Paul Canoville (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Paul Canoville (born 4 March 1962 in Hillingdon) is an English former professional footballer, most notable for being the first ever black player to play for Chelsea.Canoville was a talented, though inconsistent, left-sided player who joined Chelsea at a time when the club seemed to be imploding, both on and off the pitch. He made his debut on 12 April 1982 against Crystal Palace. He claimed in his biography that during the warm up, he was subject to racist abuse from Chelsea fans. His first full season with the club was one of the worst in its history, as the team avoided relegation to the Third Division on the final day of the season. Canoville nevertheless made an invaluable contribution to the cause with an equaliser against Fulham and a brace in a 4-2 win over Carlisle United.