Paul Shrubb

Paul Shrubb (1 August 1955 – 28 May 2020) was an English professional footballer, coach and scout who made 350 appearances as a player in the Football League, most notably for Brentford and Aldershot. He later returned to Aldershot as assistant manager and coached at a number of non-league clubs.

Paul Shrubb
Personal information
Full name Paul Shrubb[1]
Date of birth (1955-08-01)1 August 1955[1]
Place of birth Guildford, England[1]
Date of death 28 May 2020(2020-05-28) (aged 64)[2]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[3]
Position(s) Utility player
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1972–1975 Fulham 1 (0)
1975–1976 Hellenic
1977–1982 Brentford 182 (8)
1982–1987 Aldershot 174 (5)
1987–1989 Woking
1989–1990 Dorking
1990–1991 Leatherhead
1991 Fleet Town
1991–1992 Cove
1992–1995 Aldershot Town 31 (0)
Teams managed
1995–1997 Aldershot Town (assistant)
1995 Aldershot Town (caretaker)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Fulham

Shrubb began his career in the youth system at Second Division club Fulham and signed his first professional contract in 1972.[4] He made his debut during the 1972–73 season, which would be his only appearance before his departure in 1975.[5]

Hellenic

Shrubb moved to South Africa to sign for National Football League club Hellenic in 1975.[6] The high point of his time with the club was reaching the final of the 1976 NFL Cup, which was lost to Cape Town City.[7]

Brentford

Shrubb returned to England and joined Fourth Division club Brentford in March 1977.[6] With a small squad of players, Shrubb blossomed as a Utility player in defence and midfield and contributed to the Bees' promotion to the Third Division in the 1977–78 season.[6] Shrubb took over as captain from Jackie Graham for a time, while Graham was out injured.[6] Shrubb missed only a handful of games per season until the 1981–82 campaign, when he was dropped early in the season.[8] He departed the Bees in August 1982, having made 198 appearances and scored eight goals during his five years with the club.[6]

Aldershot

Shrubb signed for Fourth Division club Aldershot in August 1982.[9] He made 202 appearances and scored six goals during a five-season spell and departed after the Shots' success in the 1987 Fourth Division play-off final.[10][11] He put his skills as a utility player to good use, wearing every single shirt number (1–11) during his time with the club.[6]

Non-league football

Shrubb dropped into non-League football in 1987 and had spells with Isthmian League clubs Woking, Dorking, Leatherhead, Cove and Wessex League club Fleet Town.[9]

Return to Aldershot

Shrubb signed for Isthmian League Third Division phoenix club Aldershot Town in 1992.[9] The Shots won the Third Division championship during the 1992–93 season and secured promotion to First Division in the following campaign.[12] He made 31 appearances before retiring in January 1995.[9][13] Shrubb was awarded a testimonial versus Charlton Athletic on 1 August 2007, in recognition of his service to the club.[14]

Management and coaching career

Between 1987 and 1992, Shrubb held player-coach roles with Woking, Dorking, Leatherhead, Fleet Town and Cove.[9] When he returned to Aldershot in 1992, he became player-assistant manager of the club and was caretaker manager for one match in 1995, after the departure of Steve Wignall.[5] He was offered the job on a permanent basis but turned it down, citing work commitments.[15] After his retirement from playing, Shrubb served as Steve Wigley's assistant, before departing the Recreation Ground for the final time in 1997.[13] He later served Hampton and Kingstonian as a coach and resigned from the latter club in April 2001, in protest over the sacking of fellow coach Ian McDonald.[16]

Scouting career

Shrubb served as a scout at Charlton Athletic, Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon.[13][17] While with Plymouth Argyle, he worked alongside former Aldershot teammate Andy King.[18]

Personal life

Shrubb lived in Aldershot and ran his own window cleaning business.[14][19] As of 2014, he was living in Ash, Surrey.[20] Shrubb was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in January 2006 and was given two years to live by doctors.[19][21] The condition forced him to give up full-time work in 2009.[19] Shrubb died of the disease in May 2020.[2]

Honours

Brentford

Aldershot/Aldershot Town

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fulham 1972–73[1] Second Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Brentford 1976–77[8] Fourth Division 13 2 — — 13 2
1977–78[8] 45 1 2 0 2 0 49 1
1978–79[8] Third Division 39 2 1 0 2 0 42 2
1979–80[8] 39 1 1 0 2 0 42 1
1980–81[8] 42 2 3 0 2 0 47 2
1981–82[8] 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
Total 182 8 7 0 9 0 198 8
Career total 183 8 7 0 9 0 199 8

References
  1. "Paul Shrubb". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  2. "CLUB STATEMENT: Paul Shrubb | Aldershot Town FC". Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  4. "Guest of the Day Against Rochdale – Paul Shrubb – Aldershot Town Football Club". archive.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  5. "Aldershot Town Football Club: Club Records – Managers – Caretakers History". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. "South Africa Cup Winners". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  8. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 394–396. ISBN 0951526200.
  9. "Paul Shrubb: 1993/1994 Biography & Statistics – Aldershot Town Football Club". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  10. "Aldershot F.C Players Appearances & Goalscorers". www.mselliott.plus.com. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. Paul Shrubb at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
  12. Aldershot Town F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  13. "Paul Shrubb to be guest for Brentford replay – Aldershot Town Football Club Club News". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  14. "Paul Shrubb Testimonial Heads Pre Season List – Aldershot Town Football Club". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  15. "Non League Football: Chapple in the Shots' frame – Sport – The Independent". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  16. "kingstonian.net | Latest News". kingstonian.net. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  17. "Aldershot Town Football Club: All About: AFC Wimbledon Club News". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  18. "Ex-Player News – Aldershot Town Football Club". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  19. "Phyllis Tuckwell HospicePaul's life with MND – Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice". pth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  20. "TRIBUTE TO PAUL SHRUBB". Bees United. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  21. "Shots Chairman Takes Public Ice Bucket Challenge For Local Hospice | Aldershot Town FC". theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  22. "Paul Shrubb: Happy 60th Birthday | Aldershot Town FC". www.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.