Paul Abrahams (footballer)

Paul Abrahams
Born	(1973-10-31) October 31, 1973 Colchester, England
Occupation(s)	Former professional footballer, football manager
Years active	1991–2010 (player), 2022 (manager)
Known for	Playing for Colchester United and Brentford; managing Maldon & Tiptree

Paul Abrahams (born 31 October 1973) is a former English professional footballer who operated mainly as a forward or winger. He is best known for his time at Colchester United, where he accumulated over 100 league appearances during two separate periods between 1992 and 1999. His career also included spells with Brentford and various non-league sides after his professional playing days were curtailed by injury. More recently, he held a managerial role at Maldon & Tiptree.

Playing career

Originating from Colchester, Abrahams began his football journey with his local club Colchester United, turning professional in the summer of 1992 following an impressive youth season in which he netted 46 goals across 31 matches. His first-team debut came as a substitute during the 1991–92 campaign, contributing to a 4–2 victory away at Slough Town on 26 August 1991. Before moving on, he made three substitute appearances in the Conference and featured in 55 Football League fixtures for Colchester.

In 1995, Abrahams transferred to Brentford for a fee of £30,000, where he played in 35 matches and scored eight goals. Later that year, he returned to Colchester on loan and secured a permanent move back to the club in 1996 for £20,000. Under manager Steve Wignall, Abrahams became an influential figure, notably scoring a decisive golden goal against Peterborough United that propelled Colchester to the 1997 Football League Trophy Final. Although they were defeated on penalties by Carlisle United, Abrahams was part of the squad that triumphed in the 1998 Third Division play-offs, despite not featuring in the final match itself. His professional playing career was cut short in 1999 due to a knee injury, concluding with a total of 144 league appearances for Colchester.

Following his departure from professional football, Abrahams competed at non-league level with clubs including Kettering Town, Canvey Island, Chesham United, Wivenhoe Town, Heybridge Swifts, and AFC Sudbury. During his tenure at Sudbury, he scored 14 goals in 56 appearances before his contract was terminated in November 2006 due to persistent injury problems. He then signed for Halstead Town ahead of the 2007–08 season and returned to the club in November 2009 as first team coach, even making an appearance as a player in April 2010. His playing days ultimately ended after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.

Managerial career

Abrahams took on the managerial position at Maldon & Tiptree in May 2022. However, his tenure was brief; by September 2022, he was relieved of his duties following a series of defeats in all league matches and early eliminations from both the FA Cup and FA Trophy competitions.

Personal life

Upon retiring from professional football, Abrahams transitioned into the publishing industry and, as of May 2011, was employed by the consultancy company Fundamental Media.

Honours

Colchester United

• Football League Third Division play-offs champions: 1998
• Football League Trophy finalist: 1996–97