Rachubka: Paul Stephen (Paul)

2011-2013 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: San Luis Obispo, California, U.S.A.: 21-05-1981

Debut: Doncaster Rovers (a) (League Cup): 23-08-2011

6’1” 13st 5lb (2011)

American-born, he moved to England at the age of seven and signed with the Manchester United Academy. He went on to represent England at Under-Sixteen, Under-Eighteen and Under Twenty levels. He only ever played three games for Manchester United. The first was in the Club World Cup, when he came on as an eighty-third minute substitute for Raimond Van Der Gouw against South Melbourne at the Maracana Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, on 11th January 2000 in a 2-0 win. His second appearance was in the League Cup in a 3-0 win at Watford on 31st October 2000 when he came on as a substitute for Quinton Fortune in the eighty-fifth minute after goalkeeper Raimond Van Der Gouw had been sent off. His final match was when he started against Leicester City in a 2-0 home win in the EPL on 17th March 2001. On 7th August 2001 he was loaned to Belgian sister club Royal Antwerp and he stayed until 22nd of November 2001, but only made one first team appearance. On his return he was immediately loaned to Oldham Athletic for 6 months and he made his debut on 24th November 2001 in a 2-0 home win over Wycombe Wanderers and wnt on to become a regular until the end of the season. While there he started sixteen League games and one Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie. On 18th May 2002 he was sold to Charlton Athletic for £200,000 but in his two and a half year stay with the club he never made a first team appearance. He was loaned out in the latter part of his stay. Firstly, On 29th January 2004, he went to Burnley for a month but never played for the first team. Then on 2nd March he joined Huddersfield Town until the end of the 2003-04 season, making sixteen starts in the League. At the start of the 2004-05 season, On 6th August, he was loaned to Milton Keynes Dons for one month and made four starts in the League, from there he went straight to Northampton Town, where he stayed for two months and started ten League games and one League Cup tie.Then he returned to Huddersfield Town, for a further month, on 5th November, for a month and made three starts in the League and one in the F.A. Cup. He had established himself as the first team goalkeeper at the Galpharm Stadium and was happy to sign a permanent contract when his loan finished on 6th December 2004, having obtained a free transfer from Charlton Athletic when his contract there had expired. So he made his debut in his third stint with Huddersfield Town in a 2-1 win at Swindon Town on 8th December 2004. He was the regular keeper at the club until Matt Glennon was signed during the summer of 2006 and then he joined Peterborough United on loan as cover for the injured Mark Tyler over the Christmas/New Year period when he made four League appearances. He then went on loan to Blackpool as cover for Rhys Evans on 31st January 2007 for the rest of the season. He made his debut for Simon Grayson's sea-siders on 27th February 2007 in a 1-0 win at Oldham Athletic. He picked up an injury in early April which kept him sidelined for six weeks, but he returned just in time for the League One Play-offs in which Blackpool defeated Oldham Athletic, at home and away in the Semi-Finals before beating Yeovil Town 2-0 at Wembley on 27th May 2007 to clinch promotion to the Championship. Rachubka had started eight League games and three play-offs during his loan period at Bloomfield Road. He had started sixty-two League games two F.A. Cup ties, two League Cup ties, one start and one game from the bench in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, since signing permanently for the Terriers and when his contract finished he signed with Blackpool on a permanent basis on 3rd June 2007 on a free transfer. He made his debut in his second stint with Blackpool on 11th August 2007 in a 1-0 win at Leicester City went on to be an ever-present that season and and missed only four League games in the following season of 2009-10. On 19th August 2010 it was announced that Rachubka had sustained a knee injury which would require an operation and he would be out of action for an extended time. He did not regain fitness until Januarry 2011 when he was once more made a member of the squad. He made his first start on 8th January 2011 in a Third Round F.A. Cup tie at Southampton which was followed by a fifty-sixth minute substitution for Richard Kingson in a 1-2 home defeat by Sunderland on 22nd January 2011 and a start in a 3-5 defeat at Goodison Park by Everton on 5th February 2011, which proved to be his final game for Blackpool. On 26 May 2011, Rachubka was released by Blackpool, after playing one hundred and ten League games, of which one was as a substitute as well as four starts in the F.A. Cup and two in the League Cup, since signing for Blackpool on a permanent basis in June 2007. On 23rd June 2011 he signed for Leeds United on a two year contract and started the 2011-12 pre-season as the first choice keeper with Junior keeper, Alex Cairns, as his back-up. He played as starting keeper in the first four games before the signing of Andy Lonergan on 25th July 2011, when he soon became the second choice keeper and it was Lonergan who became the United No. 1 choice when the season started with Rachubka on the bench. He made his debut in the League Cup clash at Doncaster Rovers on 23rd August 2011, when Andy Lonergan was rested to the bench. It was at the same ground that Rachubka made his League debut on 14th October 2011, as a seventy-seventh minute substitute after Lonergan had to come off with a broken finger. This led to Rachubka's starting League debut on 18th October 2011 in a 1-1 draw with Coventry City at Elland Road, when it was widely considered that United had lost two points due to a Rachubka goalkeeping error. In his second starting game on 22nd October 2011 in a 3-2 win at Peterborough United, it was again thought that both goals came from goalkeeping errors. Despite the perceived errors Simon Grayson persevered with Rachubka as the only alternative was Juniors' goalkeeper Alex Cairns. He made some good saves at Birmingham in the next game but was again involved in a mix up with Darren O'Dea, although the majority of the blame lay with the central defender, in the goal conceded in a 1-1 draw at home to Cardiff City. Things came to a head in the 0-5 home defeat by Blackpool on 2nd November 2011 when he was at fault for all three goals conceded in the first half an hour and Tom Lees had been sent off for handball in trying to rectify one of the mistakes. Simon Grayson replaced him at half-time with young Alex Cairns. He also immediately went to Reading and brought in Alex McCarthy as his first choice keeper in Lonergan's absence. Rachubka's confidence was obviously shattered and the Manager took him out of the action for several weeks and then sent him on loan to build it once more. On 24th November 2011 he was loaned to Tranmere Rovers until the end of the calendar year. He made his debut for them two days later in a 0-3 away loss to Exeter City. The loan was extended by two months and he started ten League games while at Prenton Park. On his return to Elland Road he was then loaned out to Leyton Orient on 5th March 2011 for a month, which was then extended by a further month. He started eight League games, while at Brisbane Road. He was transfer listed by Neil Warnock at the end of the season. On 1st November 2012 he was loaned to Accrington Stanley until the end of December, but this was later extended until the end of the season. While there he started twenty-one League games and two F.A. Cup ties. He left the club at the end of his contract in June 2013. He joined Oldham Athletic on 9th September 2013 and initially he only managed three starts in Johnstone's Paint Trophy games but towards the end of the 2013-14 he made ten starts in League games and this was into the 2014-15 season and by the end of November 2014 he was well established as the regular goalkeeper and had started twenty-eight League games, one F.A. Cup tie, one League Cup tie and five Johnstone's Paint Trophy games.