Kieran McAnespie

Kieran McAnespie
Personal information
Full nameKieran Liam McAnespie
Date of birth11 September 1979
Place of birthGosport, England
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Playing positionFull back / Winger
Club information
Current team
Kilbirnie Ladeside
Youth career
 –Milngavie Boys Club
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1995–2000St. Johnstone50(5)
2000–2003Fulham0(0)
2001→ Heart of Midlothian (loan)5(0)
2002→ Bournemouth (loan)7(1)
2003Plymouth Argyle4(0)
2003–2004Falkirk31(3)
2004–2006St. Johnstone16(0)
2006Ayr United15(2)
2006–2007Alloa Athletic26(3)
2007–2009Greenock Morton14(1)
2009→ Dumbarton (loan)4(0)
2009Milngavie Wanderers?(?)
2010Bellshill Athletic?(?)
2010–2012Arbroath52(6)
2012–2014Stirling Albion45(5)
2014–Kilbirnie Ladeside
National team
1998–2000Scotland U21[2]6(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:40, 22 July 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Kieran Liam McAnespie (born 11 September 1979) is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region side Kilbirnie Ladeside. Capable of playing in defence and midfield, McAnespie represented Scotland at under-21 level and has played in the Scottish Premier League for St Johnstone and Hearts.

Club career

St. Johnstone

McAnespie graduated from the youth ranks at St Johnstone, making his first team début against Clydebank on 4 February 1997. He made one further appearance that season as Saints won promotion to the Premier Division. He scored on both occasions. He went on to make 50 league appearances for the Saints, notably scoring in wins against both Celtic[3] and Rangers[4] in the 1998–99 season.

In 1998, McAnespie was one of four younger players asked to accompany the Scottish national side to the 1998 FIFA World Cup to gain experience. He was already a member of the Scotland U21 side[5] and Craig Brown's idea was designed to ease the transition of younger players into the full national side. McAnespie, however, would never gain a full international call-up.

Fulham

McAnespie joined Fulham in 2000, for a reported fee of £80,000. Considered an investment for the future, he managed only two League Cup appearances during his three years with the London side. This period was punctuated by brief loan spells with Hearts and Bournemouth.[5][6] At Bournemouth he scored once against Bristol City.[7] Upon returning to Fulham, he spent the rest of the season playing in the reserve team. McAnespie would recall his disappointment at his loan spell at Bournemouth.[8]

He was released in early 2003 and turned out four times for Paul Sturrock's Plymouth Argyle at the end of the 2002–03 season before returning to Scotland with Falkirk.[9]

Return to St. Johnstone and lower leagues

Having returned to Scottish football, McAnespie spent several short, injury-disrupted spells with lower division clubs. He left Falkirk in October 2004 to return to St. Johnstone, before joining Ayr United in January 2006. He rejected Ayr's offer to re-sign in the summer and instead joined Alloa Athletic.

On 21 June 2007, McAnespie was sold by Alloa to Greenock Morton for a five figure fee (rumoured to be £11,750).[10] At Morton he scored his first and only goal for the club against Partick Thistle.[11]

In the summer of 2008, McAnespie went on trial with Wycombe Wanderers, where he scored against Flackwell Heath, but was unsuccessful in getting a move to the Chairboys,[12] and remained with Morton for a further season. This included a loan spell at near neighbours Third Division side Dumbarton, until the end of the season.[13][14] Sadly for McAnespie, he injured himself again after only one game for Dumbarton so spent most of his time at the Rock on the sidelines.

McAnespie was released after the end of the 2008–2009 season, as confirmed by Davie Irons on 8 May in the Greenock Telegraph.[15]

Return to senior football

McAnespie's time in retirement was short, with Arbroath picking him up on a one-year contract for the 2010–11 season.[16]

In June 2012, he joined Stirling Albion, having been released by Arbroath at the end of the 2011–12 season.[17] On 4 April 2014, McAnespie left Stirling Albion due to work commitments.[18]

McAnespie signed for Junior side Kilbirnie Ladeside in July 2014.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Kieran McAnespie". Plymouth Argyle F.C. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.fitbastats.com/scotlandu21/player.php?playerid=325
  3. ↑ "St Johnstone 2–1 Celtic". Soccerbase.
  4. ↑ "St Johnstone 3–1 Rangers". Soccerbase.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "McAnespie joins up at Hearts". BBC Sport. 22 January 2001.
  6. ↑ "Cherries for Macca". Fulham Official Website. 15 February 2001. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bournemouth 1-3 Bristol C". BBC. 23 March 2002. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "No regrets". Fulham Official Website. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "McAnespie released". Fulham Official Website. 6 March 2003. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Alloa sell McAnespie to Morton". BBC Sport. 21 June 2007.
  11. ↑ "Morton 4-2 Partick Thistle". BBC. 6 October 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Triallist News". chairboys.ndirect.co.uk. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  13. ↑ "McAnespie on way out". Greenock Telegraph. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "SONS SIGN MCANESPIE". dumbartonfootballclub.com. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  15. ↑ "Irons: We don't want to finish with a whimper". Greenock Telegraph. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
  16. ↑ "Arbroath net Petrie, McAnespie, Falkingham and Shields". BBC Sport. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  17. ↑ "Stirling land McAnespie". ClubCall. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  18. ↑ "McAnespie moves on". stirlingalbionfc.co.uk. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Jeffrey, John. "Double Signing News". Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C. Retrieved 22 July 2014.

External links