Head Coach

Paul Gunn

- UEFA’B’ coaching certificate.

- FA Goalkeeping Coaching certificate.

Last Updated - 01/09/03

Goalie Idols

My idols as a young player were Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar. As you are probably aware they both played for Liverpool Fc.

I had the privilige as a young teenager to watch them both play - Ray for Spurs and Bruce for Liverpool, back in 1985 at White Hart Lane. (Tottenham Hotspur FC's ground). This game had a major influence on me becoming a goalkeeper and was where my obsession in football began.

Ray Clemence was elegant and agile in his movement and a master at concentrating on and reading the game. Bruce Grobbelaar was gymnastic, daring and uncorformist in his style and approach. He was one of the major reasons why keepers in the moderngame are expected to come for deep crosses and throw long distance with accuracy to set up counter attacks. Both goalkeepers are now considered by most in the game as legends.

As for other great goalkeepers there are many who have had a major and positive impact on the game and goalkeeping as an art form, such as Jose Luis Chilavert and Peter Schmeichel. I have always found such players exciting to watch, as they help to push back boundaries and develop new styles and techniques that can suit different sizes and physiques.

Football Career - from school to semi-pro

I started playing in goal seriously as a 11 year old for my school. I then played for local Sunday league teams and trained at sixteen for Crystal Palace FC. After school I played for Croydon College's football team and was part of an exciting squad. This was during the period 1989-1991, when they reached two Surrey County Cup finals and the national semi-final of the English Schools U19 cup. At this time I was also proud to represent Southern England Colleges against Northern England Colleges and was very close to making the England Colleges team. I also played semi-pro football for Dulwich Hamlet FC, Tooting & Mitcham FC and Croydon FC.

University and Beckenham Goalie School

After this period I went on to study at Leicester University and Loughborough University where I obtained a degree in Generel Engineering and a Masters degree in Design Engineering respectively. I then returned to the south east of England in 1996 where I kept up my passion for football and started to coach for teams such as Croydon Athletic FC and the Beckenham Goalkeeping School. I took over the school from the previous owner Tony Davies, when he emigrated to Australia in 1998.

Currently

Apart from running 'GunnCoaching Services' I coach in local schools in the West London area and work as an Assistant Coach for Brentford FC's who play in the English 2nd Division for their U15 side. I am also involved in two exciting new projects. The first is the London Soccer Academy which is helping to produce new soccer talent for the professional game, the other a community sports project which I am currently developing in South London.