Paul Mathers Player Profile

Biography

Paul Mathers was one of a number of good quality goalkeepers to come through the Dundee youth system and would go on to be part of the 1992 First Division winning campaign and promotion back to the top flight after a two year absence.

Mathers was born in Alford in Aberdeenshire on January 17th 1970 and just over twenty years later made his first team debut at home to Dunfermline Athletic on March 10th 1990. Tom Carson had replaced Bobby Geddes as the number one keeper in a side struggling at the wrong end of the table but when injury ruled him out, Paul came in and made the position his own with a series of top class displays.

It started with a 1-0 win over The Pars and after a clean sheet on his debut, he kept his place in the side when The Dee crossed the road to Tannadice the following week. He more than played his part in a famous 2-1 win but the game is remembered best for the hurricane and squall which aided Dundee’s goals in the first half.

Paddy Connolly had put Dundee United ahead early on but midway through the first half a squall suddenly whipped up as Tangerines’ keeper Alan Main tried to take a goal kick and with the ball struggling to reach the half way line, Maurice Malpas sliced the ball into the air and hurled it back towards the United box. Keith Wright was on his toes and nipped in ahead of Main to nod the ball into the empty net with BBC commentator Archie Macpherson stating on Sportscene at night, “goal scored by hurricane.”

In truth it had been scored by ‘The Mongoose’ before Rab Shannon curled in a free kick to give Dundee a priceless 2-1 win but only after Mathers had a superb second half to protect the Dark Blues’ lead as United tried to use the wind to their advantage.

Paul continued his excellent form in two draws against title challengers Aberdeen (1-1) and Hearts and the 0-0 draw at Tynecastle on April 4th was the first ever match show live on satellite television in the UK on British Satellite Broadcasting’s Sports Channel for which you needed its ‘squarial’.

Despite just two defeats since Mathers came in, the Dark Blues were relegated to the First Division and Tom Carson was restored as first choice keeper for the start of the 1990/91 season. He did come in for five games in September but largely sat out the campaign as The Dee failed to go straight back up at the first attempt, missing out on promotion by just one point.

Paul did start the 1991/92 season as the preferred keeper and would go on to make thirty-four appearances in the title winning campaign but lost his place in February when new chairman Ron Dixon splashed the cash to bring in Scotland goalkeeper Jim Leighton from Manchester United for a club record fee of £200,000.

With Dundee back in the top flight Leighton struggled with the new back pass rule so Mathers regained his place at the start of September and re-established himself as first choice. A 1-0 victory at Tannadice shortly afterwards, thanks to a Billy Dodds penalty, was amongst the season’s highlights as The Dee retained their Premier Division place.

He continued as number one into the 1993/94 season and played 39 times but was replaced by Michel Pageaud in February as Dundee struggled at the wrong end of the table. The Dark Blues ultimately returned to the second tier after two seasons in the top flight and Paul would play just three times in the 1994/95 season.

In the summer Mathers would move to Falkirk where he would win the Challenge Cup in 1997 and after a spell at Linfield returned to Dens in time to sit on the bench on the opening day of the SPL season against Dundee United on July 28th 2001.

With new keeper Julián Speroni having passport issues after joining the Club in the summer, manager Ivano Bonetti brought Paul back to Dens to provide cover for Jamie Langfield.

Mathers would sit on the bench 13 times but when Speroni’s passport issues were resolved in October, he was deposed by the Argentinean and spent the rest of the season on loan at firstly Peterhead and then Berwick Rangers.

Paul returned to Balmoor on a permanent deal in the summer and spent the next four years at Peterhead before a season at Morton.

He then joined St Mirren as goalkeeping coach in 2007 and in 2014 was an unused substitute in a 2-2 SPL draw at Inverness aged 44.

In August 2015 Mathers moved to a coaching position with the Rangers Academy before later joining St Johnstone as part of their first team back room staff but the Dundee fans will remember him for his for 132 appearances in ten years at Dens Park over two spells which included two famous derby wins at Tannadice and a league winners medal in a successful promotion winning campaign.