Spalding and District Sunday League legend Paul Rudkin could have played his final game for Jubilee FC

After a phenomenal 959 appearances over 46 years for Jubilee FC, Paul Rudkin might just have played his final match in Spalding and District Sunday League.

The 65-year-old, who has been with the club since its fourth match back in 1977, is finally calling it a day. He’s been either secretary or manager for all but a handful of those games.

And so the club which is synonymous with him will be folded after the Mont Pell Trophy final against South Holland United at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field on April 16, writes Nigel Chapman.

Paul, of Gosberton Risegate, had hoped to make it to 1,000 appearances and that looked achievable when he made his 900th appearance in October 2018.

“But along came Covid,” he said. “That and also the Sunday League only has seven teams this season - there were four divisions and 52 teams when I started!

“Maybe if there had been 12 or so teams for the past couple of seasons I might have managed it.

“It’s disappointing but I’ve been very lucky and enjoyed every minute of it.”

In his extraordinary playing career he’s hardly ever suffered an injury. Even when a doctor said a simultaneous groin strain and pulled calf muscle probably ought to signal the end of his playing days after 500+ appearances, there was more to come.

Paul said: “I’d been out for a while and was watching a game at West Pinchbeck. The ball flew out of play and I trapped it.

“I thought ‘well, that didn’t hurt.’

“So I managed to cram in another 20 years!”

He’s actually a lot nearer to 1,000 league and cup appearances but nobody knows just how close. He played about 20 matches for Still Vaults before joining bottom-of-the-league Jubilee just after the club was formed in Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee year.

Paul couldn’t have imagined the incredible feat ahead of him as he was getting changed in a glasshouse at Pick’s Farm, Deeping St Nicholas, ahead of that first game – a 5-0 defeat to Littleworth Reserves.

If indeed last weekend’s match does turn out to be Paul’s last appearance, it wasn’t how it was supposed to end - a 4-2 defeat to Gedney Hillbillies.

He’s still pondering over whether to name himself in the cup final squad next month.

Silverware has been few and far between for Jubilee in its history.

There could have been a league and Knockout Cup double in recent years but they were beaten 3-2 at Sutton St James in a crucial league game before thumping them 5-0 in the cup final a week later.

Paul’s notched 96 goals for Jubilee, even being joint leading goalscorer - with two - until February this year!

Few players can say they were still turning out, let alone scoring, at 65.

Paul is Spalding Sunday League’s untouchable legend.

Zak Smithers, Lewis Taylor, Jamie Steward and Michael McGowan were the goalscorers for Gedney in Sunday's success.

CSKA Emneth now need just a point to clinch the league title after a 5-0 win over South Holland United in a double-header.

Toby Allen scored twice for the champions elect with Max Mattless, Jake Miller and Alex Street also scoring.

The league leaders travel this weekend to face second-placed Black Bull who kept their faint title hopes alive with a 7-1 home success over Pointon.

Logan Tate hit a hat-trick with Danny Woods (two), James Pinder and Rob Masters also netting.