Shepherd: Paul David (Paul)

1995-1999 (Player Details)

Midfield

Born: Leeds: 17-11-1977

Debut v Arsenal (a): 26-10-1996

6’0” 11st 4lb (2000)

Shepherd joined Leeds as a trainee professional and signed professional forms on 15th September 1995. He featured regularly in the Youth team with the occasional Reserve game and it was a surprise when George Graham called him up for the first team on 26th October 1996 at Arsenal for his first and only game for United at senior level. He became a regular in central defence for the Reserve team and he gained England Youth honours and was part of the 1997 England World Youth Championship squad. However, the competition for places at Elland Road was intense and he was loaned to Ayr United for a month in March 1998, where he scored once in six League appearances. In February 1999 he was loaned to Tranmere Rovers for a month but only made one substitute appearance. He left Leeds on 1st October 1999 and joined Ayr United where he had been previously on loan. He scored once in twenty-one League appearances, of which one was from the bench, as well as making five starts and one substitute appearances in the Cup competitions before having a three month summer spell in Iceland with Keflavik IF and then leaving for Scunthorpe United on 29th September 2000 on a free transfer. He only managed one substitute appearance with the Irons before joining Luton Town on 22nd March 2001, again on a free-transfer after also having trials with Crewe Alexandra and Wimbledon. There were just seven League appearances for Shepherd at Kenilworth Road before he was on the move again, joining Oldham Athletic on a free on 1st October 2001. He did not make the first team at the Latics and was loaned out to Scarborough on 14th December 2001, scoring twice in ten League appearances before returning to Oldham on 12th March 2002. He dropped into Non-league football when Conference club Scarborough came back for him for the new season, getting him on a free-transfer on 1st July 2002. He was a regular with Boro scoring six times in thirty-five League games, one of which was as a substitute. He also played three other games in the Cups before he left for a further Conference club Leigh RMI, once more on a free, on 7th August 2003. Again he was a regular making twenty-five starts and four games from the bench and scoring once in the League and played one Cup game before being released on 4th May 2004. He then joined Harrogate Town on a part time basis in August 2004 before moving to Stalybridge Celtic in February 2005, but retired in May 2005.