Former Town striker dies

Jan 14 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

FORMER Town striker Paul Aimson has died aged 64.

He scored 13 times in 42 appearances between March 1968, when he joined from Bradford City, and August 1969, when he began a second spell at York.

But his most impressive feat in a Town shirt came in the West Riding Cup final of May 1968, when he scored all the goals in a 4-0 demolition of Bradford Park Avenue.

Macclesfield-born, Aimson, below, was an apprentice at Manchester City, and made 16 league outings, scoring four goals, before moving to York for £1,000 in the 1964 close-season.

With 43 goals in 77 league games and a promotion from Division IV in 1965, his career took off at Bootham Crescent, and Bury paid £10,000 for him in March 1966.

After netting 11 times in 31 league games for the Shakers, it was on to Bradford City, where he scored 12 in 23 league appearances after switching in September 1967.

Town were alerted, and manager Tom Johnston agreed an exchange deal in which Aimson and full-back Alex Smith came to Leeds Road and Tony Leighton and Denis Atkins went to City, who also received £15,000.

Aimson fell out of favour when Ian Greaves took over as Town manager in the 1968 close-season, but Johnston remained a fan, and took him to York for £8,000.

Aimson proved just as effective in his second stint with the Minstermen, netting 55 times in 141 games and helping them to another promotion from Division IV in 1971.

After short spells with Bournemouth and Colchester, his career was ended by a knee injury suffered in 1973.

Aimson, who lived in Dorset, died of a heart attack.