Paul Matthews: 1946-2026

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Paul Matthews: 1946-2026

It was with great sadness that we learned our former player Paul Matthews, who made 74 appearances for us in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on 3 September, aged 79.

2026-09-07T17:00+01:00

by John Hutchinson

Published

07 Sep, 2026

Paul Matthews: 1946-2026

It was with great sadness that we learned our former player Paul Matthews, who made 74 appearances for us in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on 3 September, aged 79.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-07T17:00+01:00

Paul Matthews: 1946-2026

It was with great sadness that we learned our former player Paul Matthews, who made 74 appearances for us in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on 3 September, aged 79.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-07T17:00+01:00

Paul Matthews: 1946-2026

It was with great sadness that we learned our former player Paul Matthews, who made 74 appearances for us in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on 3 September, aged 79.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-07T17:00+01:00

Paul Matthews: 1946-2026

It was with great sadness that we learned our former player Paul Matthews, who made 74 appearances for us in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on 3 September, aged 79.

John Hutchinson

2026-09-07T17:00+01:00

Paul is remembered by Leicester City supporters for his skilful performances under the management of Matt Gillies, Frank O’Farrell and Jimmy Bloomfield.

Before embarking on a football career, as a pupil at Wyggeston Grammar School, Paul’s opportunity to play the game was limited by the school’s focus on rugby union. He nevertheless excelled at rugby, becoming a county triallist at fly-half.

Introduced to Leicester City by Dave Appleton, the brother of skipper Colin Appleton, Paul had trials at Filbert Street as a 16-year-old and, on the day of our FA Cup Final in 1963, he was offered an apprenticeship at Filbert Street.

His progress was rapid. He was an England youth triallist as a winger and made his First Team debut for us as an 18-year-old against Aston Villa in April 1965. He scored his maiden Foxes goal against Blackburn Rovers in April 1966 and his first strike at Filbert Street came against Everton soon afterwards.

Playing in the old First Division, Paul found himself starring in matches with great opposition players such as World Cup winners Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, as well as Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Liverpool’s legendary manager Bill Shankly named him as one of four young First Division players to look out for.

However, Paul’s career was hindered by injury. He had two cartilages removed before he was 21. This compromised his speed and sharpness, prompting a move to midfield.

His best season with us was 69/70, when he played in 33 games in Frank O’Farrell’s side which just missed out on automatic promotion, but his appearances subsequently diminished due to injuries.

He went on loan to Southend United in September 1972, three months before transferring to Mansfield Town. During his time at Field Mill, despite having to have a third cartilage operation soon after his arrival, Paul was a key player in the Stags’ teams which rose from the Fourth Division as champions in 1974 (when he was rated by his coach as ‘the best in the division by a mile’) and from the Third Division, again as title winners, in 1977.

After playing 124 league games for Mansfield, Paul moved to Rotherham United before going on loan to Northampton Town in March 1978, joining ex-Leicester City team-mates Clive Walker, John Farrington and Alan Woollett, but a failed medical prevented him from joining the Cobblers permanently.

Retiring from the professional game, Paul played for Enderby Town and Oadby Town and trained Friar Lane Old Boys. Later, while working as a purchasing manager for an acoustic engineering firm, he also scouted for Leicester City and worked for a year coaching the Under-13s team at our Academy, when David Nish was the manager.

Right up until the end of last season, Paul was a regular attender at our home games, well over 60 years after he watched his first game at Filbert Street on the Kop as a young fan.

The thoughts of us all at Leicester City are with Paul’s wife Ginny, his daughters Clare, Louise and Kate and with his friends at this sad time.

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