Paul Futcher – Remembering a Former Blue Born on This Day Today we remember former City defender Paul Futcher, who was born in Chester on 25th September 1956. The date is also, of course, the birthday of Paul's twin brother and fellow former Blue Ron Futcher, who celebrates his 70th birthday today. We send Ron our warmest birthday wishes on what must also be a particularly poignant day for him and the Futcher family. Paul sadly passed away from cancer in November 2016 at the age of just 60, bringing to an end a life steeped in football and a playing career of remarkable longevity. Football was very much a family affair for the Futchers. Paul was the defender, twin brother Ron the centre-forward, while their older brother Graham also briefly played professionally for their hometown club Chester. Paul began his career with Chester as a teenager before moving to Luton Town in 1974. He developed into an accomplished and highly regarded centre-half at Kenilworth Road, making more than 130 League appearances and representing England at Under-21 level. His performances certainly caught the eye at Maine Road. In June 1978, manager Tony Book brought the 21-year-old to Manchester City for £350,000, making Paul City's record signing and, at the time, the most expensive defender in English football. A couple of months later, Ron joined him at City. It meant that the twins who had started out together at Chester and then shared the dressing room at Luton were reunited once again, this time in the sky blue of City. While Paul went about his business at the back, Ron provided one of the memorable moments of that 1978/79 season at the other end of the pitch, scoring a superb hat-trick in City's 4–1 victory away to Chelsea. Paul's City career proved shorter than might have been expected when the Blues paid that record fee. He remained at Maine Road until 1980, with competition for places eventually limiting his opportunities, before moving across Greater Manchester to join Oldham Athletic. But his departure from City was merely another chapter in an extraordinary footballing journey. After spells with Oldham and Derby County, Paul joined Barnsley, where he became an enormously popular figure. He made more than 230 appearances for the Tykes and was admired for an elegance not always associated with centre-halves of the era – an intelligent defender with excellent anticipation, composure and passing ability. There was still plenty more to come. Paul was 35 when he joined Grimsby Town, yet became a firm favourite at Blundell Park, helping the Mariners win promotion and twice being named the supporters' Player of the Year. His remarkable playing career continued in non-League football and he eventually retired in 2000 at the age of 44, having also moved into management. Paul Futcher may only have worn City's colours for a relatively brief period, but his arrival at Maine Road was significant. City were prepared to break their transfer record to secure one of the country's most promising young defenders, and for a time the Futcher twins shared another special chapter of their footballing lives together in sky blue. So on the anniversary of his birth, we remember Paul Futcher with affection – a classy defender, a former Blue and a football man whose career spanned almost three decades. And to his twin brother Ron, another former Blue, we send our warmest wishes on his 70th birthday.