Steven Saunders
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Saunders | ||
| Date of birth | 30 March 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Rutherglen, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back / Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Ross County | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 200?–2008 | Queen's Park | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2013 | Motherwell | 56 | (2) |
| 2013– | Ross County | 19 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009–2010 | Scotland U19 | 3 | (0[1]) |
| 2010–2012 | Scotland U21 | 2 | (0[2]) |
| 2010– | Scotland | 1 | (0[2]) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:59, 7 February 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Steven Saunders (born 30 March 1991 in Rutherglen, Scotland) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership side Ross County. He plays as a centre back or right back.
Club career
Saunders started his career with Motherwell. He made his debut as a substitute in a Scottish Premier League match against Aberdeen on 29 November 2008.[3] After the match, manager Mark McGhee said that he was "delighted" with Saunders' performance.[3] Saunders then started the following two games against Kilmarnock and Hamilton Academical, playing at right back, and he was again praised by McGhee for his performance in the first of those games.[4]
In the 2009–10 season, under new manager Jim Gannon, Saunders has established himself as a regular starter in his preferred position of centre back. He scored his first goal for the club on Saturday 24 April 2010 against Hearts.[5] Under Gannon's successor, Craig Brown, Saunders became a regular starter at right back.
On 10 August 2011, whilst playing for the Scotland under-21s, Saunders suffered an achilles tendon injury that ruled him out for most of the 2011–12 season.[6] On 8 April 2012, Saunders made his first-team comeback as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw against Hibernian.[7] Saunders was released by Motherwell at the end of the 2012–13 season, after another lengthy injury lay-off restricted him to just one further appearance.[8]
On 8 July 2013, Saunders signed a 1-year deal with Ross County.[9] He made his debut for the club on 3 August 2013, in a 2–1 defeat against Celtic in the opening game of the 2013–14 season.[10] On 17 November 2013, he scored his first Ross County goal against St. Mirren, but he was then sent off later in the match.[11]
Saunders signed a new one-year contract with Ross County on 19 May 2014.[12]
International career
On 15 November 2010, Saunders was called up to the Scotland Squad for the first time, and made his debut the following evening in a 3–0 win over the Faroe Islands, replacing Phil Bardsley at right back in the 70th minute.[13]
Career statistics
- As of 7 February 2015
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Motherwell | 2008–09 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 56 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 74 | 2 | |
| Ross County | 2013–14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| 2014–15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| Career total | 75 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 94 | 3 | |
References
- ↑ Steven Saunders – A Squad, Scottish Football Association.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Steven Saunders – A Squad, Scottish Football Association.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 McGhee points to positives, www.eatsleepsport.com, 1 December 2008.
- ↑ Saunders’ debut is ray of light on dull night at Fir Park, Wishaw Press, 17 December 2008.
- ↑ "Hearts 0–2 Motherwell". BBC Sport (BBC). 24 April 2010.
- ↑ "Motherwell's Steven Saunders to miss rest of season". BBC Sport (BBC). 10 August 2011.
- ↑ "Hibernian 1 – 1 Motherwell". BBC Sport (BBC). 8 April 2012.
- ↑ "Forthcoming squad changes". Motherwell F.C. (BBC). 20 May 2013.
- ↑ "Ross County sign ex-Motherwell defender Steven Saunders". BBC Sport. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ Crawford, Kenny (3 August 2013). "Celtic 2-1 Ross County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ↑ "St Mirren 2-1 Ross County". BBC Sport. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ↑ "Ross County duo sign new deals while Evangelos Oikonomou departs". STV Sport. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ↑ Scotland 3–0 Faroe Islands, BBC Sport, 16 November 2010
External links
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