Pettinger: Paul Allen (Paul)

1992-1994 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Sheffield: 01-10-1975

Debut: Nil

6' 13st 7lb (1994)

Pettinger was capped at both Schoolboy and Youth level by England. He was initially on the books of Barnsley in the 1991-92 season but did not feature in the first team. He signed for Leeds on 16th October 1992 and played mostly at Junior Level and was the goalkeeper for the highly successful team that lifted the FA Youth Cup in May 1993 at the expense of the much-vaunted Manchester United squad which contained so many players who were to find fame at the international level in their future careers. In the 1992-93 season he started twenty-one League games, on League Cup tie and eight Youth Cup ties. The following season of 1993-94 saw him again the main Junior keeper and he started twenty League and one Youth Cup games and was also given nine starts for the Leeds Reserves in the Pontin's League. His Junior days ended with five League games in 1994-95 and he passed on the gloves to the emerging Paul Robinson and he also played one game for the Reserves as he was loaned to other clubs for first team experience. He was loaned out to Torquay United to get some first team experience from 23rd December 1994 and featured in three League games while at Plainmoor. He then dropped into Non-League football with Dagenham and Redbridge, Halifax Town, where he played seven games, and Kettering Town, where he played in six League games, all being teams in the Conference League, before being loaned to Rotherham United from 11th August 1995 but played only one game as a substitute and that eas as an outfield player for twelve minutes. Pettinger was an unused substitute for three consecutive games in the 1995-96 season on 16th September 1995 at home to Queens Park Rangers in the EPL followed by Notts County at home in the League Cup 2nd Round 1st Leg three days later and the away EPL game at Wimbledon the following Saturday on 23rd September 1995. He joined Gillingham on 28th March 1996 but failed to make the first team, before departing for Carlisle United on 2nd August 1996. Again he didn't make the first team and on 1st August 1997 he returned to Rotherham United where he played sixteen League games and three Cup games. Ironically he finished Rotherham's 2000-01 promotion season as first choice by making thirteen consecutive appearances. Pettinger, who got his chance to play for the Millers mainly due to an injury to regular choice Ian Gray, grabbed his chance well and kept his place in the side from Gray. Though with the return of Mike Pollitt, Pettinger did not feature in Ronnie Moore's plans of First Division football, and wasn't offered another contract with the Millmoor side. It was slightly surprising when Rotherham decided to release him in June 2001 on a free transfer. Lincoln City's then manager Alan Buckley was in desperate need of cover for Alan Marriott and quickly persuaded Pettinger to move to Sincil Bank on 11th July 2001 beating off opposition from Chesterfield. When Marriott had a poor spell, Pettinger was given his opportunity making his debut in the 1-1 draw with Darlington at Sincil Bank on 1st September 2001, after sitting unused on the bench on the three previous games, but he failed to grasp his chance and Marriott soon returned to the side. He was somewhat injury prone at Lincoln and his various niggling injuries meant that Buckley was forced to name youth team player Darren Horrigan as substitute goalkeeper on several occasions during the 2001-02 season. Pettinger managed just five starts, two of which were in the LDV Vans Trophy and it was in that competition that he made his final appearance for the Imps on 12th November 2002 in a 1-2 home defeat by Shrewsbury Town in the Second Round. Pettinger joined Kettering Town on a month's loan in March 2002, after their keeper, Ian Bowling, had received an horrific head injury and he stayed until the end of the season, making fifteen League appearances. He returned to Lincoln for the 2002-03 season but did not make the first team as Alan Marriott's superb form during that season saw Pettinger sitting on the bench for nine games before being loaned to Non-League side Yeovil Town, where he did not make the team, and then Telford United on 1st January 2003. There he filled in for the injured Paul Edwards for three games, and then moved to Gainsborough Trinity so he could get first team football. In February 2003, he joined Gainsborough on a permanent basis when his contract was severed by Lincoln City and he made fourteen appearances for them. He rejoined Kettering Town in May 2003 and made twenty-six starts in 2003-04 and was then was transferred to Hucknall Town in February 2004 and, after helping them win the UniBond League title, playing sixteen games, he then moved on to Conference National club Harrogate Town in the summer of 2004, where he joined a long list of ex-Leeds United players and made forty-one starts in the League. He then had a spell with Stalybridge Celtic starting at the beginning of the 2005-06 season and making forty-one League appearances in that season followed by twenty-three in the League and one as an unused substitute and four starts in the F.A. Trophy in 2006-07, before he joined Worksop Town on 2nd March 2007 and made an impressive debut in a 0-0 draw with Nuneaton Borough and made eleven starts before the end of the season. He then had a short spell with Ilkeston Town, playing twenty-seven games, before joining Frickley Athletic in January 2008 for an even shorter stay when Manager Billy Heath brought him in as cover for teenager Adam Nicklin, who was away with the England College squad in Italy. He quickly joined Belper Town in January 2008, before moving to Matlock Town in December 2008, where he was first choice but sustained a knee injury in August 2009 which kept him out for the rest of the season and restricted his appearances to seven. He then joined Sheffield F.C. in September 2010 and made his debut in a 0-2 defeat at Carlton Town on 18th September 2010 in a Northern Premier League Division One South fixture.