Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and Doncaster
A-J
408) Frank Beresford
PNE 36 apps; 4 goals
Dons 56 apps; 10 goals
PNE debut 21/02/1934 v Manchester United (H) – Won 3-2
749) George Berry
PNE 4 apps; 0 goals
Dons 1 app; 0 goals
PNE debut 17/08/1991 v Peterborough (A) – Lost 0-1
823) Paul Birch
PNE 11 apps; 2 goals
Dons 27 apps; 2 goals
PNE debut 09/ 03/1996 v Gillingham (A) – Drawn 1-1
582) John Bird
PNE 166 apps; 9 goals
Dons 50 apps; 3 goals
PNE debut 03/04/1971 v Bristol Rovers (A) – Drawn 0-0
954) Chris Brown
PNE 90 apps; 17 goals
Dons 22 apps; 10 goals
PNE debut 12/01/2008 v Watford (H) – Won 1-0
163) William Butler
PNE 3 apps; 0 goals
Dons 7 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 27/10/1906 v Newcastle (A) – Lost 1-2
852) Darren Byfield
PNE 5 apps; 1 goal
Dons 15 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 07/11/1998 v Burnley (H) – Won 4-1
464) Alf Calverley
PNE 13 apps; 0 goals
Dons 142 apps; 11 goals
PNE debut 23/08/1947 v Liverpool (A) – Lost 1-3
811) Matt Carmichael
PNE 10 apps; 3 goals
Dons 27 apps; 4 goals
PNE debut 18/03/1995 v Bury (H) – Won 5-0
553) Tony Coleman
PNE 5 apps; 1 goal
Dons 58 apps; 11 goals
PNE debut 27/02/1965 v Derby (H) – Drawn 2-2
604) Mike Elwiss
PNE 202 apps; 63 goals
Dons 97 apps; 30 goals
PNE debut 02/03/1974 v Carlisle (A) – Drawn 2-2
760) Lee Fowler
PNE 32 apps; 2 goals
Dons 11 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 15/08/1992 v Bournemouth (H) – Drawn 1-1
725) Steve Harper
PNE 77 apps; 10 goals
Dons 65 apps; 11 goals
PNE debut 01/04/1989 v Fulham (H) – Lost 1-4
795) Stuart Hicks
PNE 12 apps; 0 goals
Dons 36 apps; 0 goals
PNE debut 02/04/1994 v Chester (A) – Lost 2-3
503) Peter Higham
PNE 15 apps; 10 goals
Dons 22 apps; 6 goals
PNE debut 14/11/1953 v Portsmouth (A) – Won 3-1
505) Eric Jones
PNE 13 apps; 0 goals
Dons 15 apps; 2 goals
PNE debut 26/12/1953 v Burnley (H) – Won 2-1
Player Profile – Paul Birch
Paul Birch was born in West Bromwich on 20 November 1962, he began his career with the youth system at Aston Villa.
He signed professional forms in August 1980 but didn’t feature in Villa's title-winning team of 1981 or the European Cup winning side of 1982.
He became a regular first-team player in the 1983/84 system after making his league debut on 29 August 1983 in a 1-0 win at home to Sunderland. His first-team debut had come earlier that year when he replaced Gary Shaw for the final twelve minutes of the European Super Cup victory at home to Barcelona, in his first season Birch made 22 appearances, scoring two goals.
He was part of the Villa side that was relegated under Billy McNeill in 1986/87 season, but helped them win promotion under new manager Graham Taylor a year later. The 1987/88 season was his most successful season with 6 goals in 38 matches. He came close to winning a league title medal in 1990, but Villa was beaten into second place by Liverpool.
However, when Jozef Venglos became Villa manager at the start of the 1990/91 season, Birch found himself out of the team and was sold to Division Two side Wolves in January 1991 for £400,000 where he joined up with former Villa manager Graham Taylor. He had served Aston Villa for over 10 years scoring 16 goals in 173 appearances and was awarded a testimonial by the club against Wolves in August 1991.
Birch stayed at Wolves for five years as the club and was almost an ever-present under Turner, but found regular appearances harder to come by after Wolves appointed another former manager of his, Graham Taylor.
Birch joined Preston on loan in March 1996 and made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Gillingham on 9 March. His second appearance three days later Birch scored his first PNE goal in the 3-0 win at Rochdale. His second goal came on 6 April in a 1-0 home win against Doncaster. Birch made 11 appearances for the Lilywhites came in a 2-1 defeat at Cambrige on 16 April.
He was finally released by Wolves in May 1996 after netting 15 goals in 142 appearances and joined Doncaster.
Birch made his Dons debut in a 1-0 home defeat to Carlisle on 17 August and scored his first of two goals ten days later in a 1-1 draw at Exeter. His second goal came in a 2-1 defeat at Fulham on 12 October. Birch made 27 appearances for Doncaster, with his last game a 0-0 draw at home to Hull on 8 March 1997.
The same month Birch joined Exeter on a free transfer scoring 5 goals from 35 appearances before retiring from professional football and joining non-league Halesowen.
He had a spell as postman before joining the coaching staff at Forest Green Rovers in 2001, working under his former Villa teammate Nigel Spink and remained with the club after Spink was sacked. He left Rovers in August 2003 to take up a role coaching the youth teams at Birmingham, where Spink by now was goalkeeper coach.
In May 2008, it was revealed he was suffering from bone cancer. He died on 2 February 2009 at the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.