
Paul was the regular centre-half for Coventry City from January 1979 through until May 1983 when he left the club to join Stoke City. He developed an excellent partnership with a young Gary Gillespie and was part of an exciting young team put together by manager Gordon Milne and nurtured by his successor Dave Sexton.
He joined City as a 15-year old and played for the youth team for three seasons, alongside players such as Gary Bannister, Andy Blair, Ray Gooding, Les Sealey and Garry Thompson. His first team debut came out of the blue four days before his 19th birthday and he played alongside Jim Holton and helped the Sky Blues to end Everton’s 19-match unbeaten run. In January 1980 with Holton suspended, Paul was called up for a Cup-tie at Oldham. City won 1-0, Dyson excelled and missed only three games in the next four years; Holton never played for the first team again.
Two weeks after the Oldham game Paul was a national celebrity when the Match of the Day cameras were at Highfield Road to record City’s ‘kids’ beat the mighty Liverpool 1-0 with Paul scoring the winning goal – a superb glancing header. Paul was a tall, tough, uncompromising defender in the mould of the classic British centre-half and he left his mark on many strikers. In 1980 his outstanding club performances earned him a call-up to the England Under 21 side and he won four caps under the management of Dave Sexton. That season he was also a key figure as the fearless young team reached the semi-finals of the League Cup only to lose to West Ham.
In City’s summer of discontent of 1983 Paul was out of contract and signed for First Division Stoke, where after a good first season he suffered a traumatic second as the Potters registered their worst season ever in Division One, being relegated with only three wins and 17 points.
Paul joined West Brom in March 1986 but could not stop them being relegated from Division One. He played alongside youngsters Carlton Palmer and David Burrows and made 64 appearances for the Baggies before brief periods at Darlington and Crewe saw his professional career end at the age of 30.
He subsequently played non-league football for Telford United and Solihull Borough before a successful spell as manager of Solihull in the late 1990s. He had a spell as a prison officer and ran his own sports shop in the Kings Heath district of Birmingham.




































































































































































































































































































































































England U21, 4 caps
1980-81
9 September 1980 England U21 v Norway U21, Southampton, friendly, 3-0
14 October 1980 Romania U21 v England U21, Ploesti, UEFA U21 Championship 1982 qualifying, 4-0, own goal
18 November 1980 England U21 v Switzerland U21, Ipswich, UEFA U21 Championship 1982 qualifying, 5-0
25 February 1981 England U21 v Republic of Ireland U21, Anfield, friendly, 1-0, replaced