Stuart Malcolm

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Stuart Malcolm
Personal information
Full name	Stuart Malcolm
Date of birth	August 20, 1979 (1979-08-20) (age 28)
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Finn Harps
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998-2002 1998 2002-2003 2003-2005 2005 2006 2006-2007 2007 2007 2008-present	St. Johnstone → Cowdenbeath (loan) Plymouth Argyle Ross County Drogheda United Dublin City Alloa Athletic Montrose Shelbourne Finn Harps	1 (0) 4 (0) 3 (0) 38 (1) 25 (1) 14 (0) 23 (1) 6 (0) 17 (1) 0 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 2, 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Stuart Malcolm (born August 20, 1979 in Edinburgh, Scotland), is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Eircom League of Ireland Premier Division club Finn Harps. Malcolm plays as a central defender.

[edit] Career

Malcolm's career started in 1998, when, as an eighteen-year-old, he signed a professional contract with St. Johnstone, though the team finished only in mid-table come the end of the season, which meant that several less experienced players went out on loan to gain further experience, including Malcolm, Charlie King, and Stephen Robertson. While Robertson and King were headed to Hamilton and Livingston respectively, Malcolm went on loan to struggling Third Division side Cowdenbeath, where he managed to stave off the possibility of finishing bottom of the Scottish league thanks to a win in the final game of the season against fellow strugglers Montrose.

When Malcolm finished his spell at St. Johnstone, he moved south of the border to Plymouth Argyle, where he played extensively in the Second XI, though he was unable to make inroads in the first team.

At the beginning of the 2003/04 season, Malcolm signed for Ross County, and he played the first game of his season for the team in the Scottish League Challenge Cup quarterfinal defeat to Calie Thistle. Malcolm helped Ross County consolidate their position in the league during the 2003/04 season, though towards the end of the year he played much less frequently, stemming indirectly from a spate of yellow cards and, in the Christmas fixture against St. Mirren, a red card sustained for an injury to Laurie Ellis, followed by a second on Valentines' Day, threatening County's season hopes after a challenge on Clyde's Ian Harty.^[1] Between February and May, Malcolm played just five games for the side, and when, the following season, he found himself with only a semi-regular first team place, and thanks to County's bottom-half finish, he found himself out of the team after Christmas.

In February 2005, Stuart departed Ross County to join Irish Eircom League Premier Division side Drogheda United. Stuart became a regular in the team during the 2005 season and made an immediate impression for the County Louth side. Despite a strong first season at Drogheda United, Stuart's one year contract at the Drogs was not renewed and he became a free agent^[2]. It did not take Stuart long to find a new club as he signed for newly promoted Eircom League Premier Division outfit Dublin City in January 2006^[3]. At his new club, he again became regular in the side and became an integral part of City's push up the table. Stuart's career at Dublin City was cut short as the club went out of existence in July 2006 due to financial difficulties^[4].

Upon his return to Scottish football, he signed for Alloa Athletic, making his debut in a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Cowdenbeath. Later the same month, he picked up his first of three red cards so far this term, two of which came in successive appearances for the Wasps, the second in the first round FA Cup defeat to Stranraer.

During March 2007, Malcolm left Alloa, and signed for Montrose, with the view to staying in the squad until the end of the season, as manager Jim Weir faced shortages in defence. Malcolm was released by Montrose at the end of the season.

Immediately after his release from Montrose, Malcolm announced a return to Irish football by agreeing to sign for Eircom League First Division outfit Shelbourne on July 1^[5]. The deal was brokered by Malcolm's former manager at Dublin City, Dermot Keely, who was now manager of Shels. Keely brought Malcolm to Tolka Park in order to help add much needed experience and bite to the Shelbourne side who were struggling in their first season in the FAI First Division after the Tolka Park outfit's demotion to the second tier of Irish football. Stuart made his Shelbourne debut in a 1-0 victory against Wexford Youths at Tolka Park on July 6, 2007^[6] and soon after on July 31, 2007, he scored his first Shelbourne goal during a 5-2 victory over Kilkenny City at Buckley Park^[7]. After making 17 appearances for Shels, Malcolm departed Shelbourne in January 2008 to join Finn Harps^[8].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Stuart Malcolm's profile at www.shelbournefc.com
• Stuart Malcolm's profile at www.alloaathletic.co.uk