Paul Kitson has had a prolific career in top-flight British football, playing for nine league teams and making 303 professional appearances. Kitson started out at in the Leicester City youth team, making the senior team after only one season in 1989.

His success resulted in a record-breaking transfer fee deal to Derby County in 1992 where he became a regular goal scorer for the club, with a tally of 36, and became the only player to score a hattrick in both the Premier League and the Anglo-Italian Cup.His move to Newcastle United in 1994 was for a three year contract at St James’ Park and he made 36 appearances for the club before moving to West Ham United in 1997. Assistant Manager Frank Lampard was thrilled to welcome Kitson to the club claiming he was ‘quick and sharp’. Kitson joined fellow forward John Hartson for a very successful strikeforce that kept West Ham from relegation with Kitson’s 8 goals in 14 League games essential to their survival.

He was also instrumental in their win of the UEFA Intertoto Cup.During his last season at the club before leaving in 2002 Kitson scored a hattrick which included a goal voted by the West Ham supporters as one of their top three goals of the decade. After being let go by West Ham Kitson spent time with Brighton & Hove Albion and a successful couple of seasons with Rushden & Diamonds before retiring from professionalfootball.