The Club of course repeated the League Cup win the following year and Paul was again an ever-present on that run, scoring nine of the 34 goals in the competition including two in the final this time. In another high scoring season Paul missed only one League game, netting thirteen times in the process. And in the run to the Scottish Cup final he played in all seven games with one goal to his credit. The defeat by Rangers in the replayed final must have been a big disappointment for Paul in his first Scottish Cup Final but the team had not played well and had missed their chance to grab the Cup in the first game which ended 1-1. Again Europe had not given much cheer with another second round exit, Paul appearing in all four games.

Yet another great League Cup run occurred in 1981-82 and Paul scored once having participated in all eleven games including the final against Rangers. He was surely upset after that one, especially having had a ‘goal’ chalked off. United were already a goal up through Milne when Paul fired in from all of 20 yards. Jim Stewart in the Rangers goal had no chance but John Holt was adjudged offside and it was disallowed. Rangers went on to win 2-1. Thirty-one League appearances netted Paul 15 goals including a hat-trick against Morton in a 5-0 win. Five Scottish Cup showings brought another two goals and a run to the UEFA Cup quarter final yielded another one to give Paul a total of 24. He was United’s top scorer with his highest scoring record in all of his fifteen years as a player at Tannadice. Included in the great UEFA Cup run was the remarkable 5-0 win over German giants Borussia Munchengladbach. Paul netted the fourth on a night which some Arabs still claim, with justification, witnessed the best game ever seen at Tannadice. 1981 was also the beginning of Paul’s full international career and he made his debut coming on as a substitute against Wales in the British Championship on 16th May 1981. In the match against Portugal on 18th November 1981 he found the net for his first goal at full international level. He was the first United player ever to score at full international level. If further proof of Paul’s undoubted ability was ever required he also collected Scotland’s Player of the Year award by the sportswriters.

1982-83 was to prove to be, arguably, the pinnacle of Paul’s United career (although some might say that his World Cup Finals appearances three years later was his zenith). In a season that saw United lose only four League games, they won the Championship and Paul contributed to this success with eight goals in his 28 appearances. He also set up Ralph Milne for his spectacular fourth minute opener against Dundee in the final League game and set the side on the final steps to the ultimate reward. The Scottish Cup that year had been yet another early exit at the hands of St Mirren. Paul scored seven in the nine out ten games he turned out in on the way to a League Cup quarter-final exit. He also played in seven of the eight games and scored once in a UEFA run that ended with an exit in Prague.

The Championship success gave United entry into the top European competition and Paul played in five of the eight games leading to the Eupropean Cup semi-final exit in Rome. In the match United succumbed to the intimidating atmosphere created by 68,000 Italians and in all honesty, a better team. Perhaps this was Paul’s biggest disappointment in a tangerine shirt, as a potential European Cup Final chance slipped away. Paul’s League appearances were fewer as a result of injury and he managed only seventeen League showings including two as a substitute, netting four goals. In the Scottish Cup he played in three games scoring twice whilst in the League Cup he played only twice.

Fit and recovered by the beginning of 1984-85 Paul made 28 starts in the League with a further two as sub and he was back on the goal-scoring trail again with 14 in the League. A Further two were netted in the six games he played on the way to a defeat by Rangers in the League Cup final, and he also played six and scored two on the way to a defeat by Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. The goal tally of 20 made him top scorer yet again. Losing to both sides of the Old Firm in two different Cup finals in the same season was a measure of the advances made by United. Whereas in the past merely taking part would have been enough, it was no longer, and both players and fans were bitterly disappointed with the outcomes. One highlight of the season was the record of five goals in one match set by Paul in the 7-0 demolition of Morton on 17th November 1984. He still holds the record although now jointly with Marco Negri who ironically scored his five against United.

1985-86 was another good League season for United. But for home defeats by Hearts and St Mirren and a poor draw against bottom club Clydebank, the Club may well have taken top spot instead of their eventual third place, only three points behind winners Celtic. Paul played his part yet again with 31 appearances including one as sub and he found the net 8 times. His five appearances in the Scottish Cup brought two goals as United went out in the semi-final to Hearts in the League Cup and Paul played in all five of the games. This season also brought a memorable hat-trick in the 5-2 win over Bohemians in Dublin on 18th September 1985. Paul was the first United player to achieve this feat.

Paul made 30 appearances and scored six times over the next season which saw the introduction of three points for a win. United again finished third only nine points behind Rangers who had it tied up with games to spare. The excitement of season 1986/87 centred on the UEFA Cup, in which United of course reached the final. Paul appeared in both legs of the final against Gothenberg but it ended in glorious defeat. Part of the reason for the defeat must lie in the fact that the Club played 67 competitive matches that season and they were both physically and mentally drained. After previous misfortune at Hampden, Paul was in the United side that lost the Scottish Cup final to St Mirren only four days before playing the second leg of the UEFA final.

 

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