Marc Laird

Marc Laird

Personal information
Full name	Marc James Peter Laird [1]
Date of birth	(1986-01-23) 23 January 1986 (age 38) [1]
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Civil Service Strollers
Youth career
199?–2000	Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale
2000–2004	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2008	Manchester City	0	(0)
2007	→ Northampton Town (loan)	6	(0)
2007–2008	→ Port Vale (loan)	7	(1)
2008–2011	Millwall	75	(6)
2011	→ Brentford (loan)	4	(1)
2011	→ Walsall (loan)	8	(0)
2011–2013	Leyton Orient	23	(2)
2012	→ Southend United (loan)	12	(1)
2013–2014	Southend United	30	(0)
2014–2015	Tranmere Rovers	34	(1)
2015–2016	Yeovil Town	20	(0)
2016–2021	Edinburgh City	128	(7)
2021–2022	Stirling Albion	20	(0)
2022–	Civil Service Strollers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:00, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

Marc James Peter Laird (born 23 January 1986) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Lowland League club Civil Service Strollers.

Though he began his career with Manchester City in 2004, he was never used in a first-team game, though he did play in loan spells at Northampton Town and Port Vale. He signed with Millwall in 2008, playing in the club's 2009–10 promotion campaign. In 2011, he played for Brentford and Walsall on loan, before moving on to Leyton Orient in summer 2011. He joined Southend United on loan in October 2012, and made a permanent move to the club in January 2013. He signed with Tranmere Rovers in July 2014, and moved on to Yeovil Town a year later. He returned to his hometown in September 2016 to sign with Edinburgh City. He spent five years with Edinburgh, before moving on to Stirling Albion in June 2021. He joined Civil Service Strollers the following summer.

Career

Manchester City

Born in Edinburgh, Laird was a promising talent at Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale, before he joined the Academy at Manchester City just before his 15th-birthday. ^[3] He signed professional forms in January 2004. Laird received his first call into the senior squad for a competitive game when he was named as a substitute for a Premier League match versus Wigan Athletic on 21 October 2006. ^[4] Awarded the number 39 shirt, he remained on the bench for the shock 4–0 defeat. ^[5] He had brief loan spells in League One at Northampton Town in February 2007 ^{[6] [7]} and was called up again for the final game of the 2006–07 against Tottenham Hotspur, but did not get on the pitch. ^[4] In May 2007, he was told manager Stuart Pearce had "high hopes" the young player would have "a really big year", however, Pearce was sacked a few days later. ^[3]

Laird was involved with the City first-team during the 2007–08 pre-season, and he scored the fourth City goal in a 4–0 pre-season friendly victory against Carlstad United BK on 21 July. ^[8] Things changed for Laird following the club's takeover by Thaksin Shinawatra and the appointment of Sven-Göran Eriksson as manager in July 2007. ^[9] His only involvement with the first-team during the 2007–08 season came on 29 August 2007, when he was an unused substitute for a 2–1 League Cup second round victory over Bristol City. ^{[10] [11]} He never played a competitive game for the City first-team, and was loaned to Port Vale in November/December 2007. ^[12] It was at Vale Park where Laird scored his first league goal, when he netted a 25 yards (23 m) strike against Walsall on Boxing Day. ^[13]

Millwall

He signed with Millwall on 9 January 2008, who were managed by former Manchester City Academy coach Kenny Jackett. ^[14] On 23 February 2008, Port Vale again provided Laird with yet another milestone, as he scored his second career league goal and first goal for Millwall in the 44th minute of their 3–0 home win over Vale. ^{[15] [16]} He played 29 games in the Lions' promotion-winning 2009–10 campaign. He was an unused substitute in the play-off final victory over Swindon Town. ^[17] At the end of the season Laird agreed to sign a new one-year deal with the club. ^[18] Laird signed on loan at Brentford in January 2011. ^{[19] [20]} He was recalled after five appearances to play for Millwall in a Championship clash with Norwich City. ^[21] In March he joined Walsall on loan for the rest of the season. ^[22]

Leyton Orient

Laird signed a two-year deal with Leyton Orient in July 2011; "O's" boss Russell Slade described Laird as "a good passer and a decent athlete who will add strength to our squad." ^[23] He made only 11 League One starts, as Orient avoided the drop by one place and seven points. On 26 October 2012, he dropped down a division when he joined League Two side Southend United on a three-month loan. "Shrimpers" manager Paul Sturrock said that "we are lacking in the middle of the park... he's a good passer and he will add some strength and experience there." ^[24] He was named in the League Two team of the week after scoring in a 3–1 win over Rochdale at Roots Hall on 26 November. ^[25] After making 15 starts for Southend, he returned to Orient and was released from his contract by mutual consent on 4 January 2013. ^[26]

Southend United

Having secured his release from Orient, Laird signed an 18-month contract with Southend United in January 2013. ^[27] He ended the 2012–13 season with 27 appearances for Southend, though played no part in the club's run to the 2013 Football League Trophy final.

Laird missed eight weeks at the start of the 2013–14 season after damaging his medial ligaments. ^[28] He returned to action and helped the "Shrimpers" to secure a League Two play-off place at the end of the season, where they were beaten by Burton Albion at the semi-final stage. He was released by the club at the end of the season, after which manager Phil Brown commented that "Marc was a bit unlucky with his injury this season". ^[29]

Tranmere Rovers

Laird signed with a one-year contract with League Two side Tranmere Rovers in July 2014. ^[30] After Micky Adams was appointed as manager Laird and James Rowe shared the central midfield role with Steve Jennings in defensive midfield and Max Power in attacking midfield. ^[31] He played 39 games in the 2014–15 season, as Rovers were relegated out of the English Football League.

Yeovil Town

On 19 June 2015, Laird signed for League Two side Yeovil Town on a one-year deal upon the expiry of his contract with Tranmere Rovers. ^[32] He was released at the end of the 2015–16 season. ^[33]

Edinburgh City

On 21 September 2016, following his release from Yeovil Town, Laird signed for Scottish League Two side Edinburgh City. ^[34] Laird said he hoped the move would allow him the chance to raise his profile in Scotland. ^[35] However, after picking up the division's Player of the Month award for November he decided to extend his stay at the club and signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the Meadowbank Stadium until June 2018. ^[36] This deal was then extended by a further two years in June 2017. ^[37] He picked up the club's Goal of the Season award for the 2016–17 campaign for his strike in the 3–3 draw Arbroath on 1 October. ^[37] He made 40 appearances over the course of the 2017–18 campaign as the "Citizens" finished in ninth-place under the stewardship of James McDonaugh, just one spot above the relegation play-offs. With just two goals in two years at Ainslie Park, Laird admitted he was disappointed in his goal tally. ^[38] He added one further goal over 43 appearances in the 2018–19 season; City qualified for the play-offs but were beaten 4–0 by Clyde at the semi-final stage. ^[39] He scored four goals from 31 games in the 2019–20 season, which was declared early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, with Edinburgh second to champions Cove Rangers. ^[40] He made 18 appearances in the 2020–21 campaign as Edinburgh secured a play-off place with a second-place finish, though did not play in the play-off semi-final defeat to Elgin City. ^{[41] [42] [43]}

Stirling Albion

Laird signed for League Two club Stirling Albion on 9 June 2021 as manager Kevin Rutkiewicz looked to add experience to Forthbank. ^[44] He was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in a 1–0 defeat to Stenhousemuir at the Forthbank Stadium on 5 March. ^[45] He played 26 games in the 2021–22 campaign and was not retained in the summer by Darren Young. ^{[46] [47]}

Civil Service Strollers

Laird joined Civil Service Strollers of the Lowland League in summer 2022. ^[48] He was named in the Team of the Month for April 2024. ^[49]

Style of play

Laird is a "box to box" midfielder. ^[50] Kenny Jackett, his manager at Millwall, stated that Laird had a good character and positive mindset. ^[51]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 April 2022

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester City	2006–07 [52]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2007–08 [53]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northampton Town (loan)	2006–07 [52]	League One	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Port Vale (loan)	2007–08 [53]	League One	7	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
Millwall	2007–08 [53]	League One	17	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	1
	2008–09 [54]	League One	37	5	4	1	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	44	6
	2009–10 [55]	League One	20	0	5	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	29	0
	2010–11 [56]	Championship	1	0	0	0	1	0	—		2	0
	Total		75	6	9	1	4	0	4	0	92	7
Brentford (loan)	2010–11 [56]	League One	4	1	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	5	1
Walsall (loan)	2010–11 [56]	League One	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Leyton Orient	2011–12 [57]	League One	22	2	2	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	27	2
	2012–13 [58]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	2	0
	Total		23	2	2	0	2	0	2	0	29	2
Southend United	2012–13 [58]	League Two	23	1	4	1	0	0	0	0	27	2
	2013–14 [59]	League Two	19	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	21	1
	Total		42	1	6	2	0	0	0	0	48	3
Tranmere Rovers	2014–15 [60]	League Two	34	1	3	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 3]	0	39	1
Yeovil Town	2015–16 [61]	League Two	20	0	0	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	22	0
Edinburgh City	2016–17 [62]	Scottish League Two	24	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	28	1
	2017–18 [63]	Scottish League Two	34	1	1	0	4	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	40	1
	2018–19 [64]	Scottish League Two	29	1	3	0	4	0	7 [lower-alpha 5]	0	43	1
	2019–20 [65]	Scottish League Two	25	4	2	0	3	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	31	4
	2020–21 [41]	Scottish League Two	16	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
	Total		128	7	12	0	11	0	9	0	159	7
Stirling Albion	2021–22 [46]	Scottish League Two	20	0	1	0	4	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	26	0
Career total			367	20	35	3	22	0	20	0	444	23

1. Appearance/s in League One play-offs
2. One appearance in Football League Trophy, one in League One play-offs
3. Appearance/s in Football League Trophy
4. Appearance/s in the Scottish Challenge Cup
5. 5 appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup and 2 appearances in the play-offs

Honours

Individual

• Scottish League Two Player of the Month: November 2016 ^[36]

Millwall

• League One play-offs: 2009–10 ^[17]

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84596-474-0.
2. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
3. Elgott, Jordan (7 February 2020). "Marc Laird on battling Brazilians at Man City & competing with Cove". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
4. Marc Laird Player Profile – ESPN FC
5. BBC SPORT | Football | Premiership | Wigan 4-0 Man City
6. "Cobblers bring in Laird on loan". BBC Sport. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
7. "Laird ends Northampton loan spell". BBC Sport. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
8. "Bianchi at the double as Blues stroll to victory". Manchester City F. C. official website. 21 July 2007. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008.
9. Elgott, Jordan (7 February 2020). "Marc Laird on battling Brazilians at Man City & competing with Cove". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
10. Marc Laird Player Profile – ESPN FC
11. BBC SPORT | Football | League Cup | Bristol City 1-2 Man City
12. "Sinnott makes first Vale signing". BBC Sport. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
13. "Port Vale 1–1 Walsall". BBC Sport. 26 December 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
14. "Millwall complete Laird signing". BBC Sport. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
15. "Millwall 3–0 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 23 February 2008. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
16. "Sinnott vows to shuffle Vale pack". BBC Sport. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
17. Fletcher, Paul (29 May 2010). "Millwall 1-0 Swindon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
18. "Midfielder Marc Laird signs new Millwall contract". BBC Sport. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
19. "Bees sign midfielder". Brentford FC. 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
20. "Millwall midfielder Marc Laird joins Brentford on loan". BBC Sport. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
21. "Millwall recall Marc Laird from Brentford loan". BBC Sport. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
22. "Walsall sign Millwall midfielder Marc Laird on loan". BBC Sport. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
23. "Leyton Orient sign ex-Millwall midfielder Marc Laird". BBC Sport. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
24. "Marc Laird joins Southend United on loan from Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
25. "League 2 Team of the Week". efl.com. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
26. "Os agree Laird release". Leyton Orient F.C. 4 January 2013.
27. "Midfielder signs 18-month contract at Roots Hall". southendunited.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
28. "Southend United's Marc Laird out for two months". BBC Sport. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
29. "Freddy Eastwood to leave Southend United". 23 May 2014. football-league.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
30. "Marc Laird: Tranmere Rovers sign former Southend midfielder". BBC Sport. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
31. Hilton, Nick (24 December 2014). "Tranmere Rovers a happy place to be says Marc Laird". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
32. "Yeovil sign Tranmere's Marc Laird and Northampton's Ben Tozer". BBC Sport. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
33. "Way announced retained list". Yeovil Town F.C. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
34. "Edinburgh City sign former Man City midfielder Marc Laird". Johnston Press. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
35. Pilcher, Ross (29 September 2016). "Edinburgh City deal gives Marc Laird chance to raise profile". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
36. Pilcher, Ross (19 December 2016). "Edinburgh City midfielder Marc Laird signs contract extension". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
37. Pilcher, Ross (2 June 2017). "Marc Laird agrees new Edinburgh City contract". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
38. Pilchher, Ross (22 December 2017). "Marc Laird wants Christmas to come early for Edinburgh City boss". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
39. McGlade, Neil (13 May 2019). "Edinburgh City boss set to wield axe after deflating end to the season". edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
40. "SPFL Resolution Approved By Clubs in All Four Divisions | SPFL". spfl.co.uk. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
41. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
42. Hislop, John (4 May 2021). "Edinburgh City to face Elgin City in play-off semi-finals". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
43. "Edinburgh City v Elgin City". BBC Sport. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
44. "New signing: Marc Laird". Stirling Albion F.C. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
45. Fitzpatrick, Ian (5 March 2022). "Match Report: Stirling Albion vs Stenhousemuir". Stenhousemuir FC. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
46. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
47. "Binos bolstered as six players re-sign for next season and six are released". Daily Record. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
48. "Scottish League 2 ins & outs - Summer 2022". BBC Sport. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
49. @csstrollers (20 April 2024). "🔴 Congratulations to Jacob Pazikas, Matthew Shaw, Ross Clarke and Marc Laird for their inclusion in the @OfficialCatchup Team of the Month for April!! Well deserved lads! 🔵" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
50. Kirkbride, Phil (11 July 2014). "New signing Marc Laird says he's a 'perfect fit' for Tranmere Rovers". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
51. Calvin, Michael (2012). Family: Life, Death and Football, a Year on the Frontline With a Proper Club. Icon Books. p. 88. ISBN   978-190685-026-5.
52. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
53. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
54. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
55. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
56. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
57. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
58. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
59. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
60. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
61. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
62. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
63. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
64. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
65. "Games played by Marc Laird in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.

External links

• Marc Laird at Soccerbase