Scott Vernon

Scott Vernon
Personal information
Full nameScott Malcolm Vernon[1]
Date of birth13 December 1983[1]
Place of birthStockport, England
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current team
Shrewsbury Town
Number10
Youth career
1999–2002Oldham Athletic
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2002–2005Oldham Athletic74(20)
2004Blackpool (loan)4(3)
2005–2008Blackpool70(16)
2006Colchester United (loan)7(1)
2008–2010Colchester United57(12)
2009Northampton Town(loan)6(1)
2009Gillingham (loan)1(0)
2010Southend United (loan)17(4)
2010–2014Aberdeen128(29)
2014–Shrewsbury Town21(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:41, 11 April 2015 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Scott Malcolm Vernon (born 13 December 1983) is an English professional footballer who plays for Shrewsbury Town as a striker.

Club career

Early career

Born in Manchester, Greater Manchester, Vernon began his career at Oldham Athletic[1] where he was most notable for a goal he scored in the FA Cup that knocked Premier League team Manchester City out in the third round. He was a popular player under Iain Dowie but struggled to find a game with both Brian Talbot, who loaned him to Blackpool, and then Ronnie Moore, who swapped him for Blackpool midfielder Richie Wellens in 2005.

Blackpool

During his first season at Blackpool, Vernon went on loan to Colchester United as he struggled to establish himself. During Blackpool's promotion season in 2006–07, he struggled to nail down a starting place and was third-choice striker behind the prolific Andy Morrell and Keigan Parker. In the championship, he managed to score 4 goals, two of which came against Colchester United. Due to the signings of Alan Gow and Steve Kabba, he found himself pushed out of the team, rejoining Colchester United, this time on a permanent deal.

Colchester United

On 31 January 2008, Vernon signed for Colchester on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee.[2] He joined Northampton Town on a month's loan in March 2009.[3] In October of the same year he went out on loan once again, this time to Gillingham,[4] before returning after one match after suffering an ankle injury.[5]

Vernon was loaned to Southend United on 29 January 2010 for the rest of the season, along with Colchester team mate Pat Baldwin. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Vernon was released by Colchester.

Aberdeen

On 26 July 2010, Vernon signed for Aberdeen on a free transfer.[6] Vernon made his first start and scored his first goal against Dundee United on 11 September 2010 with a hooked goal from the middle of the box into the top left hand corner. He then went on to score four goals in his next three appearances for the Dons, with goals against Motherwell and Rangers in the league and a double against Raith Rovers in the League Cup. Vernon scored another double against Hibernian in a 4–2 victory.

Following the victory against Hibernian, the Dons' hit a poor run of form losing all of their next nine games, which resulted in the sacking of manager Mark McGhee. Former Scotland manager Craig Brown was brought in as McGhee's successor. Despite the change in managers, Vernon's fine scoring form continued. Over the Christmas period Vernon scored the winning goal in Craig Brown's first two games as the Dons' new boss. On Boxing Day, in a 2–1 win over Hibernian at Easter Road and then three days later went on to score a 90th minute winner against Hamilton.

Vernon continued his scoring form into 2011, scoring braces against East Fife in the Scottish Cup and against St. Mirren in the league. He also scored the winning goal against the Paisley outfit when the two clubs met in the Quarter-Final of the Scottish Cup. Vernon played twice at Hampden both in the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup semi-finals. The League Cup semi-final saw Vernon score his fourteenth goal of the season in a 4–1 defeat to Celtic.

Celtic again provided the opposition in the Scottish Cup semi-final, however the Dons' failed to score in a 4–0 defeat to the eventual cup winners. Vernon revealed that he had been playing the season despite having a recurring hernia injury. After seeing Aberdeen move clear of relegation, Vernon announced that he was to have surgery on his injury and would play no further part in Aberdeen's final fixtures. As a result, the Englishman finished his debut season as Aberdeen's top scorer, scoring 15 goals in 42 appearances.

Vernon started the 2011–12 season as the first choice striker, playing initially alongside Darren Mackie, but forming a better partnership with Northern Ireland international Josh Magennis. Amid high pre-season expectations the Dons' failed to record a goals until their fifth game of the campaign. Vernon added to Robert Milsom's opener, to give Aberdeen their first victory of the season against Inverness. Vernon then went on to score a hat-trick later in the season against Dunfermline Athletic in a 4–0 win on 30 September.[7] Vernon's goals became crucial, as Aberdeen tried to get away from the bottom of the table. In December 2011 he scored vital goals against St. Mirren, St. Johnstone and the winner against Hibernian. On 11 January 2012, Vernon sat next to team mate Andrew Considine as the pair signed extensions to their current contracts. Vernon's deal would see him stay at the club until the summer of 2014.[8]

During the 2013–14 season Vernon scored a hat-trick against Falkirk, on 25 September 2013, as Aberdeen won 5–0 in a League Cup tie.[9] In the 2014 Scottish League Cup Final, Vernon came on as an extra-time substitute and scored in the penalty shoot-out to help Aberdeen win their first trophy for 19 years. He then scored his second hat-trick of the season on 6 May 2014, in a 3–1 win away to Dundee United.[10] Vernon left Aberdeen when his contract expired at the end of the season.[11]

Shrewsbury Town

On 18 June 2014, Vernon returned to English football, joining Shrewsbury Town in League Two on a two-year contract.[12][13] Vernon was previously linked a move to Dundee, but he rejected the move after both parties talks.[14]

He made his Shrewsbury debut against A.F.C. Wimbledon on 9 August 2014 at Kingsmeadow,[15] and scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 League Cup victory over his former club Blackpool on his home debut at New Meadow three days later.[16] Vernon struggled to stay in the side, featuring sporadically in the first half of the season,[17] however a half-time formation change in an away match at Carlisle United in February 2015 saw him recalled in an advanced midfield role. He kept his place for the next game where he also scored his first league goal for Shrewsbury, in the return fixture against A.F.C. Wimbledon.[18]

Honours

Colchester United[19]

Blackpool[20]

Aberdeen

Career Statistics

As of 12 April 2015.
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Oldham Athletic 2002–03 7110001293
2003–04 45121010224914
2004–05 2273100422910
Total 74205110768727
Blackpool (loan) 2004–05 4300000043
Blackpool 2005–06 171101011202
2006–07 38114112104414
2007–08 154103000194
Total 74196152218723
Colchester United (loan) 2005–06 7100000071
Colchester United 2007–08 175000000175
2008–09 334102040404
2009–10 7300101093
Total 64131030507313
Northampton Town (loan) 2008–09 6100000061
Gillingham (loan) 2009–10 1000000010
Southend United (loan) 2009–10 174000000174
Aberdeen 2010–11 3395343004215
2011–12 35115210004113
2012–13 353303300416
2013–14 256405300349
Total 128291751390015843
Shrewsbury Town 2014–15 211102110252
Career Total 388873072412157454113

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 422. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  2. "The latest from Bloomfield Road". Blackpool F.C. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  3. "Cobblers sign Colchester striker". BBC Sport. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. GILLS CLINCH DOUBLE SIGNING Gillingham F.C. 15 October 2009
  5. "Vernon heads back to Colchester". BBC Sport. 21 October 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  6. "Dons complete double capture". Aberdeen F.C. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  7. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/gamecast?id=332327&cc=5901
  8. http://www.afc.co.uk/articles/20120111/duo-extend-pittodrie-stay_2212158_2573227
  9. Crawford, Kenny (25 September 2013). "Falkirk 0–5 Aberdeen". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  10. Burns, Cheri (6 May 2014). "Dundee United 1–3 Aberdeen". Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  11. "Aberdeen trio sign new contracts while Magennis and Vernon depart". STV Sport. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  12. https://audioboo.fm/boos/2264303-micky-mellon-on-scott-vernon
  13. "Scott Vernon Joins Town". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 18 June 2014. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  14. "Departing Dons striker Scott Vernon rejects Dundee". Evening Express. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  15. "AFC Wimbledon 2–2 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  16. "Shrewsbury Town 1–0 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  17. "Door is open to Micky Mellon for Town squad". Shropshire Star. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  18. "Vernon a diamond for Shrewsbury Town". Shropshire Star. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  19. "Tier Three (League One) Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
  20. "Division Two (League One) Play-Off Finalists". Coludaybyday.co.uk.

External links