Paul Canoville

Paul Canoville started out playing semi-professionally for Southern League side Hillingdon Borough, and, as he had nowhere to stay , he slept in an abandoned car. At Borough he was moved from centre-half to play on the wing, where his pace and skill was a far greater asset for the team. After two successful seasons at Hillingdon he had trials with Southampton and Chelsea. Playing for Hillingdon Borough in 1981 he was signed by Chelsea FC with whom he would be a part of the team that won the second division title in the 1983/84 season. In 1986, following a racist altercation with a team mate that ended up in violence at a training camp, Paul was sold to Reading FC for £60,000. A year later, whilst playing for Reading he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his professional career. He would later have spells with non-league clubs Enfield, Maidenhead United, Northwood, and Egham Town.

Chelsea

Paul Canoville signed for John Neal's Chelsea in December 1981; he was paid £175 a week and Hillingdon Borough received a £5,000 fee. Though violence and discrimination were rife in British football at the time, Chelsea in particular had a reputation for racism. He made his debut, and became Chelsea's first Black player, against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on 12 April 1982, coming on as a late substitute for Clive Walker, who had scored the only goal of the game. "...As I'm stretching and running, I hear loud individual voices through the noise: 'Sit down you black…

Paul Canoville had high pace, good crossing ability, and contributed goals from the left-wing.

Paul Kenneth Canoville was born to Udine Patricia "Patsy" Lake on 4 March 1962 at 10 Albert Road, Southall. His mother emigrated to England from Anguilla and his father had come from the Commonwealth of Dominica. His mother raised him and his sister June alone, as his father had no interest in raising a family. As a teenager he played truant from school and having become involved in petty crime was sent to borstal where he would spend three months. When his mother moved in with her boyfriend in Slough in 1979 Canoville slept rough and in hostels, and at one hostel was falsely accused of rape. Romantic relationships were not easy for Paul, the impact of his strict upbringing saw him do everything to avoid confrontation, when things because stressed with a partner he would leave rather than deal with it. This left him with a lot of friends but no longevity in his relationships. . He has fathered eleven children through ten different women. His children are: Natalie (born 1979 to Christine), Derry (born May 1982 to Maureen), Dwayne, Lorreen (born April 1985 to Marsha), Germelle (born April 1985 to Valerie Cyrus), Jahmal (born January 1991), Pierre (born 26 December 1986 to Maria), Udine (born January 1988 to Joyce), Nickel (born 23 February 1988 to Suzy), Paris (born 13 September 1992 to Tracey), Tye Paul (born 20 December 1995, also to Tracey), and Caysey (born 3 November 1995 to Sonia). He met most of the women through the London rave and acid house party scene. Tye, died in…

Chelsea

Football League Second Division: 1983–84