Category: Saffron Walden Town

Paul Daw 1950-2017

3/28/2017

The local football family has lost a great friend and helper with the death, at the age of 66 on March 25, of former Cambridge United secretary Paul Daw.

It was Paul who researched and published United in Endeavour, the first history of Abbey/Cambridge United, in 1988. He discovered during his research that the club was formed in 1912 and not 1919, as had been assumed until then. That was followed by On the Up and First Team Match Statistics 1913-1991, both published in 1991.

His later years were devoted to the service of his hometown club, Saffron Walden Town, and a match in February at Catons Lane raised money for the ground’s newly named Paul Daw Stand.

Paul was born in 1950 and went to school in Saffron Walden, where he captained the football, cricket and athletics teams. He went on to play for Saffron Walden Town's first team in every position other than goalkeeper. He trained as a teacher in Bognor Regis, and used his time in Sussex to qualify as a referee.

Back home in Essex, he spent a year as a teacher in Dunmow before leaving to follow a career in the construction industry, while studying part-time and playing for Town in the Essex Senior League. On the resignation of the club secretary, Paul stepped in to fill the position and held it for the next ten years.

He was secretary of Cambridge United in 1985 and 1986, at a time when the club and, to some extent, football in general were in a state of turmoil. United were experiencing torrid times on the pitch under the management of John Ryan and Ken Shellito, and supporters were faced with the prospect of the introduction of Margaret Thatcher's proposed identity card scheme.

After marrying Marguerite in 1986, Paul joined residential developer Alan Reason Homes as chief surveyor, and continued to help his local football club in many capacities: as a player (he quit playing for the veterans side at the age of 62), supporter, historian, local press reporter and fundraiser among others, during a period in which the Bloods were able to join the Eastern Counties League.

Above, Paul Daw (right) presents a portfolio of his work on the history of Cambridge United to the Cambridgeshire Collection. Photo: Cambridge Evening News. Below, Paul, accompanied by pipes and drums, crosses the Catons Lane pitch with the newly named Paul Daw Stand in the background, 5 February 2017. Photo: Andrew Bennett.

He retired from a management role with Keith Collier Engineering in 2010 and devoted his energies to the rebuilding of the football ground. Other interests included stone circles and his local church choir.

Paul’s pioneering work as a football club historian was inspiring, and 100 Years of Coconuts is in his debt.

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Local hero

2/5/2017

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A large and appreciative crowd enjoyed a 3-3 draw when the Paul Daw testimonial match at Saffron Walden Town took place on Sunday, February 5.

Played between a SWTFC XI and a club legends team, the match raised money for the newly named Paul Daw Stand at Catons Lane, honouring a man who has dedicated much of his life to the Bloods and who served as Cambridge United secretary in the mid-1980s. He also wrote and published the first books devoted to U's history: United in Endeavour and On the Up.

Coconuts patron Luke Chadwick was among the goals and Sir Trevor Brooking was in attendance at the United-sponsored game. Among United representatives were chairman Dave Doggett, secretary Andy Beattie, fans' elected director Dave Matthew-Jones, players Josh Coulson and Liam O'Neil and 100 Years of Coconuts committee member Andrew Bennett.

Top, the teams line up in front of the newly named Paul Daw Stand at Saffron Walden Town. Above, accompanied by pipes and drums, Paul makes his way across the Catons Lane pitch. Below, famous names among the two teams, including Sir Trevor Brooking and 100 Years of Coconuts patron Luke Chadwick. Photos: Andrew Bennett.

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History man

1/28/2017

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This article appeared in the Cambridge United matchday programme for the match against Mansfield Town on Saturday, 21 January 2017.

The Coconuts chaps were talking the other day. They do a lot of that, and there’s usually tea and chocolate digestives involved; even doughnuts sometimes. This time, for a change, they were yakking about something important: Andrew Bennett’s brilliant book about the early history of our club, Newmarket Road Roughs.

It’s been selling really well, and if you haven’t got your copy yet, get along to the CFU caravan or online store before they’re all gone – just £14.99 to you.

Andrew spent thousands of hours researching at the Cambridgeshire Collection, but he was far from the first U’s fan to make use of that excellent resource. Long before 100 Years of Coconuts was a twinkle in Dave Matthew-Jones’s eye, the history of Cambridge United was being studied by Paul Daw, and the result was his trio of books: United in Endeavour (covering the period 1912 to 1988), On the Up (1988 to 1991) and First Team Match Statistics (1913 to 1991).

Paul it was who, while delving into the past with the help of people like Coconuts committee man Rodney Slack, discovered that Abbey United wasn’t founded in 1919, as many people believed, but in 1912. (Was it even earlier? Read Newmarket Road Roughs and make up your own mind.) Paul it was who undertook to publish this long overdue work himself, for the love of the game and United – a club he’d already served as secretary.

When he was appointed to the Abbey job in March 1984, Paul had been secretary of his great football love, Saffron Walden Town, since 1975. He’d also published his history of the Bloods and was enjoying a playing career with the club that saw him fill every position except that of goalkeeper. Only when he reached the age of 62 did he see fit to retire from the veterans’ team.

He has continued to serve his hometown club, as chairman and president, ever since. When Town were forced to play their home matches away following a disastrous pitch-levelling exercise, Paul took on the decade-long job of rebuilding the ground. No wonder they’re holding a testimonial match at Catons Lane on February 5, with the proceeds going towards the naming of the Paul Daw Stand.

Paul Daw (right) treads the Abbey turf during his tenure as club secretary. Photo: Cambridge News.

While his time at Newmarket Road wasn’t as chock-full of achievement, it wasn’t without its challenges. He was unlucky enough to join the U’s during the mid-1980s, when the tenures of John Ryan and Ken Shellito were threatening to undo all the good work of the previous 70 years.

Paul Daw (right) presents a display copy of his Cambridge United research to the Cambridgeshire Collection, whose founding librarian, Mike Petty, is pictured on the left. Photo: Cambridge News.

When Ryan fell out with the Cambridge Evening News, Paul’s secretary, Mandy Castle, was recruited to deal with dear old Randall Butt. When the Thatcher government proposed identity cards as a means of crowd control, Paul pointed out that a significant proportion of United supporters attended only a few matches per season. ‘It’s going to cost supporters money somewhere along the line,’ he observed. ‘I don’t think the government are going to pay for it … I really think the government ought to put some money back into the game – or take out less than they are.’

Paul left the Abbey in December 1985, but his legacy endures to this day. Get along to the testimonial on February 5, and pay tribute to a remarkable bloke.

Cheerio
Harry

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Paul Daw 1950-2017

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