Paul McGrillen
Paul McGrillen (19 August 1971 – 29 July 2009) was a Scottish footballer who played as a striker for clubs including Motherwell, Falkirk, Airdrieonians and East Fife in the Scottish leagues. After retiring from senior football, he played in the Scottish minor leagues and was playing for Bathgate Thistle as this level when he died by suicide in July 2009, when aged 37.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul McGrillen | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 29 July 2009 (aged 37) | ||
| Place of death | Hamilton, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1995 | Motherwell | 87 | (13) |
| 1995–1998 | Falkirk | 80 | (20) |
| 1998–1999 | Airdrieonians | 23 | (1) |
| 1999 | East Fife | 3 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | Stirling Albion | 29 | (11) |
| 2000–2001 | Partick Thistle | 19 | (6) |
| 2001–2002 | Clydebank | 33 | (7) |
| 2004–2006 | Stenhousemuir | 65 | (33) |
| 2006–2007 | Bellshill Athletic | ||
| 2007 | Stranraer | 8 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Bathgate Thistle | ||
| International career | |||
| 1993 | Scotland U21[1] | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Bellshill Athletic | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
McGrillen spent his early career with Motherwell, being part of Motherwell's Scottish Cup-winning squad in 1991 (although not appearing in the Final itself), while also winning the Scottish Challenge Cup with Falkirk in 1997–98. Following his departure from Brockville in 1998, McGrillen began a series of spells with lower league clubs, taking up a player/manager role with Bellshill Athletic between 2006 and 2007. In 2008, McGrillen won the Scottish Junior Cup with his final club Bathgate.[2]
On 11 September 2008, McGrillen played for a Motherwell side in Dougie Arnott's belated testimonial match against an Old Firm select.[3]
Death
McGrillen was found dead at his home in Hamilton on 29 July 2009, as a result of suicide by hanging, but without leaving a note.[4]
References
- "Scotland U21 Player Paul McGrillen Details".
- Bathgate Thistle 2-1 Cumnock Juniors: Hill's long quest rewarded by Scottish Junior Cup final win – Edinburgh Evening News, 1 June 2008
- "Boyd back at Fir park for Dougie's big night". Motherwell Times. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
- "I have not full accepted my husband is dead, reveals widow of football ace Paul McGrillen". Daily Record. Glasgow. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
External links
- Paul McGrillen at Soccerbase