Versatile defender Paul Green became City's first permanent signing of 2007 when he joined the club from Aston Villa.

Paul, who played in the FA 2004 Youth Cup Final for Villa against Middlesbrough, worked his way through the ranks with the Premiership side, going on to represent England at U18 level. A regular in Villa's reserves, he was involved in their first team during the 2006/07 pre-season programme.

After initially finding himself on the bench following his arrival Paul soon established himself as a first team regular and appeared in a number of positions during his first season at Sincil Bank. His form in his second season, meanwhile, saw him scoop a number of end of season awards and prior to the start of the 2008/09 season penned a one-year extension to his contract, tying him to the Imps until the summer of 2010.

The 2008/09 season ended up being one of frustration for Paul, however, with injuries and suspension making it very much a stop-start second half of the campaign. A hip problem kept Paul on the sidelines throughout the summer and following with the resultant operation keeping him out of action until he returned at Christmas.