Paul Jefcoate

Paul Jefcoate

DOB: 29th April 1960

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1983/84

Season of last appearance: 1984/85

Full Appearances: 8

Substitute: 2

Goals: 1

Also played for:

Ramsgate.

Player Profile:

Attacking player born in Mtaifa, Malta, while his father was in the Royal Navy who made his first reserve team appearances for Margate during the 1975/76 season. Paul also appeared for the reserves during the 1978/79 and 1980/81 campaigns.

He stayed at Hartsdown Park when Margate became Thanet United for the 1981/82 season and played exclusively for the reserves throughout the campaign, and during the 1982/83 season too.

The 1983/84 campaign saw Paul finally break into the first-team and he made his debut in a 4-1 defeat at Poole on 24.3.84. He played as a striker and had a goal disallowed - a header from outside the 18-yard box. The local Adscene newspaper said that he had a "useful game". The Thanet Times also praised Paul's efforts, describing him as United's "danger man". He went on to make six further appearances before the end of the 1983/84 season, starting in all but one of those matches. In 2005, Paul recalled nutmegging former Southampton star Manny Andruszewski in the first couple of minutes of a 2-1 defeat at home to Waterlooville on 21.4.84. Paul said: "I was foolish enough to call it" and still remembered Andruszewski's swift revenge - "I vaguely recall climbing from row 15 of the stand in the fifth minute, it was like being hit by a steam train".

Paul continued to be a regular in United's reserves during the 1984/85 campaign and he also made three further first-team appearances. The first of them was as a substitute in a 4-2 win at Ashford on 11.12.84 - the match was an Eastern Floodlight Cup tie. On 7.3.85, Paul made his first senior start of the season and marked the occasion with a goal in a 2-1 defeat at Hastings United in another Floodlight Cup game. He later had a good game in a 1-1 draw at Basingstoke on 25.4.85 but it was his last appearance for Thanet. Paul left the club in the summer of 1985.

He went on to have a lengthy spell with Ramsgate and became the Rams' reserve team player-manager for a period that included the 1991/92-1994/95 seasons.

Paul made his last first-team appearance for the Rams when he came on as a substitute in a game against Lordswood in April 2000 but he still turned out for the reserves occasionally as late as the 2002/03 season.

He also had a stint as the club's secretary that included the 1996/97-1999/00 campaigns and by the 2002/03 season Paul was Ramsgate's vice-chairman.

In 2005, Paul was still living locally and running his own business, as well as continuing in his role as vice-chairman of Ramsgate. At that time he was still turning out for Birchington USC in the Thanet Premier Sunday League and his team-mates included former Margate/Thanet legends Lennie Lee (who was the club's player-manager) and Joe Radford.

He was still playing locally in 2009 and was still Ramsgate's vice-chairman during the 2011/12 campaign. Paul's son Jamie was in Margate's reserve team that season.

At the end of June 2013, Paul became Ramsgate's chairman but he resigned from the role in February 2014.

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