Mark Paston
Mark Paston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark Nelson Paston December 13, 1976 New Zealand |
| Occupation | Professional footballer (goalkeeper) |
| Years active | 1997–2013 |
| Known for | Goalkeeper for Wellington Phoenix and New Zealand national team |
| Notable work | Played in 2010 FIFA World Cup |
Mark Nelson Paston (born 13 December 1976) is a retired New Zealand professional football goalkeeper. He was part of the Wellington Phoenix squad competing in the A-League from 2007 until his retirement in 2013. Paston played for New Zealand at the Under-23 level and earned his first senior cap for the All Whites in a match against Indonesia in 1997, although he did not feature regularly until 2003.
He was included in New Zealand’s roster for the 2009 Confederations Cup held in South Africa. During the 2009 World Cup qualification playoffs versus Bahrain, Paston was instrumental by saving a penalty and helping New Zealand secure their second-ever World Cup berth. He guarded the net in every game New Zealand played at the 2010 World Cup, facing opponents such as Slovakia, Italy, and Paraguay.
Early years
Paston launched his senior football journey with Napier City Rovers before relocating to the United Kingdom in 2003 to sign with Bradford City. His career in the UK also included spells at Walsall and St Johnstone. He eventually returned to New Zealand to play for the New Zealand Knights.
Wellington Phoenix
In 2007, Paston transferred from the New Zealand Knights to A-League side Wellington Phoenix. Initially serving as the backup goalkeeper, he assumed the starting role following the departure of Glen Moss to Melbourne Victory. Early in 2009, Paston extended his contract by one year and played a pivotal part in Wellington Phoenix’s record-setting undefeated home streak, maintaining clean sheets against teams such as Central Coast Mariners and Gold Coast United.
On 10 December 2009, Paston sustained a fractured tibia, which ruled him out for the remainder of that season. Despite this setback, he secured another contract extension on 19 January 2010, committing to the club through to the conclusion of the 2011–12 season. Unfortunately, on 11 December 2010, he suffered a second tibial fracture during a fixture against Gold Coast United, causing him to miss the rest of the 2010–11 campaign.
Paston declared his retirement from professional football and Wellington Phoenix on 31 March 2013, immediately following the final regular-season match of the 2012–13 A-League season.
International career
After representing New Zealand at Under-23 level, Paston earned his senior international debut for the All Whites at age 20 in 1997 but did not become a consistent selection until 2003. Throughout his international tenure, he competed for starting positions with goalkeepers including Jason Batty, Michael Utting, and later Ross Nicholson. From 2003 onwards, Paston shared primary goalkeeping responsibilities with Glen Moss, collectively appearing in 56 out of New Zealand's 59 matches during that period.
Selected for New Zealand’s squad at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, Paston was initially second choice behind Moss. However, due to Moss’ suspension, Paston featured prominently in the critical World Cup qualification playoff against Bahrain. He kept a clean sheet during the first leg and earned Man of the Match honors in the second leg after saving a penalty, thereby securing New Zealand’s qualification for their second-ever FIFA World Cup.
Although a fractured leg jeopardized his participation at the World Cup, Paston recovered sufficiently to be named in New Zealand’s final 23-man roster for the tournament. With Moss suspended for New Zealand’s opening two matches, Paston started all group games as first-choice goalkeeper.
During the World Cup finals, Paston contributed to New Zealand earning their first-ever point with a 1–1 draw against Slovakia and made crucial saves in another draw versus reigning champions Italy. He also recorded a clean sheet in a goalless match against Paraguay; however, New Zealand did not advance beyond the group stage.
Paston officially ended his international career on 8 August 2013, following his earlier retirement from club football that year.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | League Cup | International | Overall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | ||
| Bradford City | 2003–04 | First Division | 13 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Walsall | 2004–05 | League One | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| St Johnstone | 2005–06 | Scottish First Division | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| New Zealand Knights | 2006–07 | A-League | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Wellington Phoenix | 2007–08 | A-League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||||
| 2009–10 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||||
| 2010–11 | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||||
| 2011–12 | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||||
| 2012–13 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||||
| Aggregate | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 95 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 0 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1997 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998–2002 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 0 | |
External links
- Mark Paston Interview
- Archived profile at nzfootball.co.nz