Paul Wright (footballer)
Paul Hamilton Wright (born 17 August 1967) is a Scottish retired footballer whose position was striker. Wright played for seven professional clubs spanning 14 years.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Paul Hamilton Wright | ||
Date of birth | 17 August 1967 | ||
Place of birth | East Kilbride, Scotland | ||
Playing position(s) | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
1983–1985 | Aberdeen | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1984–1989 | Aberdeen | 67 | (16) |
1989–1990 | Queens Park Rangers | 15 | (5) |
1990–1991 | Hibernian | 36 | (7) |
1991–1995 | St Johnstone | 112 | (40) |
1995–2001 | Kilmarnock | 148 | (58) |
2001–2002 | Falkirk | 12 | (2) |
2002 | Greenock Morton | 13 | (4) |
Larkhall Thistle | 0 | (0) | |
Total | 404 | (132) | |
National team | |||
1987–1989 | Scotland U21[1] | 4 | (1) |
1998 | Scotland B[2] | 2 | (1) |
Teams managed | |||
2015–2017 | BSC Glasgow U20s | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Wright is currently assistant manager at Bonnyton Thistle.
Playing career
Born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Wright's professional career began with Aberdeen in 1983. He won the Scottish Youth Cup as a trainee, alongside David Robertson, Joe Miller and Stevie Gray.[3] However the competition for a striking place at Pittodrie was tough and he was never able to hold down a regular spot in the team, moving on to England and Queens Park Rangers for one season and then returning to Scotland for an equally brief spell with Hibernian.
It was in the mid-to-late 1990s, however, that Wright was at the peak of his career in the Scottish Premier Division, firstly with St Johnstone and then Kilmarnock. He was transferred from Hibs to St Johnstone for £275,000, and from St Johnstone to Kilmarnock for £340,000,[4] becoming both clubs' record buys.
Wright scored the winning goal for Kilmarnock in the 1997 Scottish Cup Final against Falkirk.[5]
He brought his professional playing career to a close in 2002 with Greenock Morton and moved into junior football with Larkhall Thistle.
Coaching career
Wright moved into coaching after retirement and worked as Under-20s manager at Scottish Lowland Football League club BSC Glasgow until June 2017, when he joined his former Kilmarnock coach Alan Robertson at new South of Scotland League side Bonnyton Thistle.[6][7]
References
- "Scotland U21 profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- "Scotland B profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- "Scottish Youth Cup". Aberdeen F.C. 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- "Kilmarnock land Wright". The Independent. 31 March 1995. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- Turnbull, Simon (25 May 1997). "Wright has Killie instinct". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- http://www.bonnytonthistlefc.co.uk/newsevents.html
- "Bonnyton Thistle enter senior ranks of Scottish football". youthfootballscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
External links
- Paul Wright at Soccerbase
- Paul Wright at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
- Kilmarnock stats at Fitbastats
- Profile and stats at AFC Heritage Trust