Paul Cannell

Cannell began playing for Montague and North Fenham Boys Club while attending school and was approached by Charlie Ferguson, who was working for Sunderland as a scout, after scoring six times during a youth match. He began playing for the club's reserve sides but manager Alan Brown suggested that Cannell needed "toughening up" and arranged a loan spell with Whitley Bay in the Northern Football League.

After returning to Sunderland, Cannell continued to play for the club's youth and reserve side despite never signing a schoolboy contract at the club. However, prior to a match against Newcastle United, manager Brown approached Cannell to inform him that he would be required to sign forms to continue playing, although this was later revealed to be due to Newcastle's interest in signing Cannell. This came to light after the match when Cannell was approached by Newcastle manager Joe Harvey who visited his parents' home and offered him a deal with the club to be completed after he had sat his A-levels. He had been planning to attend Durham University to study law but was convinced by Harvey to change his mind who offered him £30 a week and commented "you'll always wonder if you could have been a professional footballer [...] Sign for us and if you don't make the grade you can always go back to university!" In his career, he played for Newcastle United and Mansfield Town in the Football League. In the North American Soccer League (NASL) he played for the Washington Diplomats for…

Paul Cannell was born in Newcastle upon Tyne to Tony and Olwen Cannell. As a child, he attended Heaton Grammar School.