Barry Lavety
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Barry Lavety (born 21 August 1974 in Paisley) is a former Scottish proferssional footballer.
Lavety started his career with boyhood heroes St Mirren in season 1991-92 but it was the following season that he really began to catch the eye. In that 1992-1993 season he scored 20 goals as St Mirren narrowly missed out on a return to the Scottish Premier Division.
Looking back, his career never again hit the heights it did in its teens. Failing a drugs test did not improve his stock either. Following a random drugs test at Love Street, he was found to have been popping ecstasy and spent six weeks in rehab, quite a comedown after early career highs - 21 goals in his first season as a 17-year-old and 11 caps as an under-21 international.
In 1996 and aged 21 he moved to Hibernian. Initial signs were good, he scored on his debut in a 2-0 win against Brechin City in August, but injury problems dogged him and he only managed eight games in his first season at Hibs. His absence did not help a team who narrowly avoided relegation thanks to a play off victory against Airdrieonians.
It was about this time that rumours started to surface that the player had serious injury problems, with either his joints or his metabolism. It was even suggested that the player would never regain full fitness. Despite a couple of semi successful seasons, that diagnosis would prove scarily accurate.
Altogether he made 43 starts for Hibernian, with a further 23 sub appearances. He scored 12 goals and was top scorer with 9 goals the year Hibs were relegated to the First Division. He made his final appearance as a substitute against Falkirk on the day Hibs were presented with the first division title, in May 1999.
Eventually, Lavety moved back to St Mirren, scoring 15 goals in their 1999-00 title-winning season before he was bedeviled by injury problems. His career has meandered along at the lower levels ever since, being part of Team Bath, the team who became the first university side to make the FA Cup for over 100 years.
In October 2002 Lavety admitted wilful and reckless damage at Paisley Sheriff Court after smashing the windscreen of a moving car with his belt buckle, as he stood stripped to the waist at a roundabout in Crosslee, Renfrewshire. He had already booted a taxi, denting its bodywork, as it drove through the village. As they approached, police saw the accused standing in the middle of a roundabout with his belt in his hand. It smashed against the rear windscreen of a passing car and Lavety was apprehended.
He also had spells with Clydebank, Pollok, KR Reykjavik of Iceland and with Des Moines Menace in America before his return to St Mirren. He had been on trial at Love Street in the summer of 2003, and scored against Gretna before signing for two years on a part time deal. When Gus MacPherson took over the managers job he appeared looking fitter and the magic moment finally came against Airdrie United in the Scottish Cup, when he hit a low 25 yard shot past the Airdrie goalkeeper for his only goal of the season so far. That goal took him past former Saint Mark Yardley in the post-war scorer's chart, but it was his last in Saints colours. His final game came against Ayr United towards the end of the season, and helped turned a 0-1 deficit into a 4-1 lead.
Lavety left in the summer of 2004, feeling that he couldn't combine football with his new part time job. He ended up signing for junior side Neilston, playing alongside fellow ex-Saints James McGuire and Chris Kerr, but left them the following summer and it now looks as if his career is over. Had he kept himself on the right track, away from the drugs and vandalism, many argue that he would have undoubtedly played for Scotland.
