	Melton Mowbray, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	West Bromwich Albion
2005–2006	Hull City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2009	Liverpool	0	(0)
2007–2008	→ Swansea City (loan)	31	(7)
2008–2009	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	26	(2)
2009–2012	Nottingham Forest	89	(7)
2012–2013	Bristol City	29	(3)
2013–2015	Ipswich Town	67	(6)
2015–2016	Bradford City	14	(0)
2016–2017	Northampton Town	36	(6)
2017–2019	Mansfield Town	33	(1)
2019	Plymouth Argyle	4	(0)
2019–2020	Northampton Town	14	(1)
National team
2007	England U19	4	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:00, 29 January 2020 (UTC)

He started his career at Hull City before moving to Liverpool but made no league appearances for either club. Loan spells with Swansea City and Nottingham Forest resulted in a permanent move to the latter for whom he made nearly 100 league appearances. In 2012, he moved to Bristol City before signing for Ipswich Town the following year. In 2015, he moved to Bradford City. In the 2016 Summer transfer window he moved to Northampton Town on a free transfer after leaving Bradford City. In 2017 he joined Mansfield Town but left in 2019 and joined Plymouth Argyle. On 18 October Northampton Town announced they had signed the winger on a short-term deal.

Club career

Early career

Born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Anderson attended Brownlow County Primary School, then John Ferneley College and then King Edward School in Melton Mowbray. As a schoolboy he was attached to Leicester City but they declined to offer him a professional contract, believing he would never make the grade. After this setback Anderson then decided to join Hull City, the club his father Phil Anderson had played for. His performances for their academy team caught the eye of Liverpool who took him to Anfield on an extended trial.

Liverpool

On 11 November 2005 Liverpool's official website announced that a swap deal was arranged for Liverpool's John Welsh to move to Hull, while Anderson went the other way after impressing during a trial.[2]

Anderson was a regular in the Liverpool U-18 team which won the 2006 FA Youth Cup and his performances led some to compare him to Michael Owen.[3]

Anderson earned his first call-up to the senior team in March 2006 when he was an unused substitute in Liverpool's Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Benfica.[4] On 15 July 2006, Anderson made a memorable debut for the Liverpool's first team in a pre-season friendly against Wrexham.[5] Anderson scored an early goal in the fifth minute to set Liverpool on their way to a 2–0 victory.

On 1 July 2008, immediately prior to his loan to Nottingham Forest, Anderson signed a new three-year contract.[6]

Swansea City

Anderson joined League One side Swansea City on loan for the 2007–08 season. After a successful season with the club, Anderson was named Swansea Young Player of the Year[7] scoring 10 goals in all competitions. Swansea manager Roberto Martínez expressed his desire to sign the winger on a permanent basis.[8] Swansea faced competition for the player from Nottingham Forest who were also understood to be interested in the player.

Nottingham Forest

On 26 June 2008, it was announced that Anderson was to join Forest on a season-long loan.[9][10] After suffering with injury, Anderson eventually made his Forest debut against Queens Park Rangers on 18 October 2008.[11] He scored his first goal for the club in November, in the 2–1 home defeat against Norwich City.[12] His second goal came in a 2–0 home win against Plymouth Argyle.

On 23 January 2009, in an FA Cup fourth round qualifier, between Derby County and Nottingham Forest, Anderson suffered a serious injury in the second half of the game. Anderson fell awkwardly after a challenge by Derby's Paul Connolly and suffered a broken arm and dislocated wrist.[13] He returned only four weeks later, and helped Forest secure Championship status, finishing 19th.[14]

In May 2009, Liverpool accepted a bid from Swansea for Anderson. However, due to Roberto Martínez leaving Swansea, personal terms were agreed and Forest signed the winger on a permanent basis for a fee of £250,000 on 30 June 2009. The 20-year-old signed a three-year deal, becoming Forest's third confirmed signing in two days.[15][16]

Bristol City

Anderson signed for Bristol City on 26 July 2012 on a two-year deal.[17] He made his debut on 18 August in a 1–0 defeat against his former club Nottingham Forest.[18] He scored his first goal for the club on 23 October in a 4–3 defeat against Burnley.[19] He scored his second goal for the club on 29 December in a 4–2 win against Peterborough United.[20] He scored his third goal of the season on 29 January in a 2–0 win at home to Watford.[21]

Ipswich Town

On 8 July 2013 Anderson signed a two-year contract with Ipswich Town as part of a swap deal (with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas joining Anderson's previous club Bristol City).[22] During the 2014/15 season, Anderson helped Ipswich qualify for The Championship playoffs. Anderson's best moment in an Ipswich shirt came when he scored a crucial equaliser against bitter rivals Norwich City in the first leg of the semi finals. This led to Ipswich fan Ross Morgan punching a hole in his ceiling during the celebrations. Anderson kindly offered to foot the bill for the damage caused, which was well received by the Town and many other football fans alike.[23]

After surprisingly being released at the end of the 2014–15 season after Ipswich failed to gain promotion, despite Anderson being top of the clubs assists chart for the 2014–15 season, On 19 May 2015 Ipswich Town fans created a petition for Anderson to be re-signed by the club.[24]

Bradford City

On 1 August 2015, Anderson signed for Bradford City on a two-year deal following his release from Ipswich Town.[25] He made his debut on 8 August appearing as a substitute in a 4–1 defeat against Swindon Town.[26]

Northampton Town

On 31 August 2016, Anderson signed for Northampton Town on a free transfer.[27]

Mansfield Town

On 16 May 2017 Anderson signed for Mansfield Town.[28] He scored his first goal for Mansfield in a 2–0 win over Forest Green Rovers on 12 August 2017.[29]

He was transfer-listed by Mansfield at the end of the 2017–18 season.[30]

Plymouth Argyle

He was released from his contract at Mansfield on 31 January 2019, transfer deadline day. He signed for Plymouth Argyle on 22 February 2019.[31]

He was released by Plymouth Argyle at the end of the 2018–19 season.[32]

Northampton Town

It was announced on 18 October 2019 that he had signed a short-term deal at Northampton Town.[33] After making 14 appearances, only being on the losing side once, Anderson's deal at Northampton was extended until the end of the 2019–20 season on 14 January 2020.[34] On 15 January 2020 Anderson signed a new deal to keep him at Northampton Town until the end of the current season. He helped Northampton win promotion from League Two during the 2019–20 season by winning the 2020 EFL League Two play-off Final on 29 June. He was released at the end of the season following the end of his contract.[35]

International career

Anderson has been capped by England at Under-19 level.[36]

Career statistics

As of match played 29 June 2020

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Swansea City (loan)	2007–08[37]	League One	31	7	3	0	2	1	5[lower-alpha 1]	2	41	10
Nottingham Forest (loan)	2008–09[38]	Championship	26	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	28	2
Nottingham Forest	2009–10[39]	Championship	37	4	2	0	3	1	2[lower-alpha 2]	0	44	5
	2010–11[40]	Championship	36	3	1	1	1	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	39	4
	2011–12[41]	Championship	16	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	19	0
	Total		89	7	5	1	5	1	3	0	102	9
Bristol City	2012–13[42]	Championship	29	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	30	3
Ipswich Town	2013–14[43]	Championship	31	5	1	0	1	0	0	0	33	5
	2014–15[44]	Championship	36	1	0	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 2]	1	38	2
	Total		67	6	1	0	1	0	2	1	71	7
Bradford City	2015–16[45]	League One	11	0	0	0	1	0	2[lower-alpha 3]	0	14	0
	2016–17[46]	League One	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
	Total		14	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	18	0
Northampton Town	2016–17[46]	League One	36	6	2	1	1	0	0	0	39	7
Mansfield Town	2017–18[47]	League Two	33	0	4	0	1	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	40	0
Plymouth Argyle	2018–19[48]	League One	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Northampton Town	2019–20[49]	League Two	18	1	5	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 4]	0	25	1
Career total			347	32	23	2	12	2	16	3	398	39

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in EFL Championship play-offs
3. Appearances in EFL League One play-offs
4. Appearance in EFL League Two play-offs

Honours

Liverpool

• FA Youth Cup: 2005–06

Swansea City

• Football League One: 2007–08

Northampton Town

• EFL League Two play-offs: 2020[50]

References

1. Paul Anderson at Soccerway. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
2. "Teenage star to join Reds in January". Liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool F.C. 11 November 2005. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
3. Wright, Chris (31 January 2006). "Burnley Youth 0, Liverpool Youth 3". Liverpool: Daily Post. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
4. "Liverpool 0 – Benfica 2: match report". Liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool F.C. 8 March 2006. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
5. "Wrexham 0 – Liverpool 2: match report". Liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool F.C. 15 July 2006. Archived from the original on 27 May 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
6. "Reds tie down Anderson". Liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool F.C. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
7. "Scotland Player of Year". swanseacity.co.uk. Swansea City A.F.C. 1 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
8. Wood, Blair (25 June 2008). "Martinez fighting to keep Anderson at Swans". Walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
9. Blanche, Phil (26 June 2008). "Swans target Anderson joins Forest". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
10. "Anderson set for Forest loan". Liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool F.C. 1 July 2008. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
11. "QPR 2 – 1 Nottm Forest". nottinghamforest.co.uk. Nottingham Forest F.C. 18 October 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
12. "Nottm Forest 1–2 Norwich". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 November 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
13. "Anderson Update". nottinghamforest.co.uk. Nottingham Forest F.C. 24 January 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
14. "Championship 2008/09". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
15. "Exclusive: Paul Makes It Three". nottinghamforest.co.uk. Nottingham Forest F.C. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
16. "Forest swoop for Liverpool winger". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
17. "Breaking news: Nottingham Forest winger Paul Anderson signs for Bristol City". Melton Times. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
18. "Nott'm Forest 1–0 Bristol City" BBC Sport. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
19. "Bristol City 3–4 Burnley" BBC Sport. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
20. "Bristol City 4–2 Peterborough" BBC Sport. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
21. "Bristol City 2–0 Watford" BBC Sport. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
22. "Paul Joins Town as JET Departs". Ipswich Town F.C. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
23. "Paul Anderson to pay for Ipswich v Norwich goal celebration damage". BBC Sport. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
24. "Ipswich Town fans start petition to keep derby hero Anderson at Portman Road". ITV Sport. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
25. "Paul Anderson: Bradford City sign ex-Ipswich Town winger". BBC Sport. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
26. "Swindon Town 4–1 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
27. "Northampton Town Sign Paul Anderson". Northampton Town Official Site. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
28. "Mansfield Town: Jimmy Spencer, Paul Digby & Paul Anderson join League Two club". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
29. "Mansfield 2-0 Forest Green Rovers". BBC Sport. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
30. "Mansfield Town release Rhys Bennett and six others transfer-listed". BBC Sport. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
31. "Paul Anderson: Plymouth Argyle sign free agent winger until end of season". BBC Sport. 22 February 2019.
32. "Jamie Ness: Plymouth Argyle release midfielder and offer deals to 12". BBC Sport. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
33. "PAUL ANDERSON SIGNS SHORT TERM DEAL". Northampton Town. 18 October 2019.
34. "PAUL ANDERSON SIGNS NEW CONTRACT". Northampton Town. 14 January 2020.
35. "The Retained List". Northampton Town. 2 July 2020.
36. "Young Reds trio star for England". Liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool F.C. 10 October 2006. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
37. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
38. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
39. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
40. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
41. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
42. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
43. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
44. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
45. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
46. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
47. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
48. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
49. "Games played by Paul Anderson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
50. Pilnick, Brent (29 June 2020). "Exeter City 0–4 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2020.

External links

• Nottingham Forest profile
• Thisisanfield.com player profile
• Liverpool FC profile
• Profile at LFCHistory.net
• Paul Anderson at Soccerbase