| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul John Buckle[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 December 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Welwyn Garden City, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1989 | Brentford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1994 | Brentford | 56 | (1) |
| 1993 | → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Torquay United | 69 | (9) |
| 1995–1996 | Exeter City | 25 | (2) |
| 1996 | Northampton Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| 1996–1999 | Colchester United | 105 | (7) |
| 1999–2002 | Exeter City | 98 | (6) |
| 2002–2003 | Aldershot Town | 30 | (5) |
| 2003–2004 | Weymouth | 40 | (9) |
| 2004–2005 | Exeter City | 4 | (0) |
| 2005 | Tiverton Town | 12 | (1) |
| 2005–2007 | Exeter City | 64 | (7) |
| Total | 506 | (47) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989 | England Youth | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004 | Weymouth (caretaker) | ||
| 2007–2011 | Torquay United | ||
| 2011–2012 | Bristol Rovers | ||
| 2012–2013 | Luton Town | ||
| 2014–2015 | Cheltenham Town | ||
| 2015–2017 | Sacramento Republic | ||
| 2024 | San Diego Wave (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paul John Buckle (born 16 December 1970) is an English football manager and former player. He has previously been the interim head coach of San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL),[3] the manager of Torquay United, Bristol Rovers, Luton Town, Cheltenham Town and Sacramento Republic.
An apprentice at Brentford, Buckle turned professional in 1989, was loaned to Wycombe Wanderers and then joined Torquay United, before moving to Exeter City. Due to Exeter's financial problems, Buckle left and joined Northampton Town, but failed to make their first team. In 1996 Buckle returned to Wycombe on non-contract terms, then moved to Colchester United. He returned to Exeter on a free transfer in 1999, signing a two-year contract. He then moved into non-League football with Aldershot Town and Weymouth, before returning to Exeter as player-coach in 2005, first under manager Alex Inglethorpe then his successor Paul Tisdale. He continued to play and later became the club's assistant manager.
In 2007 Buckle was appointed manager of Conference Premier side Torquay United, helping return them to the Football League at the second attempt. Following a defeat in the League Two play-off final in 2011, he left the club to become the manager of newly relegated Bristol Rovers. In 2012 Buckle became the new manager of Luton Town and led the club to the play-off final later ensured his team became the first from non-League to defeat a top flight side in the FA Cup for 24 years when Luton beat Norwich City.
Buckle married sports broadcaster Rebecca Lowe in 2013 and later moved to the US where he was appointed as technical director at Met Oval in New York City. He returned to the Football League to take the manager's job at Cheltenham Town in League Two from 2014 to 2015. He then signed as head coach of the USL soccer club Sacramento Republic, where he remained until 2018.[4] In 2019 he was named as technical advisor at Hartford Athletic of the USL.[5]
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