| With the form of Graeme Sharp and Adrian Heath limiting his
opportunities at Goodison Park, Paul Wilkinson took the opportunity to
move to Nottingham Forest when Brian Clough came in with a £250,000
bid. The big target-man left Everton in March 1987, just as the
Toffeemen were looking good for the championship, but he knew his
chances of first-team football were far greater at the City Ground. It
proved, however, to be a short stay with the East Midlands club as Paul
struggled to fill the void left by Garry Birtles summer departure to
local rivals Notts County. Perhaps Wilkinson's most memorable moment in a
Forest shirt came in the F.A. Cup quarter-final win over Arsenal in
March 1988. It was his glorious 25-yard piledriver into the top corner
of the net that put the Reds 1-0 up and on the way to a superb 2-1
victory. That meant a semi-final meeting with Liverpool but Forest could
not reproduce the result they had managed at Highbury and went down to a
2-1 defeat. Wilkinson weighed in with five League goals from twenty-six
appearances during his only full season at the club, with his first
goal for the Reds coming in a 4-3 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge in early September. He then enjoyed a real purple patch in
October and November which produced four goals in five games. The
powerful striker could not continue that form, however, and failed to
hit the target in his remaining twelve League games. Wilkinson moved
onto Watford in the summer, with his last game for Forest coming as a
sub in a 2-0 win at home to Norwich City. (David Scranage) |
FOOTBALL CAREER.
Years Team Games Goals.
1982–1985 Grimsby Town 87 (33)
1985–1987 Everton 42 (16)
1987–1988 Nottingham Forest 34 (5)
1988–1991 Watford 155 (56)
1991–1996 Middlesbrough 202 (65)
1995 Oldham Athletic (loan) 5 (2)
1995 Watford (loan) 4 (0)
1996 Luton Town (loan) 3 (0)
1996–1997 Barnsley 55 (11)
1997–1998 Millwall 35 (3)
1998–2000 Northampton Town 19 (1)
Paul Wilkinson in action at his final club - Northampton Town - during a pre season friendly on 24th. July 1998.
Photograph George Herringshaw. ©