Paul Raymond Todd (8 May 1920 – October 2000) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as an

inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

for

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

and

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

. Being stationed in the RAF near Doncaster during the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

, Todd turned out for Doncaster 36 times in the wartime leagues. He was also captain of the RAF Command team in Ceylon. With the war over and

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

football recommencing, he signed for Doncaster and became a regular for the next four seasons, becoming

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

under manager Peter Doherty. In his first season, he scored 26 goals from 44 appearances. He moved to then high-flying Blackburn Rovers, and then to Hull City. For the 1953–54 E season he became player-manager of

Kings Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

, scoring 36 times in his 56 league and cup games, as well as taking them to win the Eastern Counties League and the Norfolk Senior Cup. He remained there for three more seasons as they played in the

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

. Between 1961 and 1963 he managed

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club is known as 'the ...

in the Central Alliance League. At the end of his first season in a game against Wilmorton, Todd at 42 stepped in to play when one of his team failed to show. That first season saw United win the Central Alliance League and the Central Alliance Cup. He moved to become the first manager of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

when they were formed in 1963 as Boston United entered serious financial straits, taking with him many of the players from United. He led them to a Lincolnshire League title in their first season and a Central Alliance title the following season. He later managed

Worksop Town Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. The team play in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop. History Previous clubs The club claims it w ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Paul 1920 births 2000 deaths Footballers from Middlesbrough English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players King's Lynn F.C. players Boston United F.C. players English Football League players English football managers King's Lynn F.C. managers Boston United F.C. managers Boston Town F.C. managers Worksop Town F.C. managers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II 20th-century English sportsmen