| Paul Heffernan | |
| Nationality: | 
|
| Rovers apps (gls)1: | 11 (4) |
| Date of birth: | 29 December 1981 |
| Place of birth: | Dublin |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in |
| Position: | Forward |
| Date joined: | 9 February 2010 |
| Joined from: | Doncaster Rovers |
| Date left: | 4 April 2010 |
| 1 League appearances and goals only. | |
Paul Heffernan joined Rovers on loan from Doncaster Rovers on 8 February 2010 in order to replace Darryl Duffy, who had joined Carlisle United on loan a week earlier. He joined on loan initially for a month, later extended to three months, and eventually to the end of the 2009–10 season. Heffernan was recalled early to Doncaster on 4 April however, due to an injury crisis at the club. This resulted in Darryl Duffy, who was on loan at Carlisle United, having to be recalled to the Memorial Stadium to cover his absence.
Rovers had hoped to sign him permanently when his Doncaster contract expired in the summer of 2010, but he opted to join Sheffield Wednesday instead of returning to Bristol.
Career[]
Paul started his career playing for Welsh side Newtown, before joining Notts County in 1999. He made exactly 100 League appearances for The Magpies and was good enough to command a transfer fee of £150,000 when Bristol City signed him in the summer of 2005.
His time at City was not particularly successful, starting just ten games and coming on as a sub seventeen times, and scoring five goals in the process in League One. He moved on to Doncaster Rovers the following year, in 2006, and played 121 times for them in the League before joining Oldham Athletic on loan midway through the 2009–10 season. After making one more League and one FA Cup appearance for Doncaster he joined Bristol Rovers for one month in February 2010. Rovers and Doncaster later negotiated an extension to the initial month on expiry of the deal, keeping Heffernan in Bristol until April 2010.
He was released by Doncaster at the end of the 2009–10 season, and signed for Sheffield Wednesday where he spent a year before signing for Scottish side Kilmarnock in 2011. During his first year in Scotland he picked up a Scottish League Cup winners medal, having been on the side that beat Celtic 1–0 in the final at Hampden Park.
Career stats[]
| Season | Club | League | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | ||
| 1999–00 | Notts County | 2 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | Notts County | 1 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | Notts County | 23 | 6 |
| 2002–03 | Notts County | 36 | 10 |
| 2003–04 | Notts County | 38 | 20 |
| 2004–05 | Bristol City | 27 | 5 |
| 2005–06 | Doncaster Rovers | 26 | 8 |
| 2006–07 | Doncaster Rovers | 29 | 11 |
| 2007–08 | Doncaster Rovers | 27 | 7 |
| 2008–09 | Doncaster Rovers | 28 | 10 |
| 2009–10 | Doncaster Rovers | 17 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | →Oldham Athletic (loan) | 4 | 1 |
| 2009–10 | →Bristol Rovers (loan) | 11 | 4 |
| 2010–11 | Sheffield Wednesday | 17 | 3 |
| 2011–12 | Kilmarnock | 29 | 11 |
| 2012–13 | Kilmarnock | 27 | 9 |
Record against Rovers[]
Paul has got a perfect record when playing against Rovers. In the three games he has played in his career against The Gas he was won three times and scored in each one. The first time he faced Rovers was in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at the Millennium Stadium, and another two League One meetings followed during the 2007-08 season.
| Date | Club | Venue | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2007 | Doncaster Rovers | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | 3–2 to Doncaster (AET) | Scored Doncaster's second goal, after 5 minutes |
| 9 February 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | Keepmoat Stadium | 2–0 to Doncaster | Subbed on after 70 mins & scored 90th minute penalty |
| 4 March 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | Memorial Stadium | 1–0 to Doncaster | Scored after 3 minutes, subbed off and replaced by Gareth Taylor after 88 minutes |
| 11 December 2010 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillborough | 6–2 to Wednesday | Scored in the 81st minute after being subbed on in the 64th minute |