Paddy McCourt

Paddy McCourt

Paddy McCourt was born in Derry, N. Ireland on 16 December 1983 (age 40)

The lure of joining Celtic, the club he had supported as a boy, persuaded McCourt to move to Glasgow and, on 19 June 2008, he signed for a fee of £200,000 after agreeing a three-year contract. The manager who signed him, Gordon Strachan, would later claim that McCourt was “as gifted a footballer as I have ever seen.”

McCourt made his competitive debut for Celtic on 25 October 2008 in a 4–2 win over Hibernian. In his first season, he featured primarily for the Celtic reserve team, playing in the deciding game on 28 April 2009 against Rangers reserves to clinch the Reserve League Title for the Hoops for the eighth season in succession.

On 23 September 2009, McCourt opened his goalscoring account for Celtic with a memorable goal in a League Cup match at Falkirk, in which he beat five defenders before chipping the ball over Bairns goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik. He then scored his first SPL goal on his first league start three days later against St Mirren, which saw him go past six defenders before beating the goalkeeper. On 24 January 2010, McCourt bagged his second league goal for Celtic against St Johnstone after a mazy run and finish into the top right hand corner, from just inside the penalty box. English Premier League newcomers Blackpool expressed an interest in McCourt following his performances throughout the 2009–10 season, prompting Celtic to offer him an improved contract, which he duly signed.

In the first game of the 2010–11 SPL season, McCourt scored the only goal of the game against newly promoted Inverness CT with a now-typical solo run and shot, beating three defenders and then netting from the edge of the box. He scored his second goal of the season – his first at Celtic Park – in Celtic’s 3–0 victory over Hearts on 11 September 2010, beating three players before chipping the goalkeeper. On 6 November 2010, McCourt netted the final goal of Celtic’s 9–0 demolition of Aberdeen. Later that month, he scored Celtic’s 600th home SPL goal in a 2–2 draw with Inverness at Celtic Park, with another jinking run and precise finish. On 29 December 2010, McCourt scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win against Motherwell. On 26 January, McCourt added another SPL goal in a 4–0 win over Hearts. He came on as a substitute in the 2011 Scottish Cup Final on 21 May 2011, a 3–0 win over Motherwell, to win his first silverware in Scotland. On 15 August 2011 it was reported that several English clubs, including Liverpool, were interested in buying him.

McCourt was mainly used as a late substitute over the course of the next two seasons, failing to score a single goal, though he was part of the Celtic team that won both the 2011–12 and 2012–13 SPL titles, as well as the 2013 Scottish Cup. In the final at Hampden Park, a 3–0 victory over Hibernian, he entered play as a substitute and was handed the captain’s armband in what proved to be his final appearance for the club. McCourt left Celtic after his contract expired in June 2013, having played in a total of 88 games, scoring ten goals. On 6 August 2013, he began training with Hibernian to try and win a contract, but no move materialised.

Paddy McCourt stats

Check out all of the statistics about Paddy McCourt.

Right Att Midfield
Primary Position
Midfielder
Position
Paddy McCourt
RAM
1.82m (5ft 11in)
Height
70kg (11st)
Weight
16 December 1983 (age 40)
Date of Birth
Derry
Birthplace
N. Ireland
Country of Birth

Career stats

Team
Finn Harps
Finn Harps
Season 2017
Country
Rep. Ireland 🇮🇪
Games
27
Goals
2
Team
Glenavon
Glenavon
Season 2016 - 2017
Country
N. Ireland
Games
12
Goals
1
Team
Luton Town
Luton Town
Season 2015 - 2016
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
24
Goals
1
Team
Notts County
Notts County
Season 2014 - 2015
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
12
Goals
1
Team
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion
Season 2014 - 2015
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
10
Goals
-
Team
Barnsley
Barnsley
Season 2013 - 2014
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
23
Goals
2
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2012 - 2013
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
15
Goals
-
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2011 - 2012
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
13
Goals
-
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2010 - 2011
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
24
Goals
7
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2009 - 2010
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
9
Goals
2
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2008 - 2009
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
4
Goals
-
Team
Derry City
Derry City
Season 2008
Country
Rep. Ireland 🇮🇪
Games
7
Goals
-
Team
Rochdale
Rochdale
Season 2004 - 2005
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
6
Goals
-
Team
Rochdale
Rochdale
Season 2003 - 2004
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
24
Goals
2
Team
Rochdale
Rochdale
Season 2002 - 2003
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
26
Goals
3
Team
Rochdale
Rochdale
Season 2001 - 2002
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
23
Goals
4

Transfers

Team
Out of contract
31 December 2018
From
Finn Harps
Finn Harps
Type
Retired
Team
Finn Harps
Finn Harps
21 February 2017
From
Glenavon
Glenavon
Type
Free Transfer
Team
Glenavon
Glenavon
19 July 2016
From
Luton Town
Luton Town
Type
Free Transfer
Team
Luton Town
Luton Town
1 July 2015
From
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion
Type
Free Transfer
Team
Notts County
Notts County
20 February 2015
From
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion
Type
Loan
Team
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion
19 August 2014
From
Barnsley
Barnsley
Type
Free Transfer
Team
Barnsley
Barnsley
22 August 2013
From
Celtic
Celtic
Type
Free Transfer
Team
Celtic
Celtic
19 June 2008
From
Derry City
Derry City
Type
Fee (£250k)
Team
Derry City
Derry City
1 August 2005
From
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers
Type
Signed
Team
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers
1 March 2005
From
Rochdale
Rochdale
Type
Signed
Team
Rochdale
Rochdale
1 August 2001
Type
Trainee

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