Career
Buckle began his career as an apprentice at Brentford, turning professional in July 1989. He played 57 league games (15 as substitute) for Brentford, scoring once. He also played three Conference games on loan to Wycombe Wanderers before leaving on a free transfer to be signed by Don O'Riordan, the Torquay United manager in February 1994.
After nine goals in 59 league games, Buckle moved to local rivals Exeter City in October 1995, again on a free transfer. However, with Exeter suffering serious financial problems and almost going out of business, Buckle left in 1996 as, with the club in administration, they could not afford his wages. He played in a friendly for Cambridge United (away to Watford) on 7 August, but opted to join Northampton Town. He failed to make the Cobblers first team and, on 18 October 1996, he returned to Wycombe Wanderers on non-contract terms, before moving to Colchester United on the 28 November.
He helped Colchester win promotion from Division Three via the play-off final at Wembley against former club Torquay United. After seven goals in 106 league games for Colchester, Buckle returned to Exeter City on a free transfer on 2 July 1999, signing a two-year contract. He sustained a serious ankle injury in the opening game of the new season, and although he made a full recovery and regained a first team place, Buckle was one of many players transfer-listed by Exeter manager Noel Blake in May 2000. However, he remained at St. James' Park, playing in 41 league games the following season, and 25 the season after.
Buckle then joined Football Conference side Aldershot Town in 2002, before dropping down a further division to play for Weymouth in 2003, in addition to being employed as a youth-team coach at Exeter.
He was made caretaker manager at Weymouth after the club sacked Steve Claridge, getting a win and three draws in his four games in temporary charge. He left the club on 16 December 2004 to return in a non-paid playing role at Exeter, now themselves in non-League football. He made four appearances before joining Tiverton Town for a short time, playing in 12 games.
Read more about this topic: Paul Buckle
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“Clearly, society has a tremendous stake in insisting on a woman’s natural fitness for the career of mother: the alternatives are all too expensive.”
—Ann Oakley (b. 1944)
“Whether lawyer, politician or executive, the American who knows what’s good for his career seeks an institutional rather than an individual identity. He becomes the man from NBC or IBM. The institutional imprint furnishes him with pension, meaning, proofs of existence. A man without a company name is a man without a country.”
—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)
“John Brown’s career for the last six weeks of his life was meteor-like, flashing through the darkness in which we live. I know of nothing so miraculous in our history.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)