April 12th is the 20th anniversary of the tragic night when Paul Sykes passed away aged just 28 after collapsing on the pitch during Folkestone Invicta’s ill-fated Kent Senior Cup semi-final against Margate.
After being treated on the pitch by Invicta physio Dave Williams and his Margate counterpart John Griffin, Paul was taken to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where he was pronounced dead (which was later classified as due to a form of Sudden Death Syndrome).
An estimated 600 people attended his funeral with 250 or more outside the church in Buckland, Dover.
Paul’s family have organised a Memorial Fundraiser for the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity this weekend with signed Dover Athletic, Folkestone Invicta and Margate shirts available for auction.
Invicta subsequently pulled out of the Kent Senior Cup competition in 2005 so that two of Paul’s former clubs Margate and Dover Athletic could meet in the final played at Cheriton Road so that all three clubs could pay tribute to him, with all proceeds going to his family.
A fundraising match dubbed “The Syko Challenge” later took place at Margate’s Hartsdown Park in April 2006.
Paul left a wife Carly and son Thomas.
Paul’s mum, brothers and uncle will attend Folkestone Invicta’s home match against Bowers & Pitsea on Saturday afternoon.
Invicta manager that night was Neil Culgey who this week described it as “the saddest day of my life in football and something that you never expect to happen at football. You often get asked what are your best and worst moments in football and that will always be the worst. The club has always tried to remain close to the family where it can and to support any fundraising initiatives for CRY over the years to preserve Paul’s memory. He will never be forgotten here.”
New Folkestone Invicta manager Jay Saunders had been a team mate of Paul as youngsters at Gillingham and then as part of Chris Kinnear’s highly successful Margate side.
Jay also remembers Paul fondly. “My memories of Paul date back to when he was on YTS at Gillingham and he was always the joker in the pack at whatever club he was at. He was both a top lad and a great player. He was a top person to be around and I remember that fateful day so clearly as I had spoken to him earlier that day and couldn’t believe it when I later heard the sad news. I remember the response from the football community then and he will live long in the memory – all those that knew him will understand why he will never be forgotten.”
Affectionately known as “Syko”Paul played for Kent Schools as a youth before joining Gillingham as a trainee, scoring 15 goals for Gills youths during the 1992-93 season. He remained at Gillingham until the end of the 1994-95 season and then joined Welling United for the 1995-96 season when he also had a loan spell at Folkestone Invicta.
Paul became one of Chris Kinnear’s first signings at Margate for the 1996-97 season and the next season was part of the Margate side that lost 2-1 at home to Fulham in a F A Cup First Round tie shown live on Sky Sports. He scored 32 goals in 1997-98 as Margate won both the Kent Senior Cup and Southern League Cup.
Paul was then top goalscorer as Margate won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in 1998-99.
He suffered a ruptured knee ligament injury during March 2000 and returned in a November 2001 Kent Senior Cup tie at home to Bromley.
After a February 2002 loan spell at Herne Bay he joined Dover Athletic in August 2002, with a loan spell at Dartford that November. He joined Dartford permanently in August 2003 and then Folkestone Invicta in November 2004.
Towards the end of his life Paul had been joint manager of St Margarets Under 15s – both Folkestone Invicta and Dartford have subsequently awarded a Paul Sykes Trophy to their youth team’s top goalscorer / outstanding young players.
