Paul Bodin

Football player infobox


playername= Paul Bodin
fullname = Paul John Bodin
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|df=yes|1964|09|13
cityofbirth = Cardiff
countryofbirth = Wales
currentclub =
position = Left Back
years = 1981-1982
1982
1982-1985 ????-???? ????-???? 1988 1988-1991
1991-1992 1991 1992-1996 1996-1998 1997 ????-????
clubs = Chelsea
Newport County
Cardiff City Merthyr Tydfil Bath City Newport County Swindon Town Crystal Palace → Newcastle United (loan) Swindon Town Reading → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) Bath City

caps(goals) = 000 0(0) 00- 0(-) 072 0(3) 00- 0(-) 00- 0(-) 006 0(1) 093 0(9) 009 0(0) 006 0(0) 146 (28) 040 0(1) 005 0(0) 00- 0(-) | nationalyears = 1990-1994
nationalteam = Wales
nationalcaps(goals) = 023 0(3)

Paul John Bodin (porterborn 13 September 1964 in Cardiff) is a former Wales international footballer. A left-back, Bodin's domestic career is best remembered for his two spells at Swindon Town.

Bodin began his career with Chelsea as a schoolboy but then moved onto a brief spell with Newport County before joining Cardiff City where he spent 3 seasons. After leaving Ninian Park the Welshman fell into non-league before returning to the league with Newport.

Paul Bodin left Newport for Swindon Town in March 1988 as cover for Phil King - and his first few appearances for the club were terrible - leading Town fanzine "Bring the Noise" to describe him as being "no better than an average Conference player".

When King left for Sheffield Wednesday in November the following year, Bodin became the club's first choice left back, and his performances began to improve - so much so that he became a regular choice for his country. He was almost ever-present in 1989/1990, a season which resulted in his first appearance for Swindon at Wembley, in the ill-fated Play-Off Final win over.

After the illegal payments scandal, Swindon were forced to sell players, and shortly after Ossie Ardiles left the club, Bodin also left - Crystal Palace paying over £½ million for his services. Bodin failed to settle in London, and after Ardiles took him to Newcastle United for a short loan spell, he returned to the County Ground just ten months after he had left - Glenn Hoddle paying half the fee that Palace had.

Hoddle played Bodin as a more attack-minded wing back, making better use of Bodin's crossing ability. He also installed Bodin as the club's penalty taker - moves which were to come to fruition the following season, when he scored a total of twelve goals from his new position. Five of these goals came from the penalty spot - the last of which was possibly the most pressurised kick ever to be taken by a Swindon player - the penalty which gave Swindon the lead in the dying minutes of the 1993 Play-Off Final win over Leicester City at Wembley.

Bodin performed well again in the Premiership, scoring seven league goals, including penalty strikes against Manchester United and Arsenal. By now, he was a regular choice at international level - missing a crucial penalty for Wales in their World Cup qualifier with Romania - had he scored, Wales may well have qualified.

He remained as the Town's first choice left back for two more seasons, despite two successive relegations and the arrival of Jason Drysdale - and he helped the club to the Second Division championship in 1996, before leaving the club at the end of that season. Cite web|url=http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=BODINPAU|title=Paul Bodin|accessdate=2007-09-01|publisher=swindon-town-fc.co.uk]

Bodin is now a coach within Swindon Town's youth team set-up.

Wales career

For four years Paul Bodin was a regular fixture for the Welsh national football team under the management of Terry Yorath and Mike Smith. He was noted for missing a penalty in Wales' final and decisive 1994 World Cup qualifier at home to Romania, a game Wales needed to win in order to qualify.

Notes