21. Paul Comstive

Position : Midfield

Played : 1982-3 (on loan from Blackburn Rovers)

Appearances: 9

Goals : 2

So we come to the first loan player, some of whom will be hard to recall. Paul had played a handful of first team games for Blackburn Rovers. usually in defence, though with us and for most of his subsequent career he played in midfield.



He made a good impression straight away by scoring on his debut. Then came the moment to savour, a tremendous Rivelino –style free kick that swerved round the wall and into the net with the keeper nowhere near it. That sealed a 3-1 win at home to Blackpool the best game of the season and the most important too since Blackpool were fielding an ineligible player and the two points they lost for that enabled us to finish above them and just outside the re-election zone. Paul completed his initial loan spell and went back to Blackburn but in March Peter Madden re-signed him for another month and he played in my first away game, a 0-0 bore at Halifax. That turned out to be the last Dale game for both men as Jimmy Greenhoff just ignored Paul for the remainder of the loan term.



Paul went on to be a good lower league player for the next decade with Wigan, Wrexham, Burnley, Bolton and Chester , his highest transfer value being £37,000 when he moved to Bolton. In 1993 he signed for Southport and also played for Morecambe and Chorley. He now manages Fleetwood Hesketh FC.