Paul Thirlwell
Paul Thirlwell (born February 13 1979 in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England) is an English footballer who has played for four English clubs. He currently plays for Derby County in Football League Championship.
Thirlwell, who is a midfielder, is a former England Under 21 footballer who has often been compared to former Sunderland and Everton star Paul Bracewell.
Biography
Paul Thirlwell began his career in Sunderland in August 1997 and his first league game for Sunderland was against Tranmere Rovers on August 22, 1998. His first goal for the club from Tyne and Wear came against Luton Town on September 19, 2000 when Sunderland won 3-0 in the English League Cup. Thirlwell was on loan to Swindon Town from September 1999 to November 1999 and in those months he played 12 league games for the club from Wiltshire.
With Sunderland flying high in the Premiership, Thirlwell often found himself on the fringes of the first team, unable to break into the side ahead of established stars such as Don Hutchison and Stefan Schwarz. However, following the clubs relegation from the top flight in 2003, Thirlwell went on to establish himself in the heart of Sunderland's midfield, making 33 league and cup appearances for the first team. Thirlwell even had a stint as captain after skipper Jason McAteer picked up an injury.
Despite a regular starting place during the first half of the season, injuries meant that Thirlwell missed a large chunk of the latter half of the campaign. Thirlwell also suffered a fractured skull during a reserve team match in April 2004, bring a premature end to Thirlwell's Sunderland career.
With Thirlwell's contract up for renewel at the end of the season, manager Mick McCarthy decided not to retain him, and Thirlwell signed for Sheffield United on a free transfer in July 2004.
His first appearance for this club came against Reading on August 14, 2004 and in a league game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on November 27, 2004 he scored his first goal for the club from South Yorkshire. Despite featuring 30 times for the club, Thirlwell played only one season for Sheffield United and on August 5, 2005 he signed for Derby County. He made his debut for Derby on August 6, 2005 in a league game against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Career as player
| Club | Club connection | Club matches | League matches | Club goals | League goals | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | Contract | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 08/1997 - 09/1999 |
| Swindon Town | Loan | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 09/1999 - 11/1999 |
| Sunderland | Contract | 88 | 75 | 1 | 0 | 11/1999 - 07/2004 |
| Sheffield United | Contract | 36 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 07/2004 - 08/2005 |
| Derby County | Contract | 23 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 08/2005 - |