Ryan McGowan

Ryan McGowan
McGowan with Australia at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
Personal information
Full name Ryan James McGowan[1]
Date of birth (1989-08-15) 15 August 1989 (age 35)[1]
Place of birth Adelaide, Australia
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Livingston
Number 5
Youth career
2001–2004 Para Hills Knights
2004–2006 SASI
2006–2008 Heart of Midlothian
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 Para Hills Knights 10 (1)
2008–2013 Heart of Midlothian 57 (2)
2009–2010 → Ayr United (loan) 28 (1)
2011 → Partick Thistle (loan) 8 (0)
2013–2014 Shandong Luneng Taishan 46 (2)
2015–2016 Dundee United 34 (1)
2016 Henan Jianye 28 (2)
2017 Guizhou Zhicheng 12 (0)
2017–2018 Al-Sharjah 10 (0)
2018–2019 Bradford City 26 (1)
2019 → Dundee (loan) 15 (0)
2019–2021 Sydney FC 50 (1)
2021–2022 Kuwait SC 15 (1)
2022–2024 St Johnstone 57 (2)
2024– Livingston 13 (0)
International career‡
2005–2006 Australia U17 3 (0)
2007–2009 Australia U20 21 (0)
2011–2012 Australia U23 3 (0)
2012– Australia 22 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 February 2022

Ryan James McGowan (born 15 August 1989) is an Australian footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish Championship club Livingston.

He has previously played for Para Hills Knights, Heart of Midlothian, Shandong Luneng Taishan, Dundee United, Henan Jianye, Guizhou Zhicheng, Al-Sharjah, Bradford City, Sydney FC, Kuwait SC and St Johnstone, with loan spells at Ayr United, Partick Thistle and Dundee.

McGowan has represented Australia at under-17, under-20, under-23 and at senior levels. McGowan has been officially designated as Socceroo #546 (2012).

Club career

[edit]

Heart of Midlothian

[edit]

McGowan began his career at Para Hills Knights[3] and was part of the South Australian Sports Institute,[4] before moving to Scottish Premier League club Hearts in 2006 and was promoted to the first-team in 2008.[3] He was the captain of Hearts' under 19 squad[3] before making his SPL debut as substitute on 13 May that year in the final league match of the 2007–08 season against Gretna.[5] Shortly after he signed a five-year contract with the club.[3]

After just the one first team appearance he was sent out on loan to Ayr United in October 2009.[6] His debut for Ayr came on 14 October, when he scored one of the goals in a 2–2 draw at home to Dundee.[7] In January 2010, the loan was extended until the end of the season.[8] In total, he made 30 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal for Ayr.[9]

On his return under new manager Jim Jefferies he played as a substitute against Hamilton on 21 August 2010,[10] and against Celtic in September.[11] On 15 February 2011, he joined First Division team Partick Thistle on a three-month loan deal[12] and made his debut the same night.[13] In all he made eight appearances before returning to Hearts at the start of April.[14] After returning from his loan at Partick, McGowan made six more appearances for Hearts that season,[15] with his first start for Hearts coming on 7 May 2011 against Rangers[16]

On 23 July 2011, he started the 2011–12 season with a Sky Sports 'Man of the Match' performance against Rangers at Ibrox.[17] He began to establish himself as a member of the first team and played in the Europa League qualifiers against Paks[18][19] and in the second leg against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, where Hearts drew 0–0 (losing 5–0 on aggregate).[20] McGowan scored his first goal for Hearts in an Edinburgh derby on 2 January.[21] Later in the same game he headbutted Ivan Sproule in the stomach, which the referee viewed and took no action, however the SFA compliance officer opened an investigation.[22] The compliance officer offered a two match ban.[23] Hearts denied it was violent conduct but accepted the ban offered.[24] The 2011–12 SPL season was a good one for McGowan, scoring 3 goals – including one in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final victory against Hibs – and winning the Hearts Young Player of the Year award.[25]

Ahead of the last day of summer transfer window, Rangers made a bid for Hearts duo McGowan and David Templeton worth combined £1.3m valuation for the duo but the move rejected.[26] Templeton went on to join Rangers but McGowan stayed, explaining that he needs to keep his international career status alive.[27] On 2 January 2013, it was announced that Hearts had accepted a bid of around £400,000 from Chinese side Shandong Luneng Taishan.[28] In all, McGowan made 73 appearances for the club.[29]

Shandong Luneng Taishan

[edit]

On 7 January 2013, McGowan signed a two-year contract with Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng Taishan.[30] He made his Chinese Super League debut for Shandong Luneng Taishan on 9 March 2013 against Dalian Aerbin.[31] In his last match for Shandong, he scored the winning goal in the injury time against Jiangsu Sainty in the second leg of 2014 Chinese FA Cup final.[32] However, Shandong Luneng decided not to extend his contract at the end of 2014 season.

Dundee United

[edit]

On 23 January 2015, McGowan moved back to Scotland, signing an 18-month contract with Dundee United.[33] He made his debut on 31 January 2015, as Dundee United beat Aberdeen 2–1 in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park.[34]

Henan Jianye

[edit]

McGowan returned to China on 21 January 2016 after he was transferred from Dundee United to Henan Jianye. The transfer fee was reported to be approximately £350,000.[35] He made his debut by scoring an own goal as Shanghai SIPG beat Henan Jianye 5–0. On 27 January 2017, McGowan was released by Henan Jianye.[36]

Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng

[edit]

One month after leaving Henan Jianye, McGowan joined newly promoted Chinese Super League club Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng.[37] On 3 March 2017, he made his debut for Guizhou in a 1–1 home draw against Liaoning FC.[38]

Al-Sharjah

[edit]

On 21 August 2017, McGowan joined UAE Arabian Gulf League side Al-Sharjah.[39]

Bradford City

[edit]

On 26 January 2018, Ryan joined EFL League One side Bradford City from Al-Sharjah for an undisclosed fee.[40]

In January 2019 he was linked with a departure from the club, and a return to Scottish football with Dundee.[41] Later that month he moved on loan to Dundee.[42]

In May 2019, following Bradford City's relegation to League Two, it was announced that he would leave the club upon the expiry of his contract on 30 June 2019, one of 11 players to be released.[43]

Sydney FC

[edit]

On 3 July 2019, McGowan signed a two-year contract with A-League club Sydney FC, while his brother Dylan earlier joining their derby rivals Western Sydney Wanderers.[44]

On 3 July 2021, Sydney FC announced that McGowan was leaving the club, having agreed to terms with an overseas club.[45]

Kuwait SC

[edit]

On 7 July 2021, McGowan signed with Kuwait Premier League club Kuwait SC.[46]

St Johnstone

[edit]

McGowan returned to Scottish football in July 2022, signing for St Johnstone.[47] He would score his first goal for the Saintees on 24 May 2023, a last-minute equaliser against Ross County.[48] After two seasons with the Saintees, the club confirmed on 3 July 2024 that McGowan had left the club after the expiry of his contract.[49]

Livingston

[edit]

In July 2024, McGowan signed for Scottish Championship club Livingston on a two-year deal.[50] McGowan made his competitive debut for the Lions on 13 July in a victory over Forfar Athletic in the Scottish League Cup group stage.[51]

International career

[edit]
McGowan with Olyroos in 2011

McGowan was part of the Australia team that qualified for the AFC Youth Championship 2008 in November 2007.[52] McGowan was selected for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt; his brother and teammate Dylan McGowan, was not selected.[53]

McGowan started in the first match for the Young Socceroos in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and received a yellow and a straight red against the Czech Republic for a studs up challenge which resulted in a penalty.[54] He received his first call-up to the Australia senior squad in August 2012, when he was selected for the friendly match against Scotland,[55] making his debut as a late substitute replacing Sasa Ognenovski.[56] McGowan was booed by some sections of the home support due to his Hearts connections,[57] with the game being played at Easter Road.[58]

He was named in Australia's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad and provided the assist to Tim Cahill's goal in Australia 3–2 loss to the Netherlands.

Family and personal life

[edit]

His parents emigrated to Australia in 1980, and McGowan was born in Adelaide[59] into a Scottish family from Glasgow.[3] His brother Dylan[60] currently plays for Hamilton Academical.[44]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of 12 November 2024[61]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[62]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Para Hills Knights 2006 South Australia Super League 10 1 2 0 — — — 12 1
Hearts 2007–08 Scottish Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — 1 0
2008–09 Scottish Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2010–11 Scottish Premier League 8 0 0 0 0 0 — — 8 0
2011–12 Scottish Premier League 28 2 6 1 1 0 3 0 — 38 3
2012–13 Scottish Premier League 20 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 — 25 0
Hearts total 57 2 7 1 3 0 5 0 0 0 72 3
Ayr United (loan) 2009–10 Scottish First Division 28 1 2 0 2 0 — 1[a] 0 33 1
Partick Thistle (loan) 2010–11 Scottish First Division 8 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 8 0
Shandong Luneng Taishan 2013 Chinese Super League 29 1 1 0 — — — 30 1
2014 Chinese Super League 17 1 5 1 — 3 0 — 25 2
Shandong total 46 2 6 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 55 3
Dundee United 2014–15 Scottish Premiership 12 1 3 0 2 0 — — 17 1
2015–16 Scottish Premiership 22 0 0 0 2 0 — — 24 0
Dundee United total 34 1 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 41 1
Henan Jianye 2016 Chinese Super League 28 2 2 0 — — — 30 2
Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng 2017 Chinese Super League 12 0 0 0 — — — 12 0
Al-Sharjah 2017–18 UAE Pro League 10 0 0 0 2 0 — — 12 0
Bradford City 2017–18 League One 3 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 3 0
2018–19 League One 23 1 2 0 1 0 — 0 0 26 1
Bradford City total 26 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 29 1
Dundee 2018–19 Scottish Premiership 15 0 0 0 0 0 — — 15 0
Sydney FC 2019–20 A-League 28 1 1 0 — 2 0 — 31 1
2020–21 A-League 22 0 — — — — 22 0
Sydney total 50 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 53 1
Kuwait SC 2021–22 Kuwait Premier League 15 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 16 1
St Johnstone 2022–23 Scottish Premiership 28 1 0 0 1 0 — 0 0 29 1
2023–24 Scottish Premiership 29 1 1 0 4 1 — 0 0 34 2
St Johnstone total 57 2 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 63 3
Livingston 2024–25 Scottish Championship 13 0 0 0 4 0 — 3[a] 0 20 0
Career total 399 14 12 2 21 1 11 0 4 0 447 17

International

[edit]
As of match played 3 June 2021
Australia
Year Apps Goals
2012 2 0
2013 6 0
2014 4 0
2015 2 0
2016 4 0
2017 2 0
2021 1 0
Total 21 0

Honours

[edit]

Hearts

Shandong Luneng Taishan

Sydney

Australia U-20

Individual

  • Chinese FA Cup Most Valuable Player: 2014[65]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Scottish Challenge Cup

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of Players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 2 July 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Ryan McGowan". Socceroos.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Hearts Profile". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  4. ^ "McGowan makes debut as Hearts romp to victory". tribalfootball.com. Tribal Football. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Gretna vs Hearts". Heart of Midlothian F.C. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  6. ^ "Hearts youngster McGowan joins Ayr United on loan". tribalfootball.com. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  7. ^ "Ayr recovered from two goals down to snatch a point against title favourites Dundee". BBC Sport. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Loan deals extended". Heart of Midlothian F.C. 1 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Ayr United Profile". Ayr United. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Hamilton 0 – 4 Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  11. ^ "Celtic 3 – 0 Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 September 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Hearts youngster Ryan moves to Firhill". Scottish television. 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Cowdenbeath 1–1 Partick Thistle". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  14. ^ "Ryan McGowan returns to Hearts from Partick". The Scotsman. Scotsman Publication. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  15. ^ "Games played by Ryan McGowan in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Rangers 4 – 0 Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  17. ^ "Rangers 1 – 1 Hearts". BSkyB. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Paksi 1 - 1 Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Hearts 4 – 1 Paks (agg 5 – 2)". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  20. ^ "Tottenham 0 – 0 Hearts (agg 5 – 0)". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  21. ^ "Hibernian 1 – 3 Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  22. ^ "Scottish FA to look at incident involving Ryan McGowan of Hearts". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Ryan McGowan faces two-match suspension". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Ryan receives two match ban". Heart of Midlothian F.C. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Young Player of the Year votes are in". Hearts FC. 7 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  26. ^ "Rangers fail in bid for Hearts pair Ryan McGowan and David Templeton". Sports STV. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  27. ^ "Hearts star Ryan McGowan reveals why he snubbed move to Rangers". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  28. ^ "Hearts' Ryan McGowan to discuss Shandong Luneng Taisha move". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  29. ^ "Soccerway Stats". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  30. ^ "Two-year Chinese contract for Hearts hero Ryan McGowan". The Scotsman. Edinburgh Evening News. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  31. ^ "Shandong Luneng Vs. Dalian Aerbin 1 – 0". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  32. ^ "Ryan McGowan scores 95th minute goal to win the Chinese FA Cup for Shandong Luneng". Fox Sports. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  33. ^ "AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONALIST SIGNS ON". dufc.co. Dundee United F.C. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  34. ^ Wilson, Richard (31 January 2015). "Dundee United 2-1 Aberdeen". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  35. ^ Fowler, Craig (21 January 2016). "Ryan McGowan leaves Dundee United for China return". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  36. ^ 麦克格文宣布离开建业：难忘梦幻一年 想念你们. sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 27 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  37. ^ Somerford, Ben (24 February 2017). "McGowan finds new home". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  38. ^ 中超-石笑天染红耶拉维奇点杀 贵州主场1-1辽足 (in Chinese). sports.sina.com. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  39. ^ "UAE club sign the wrong McGowan brother". Fourfourtwo. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  40. ^ "Bradford City set to sign Ryan McGowan from Al-Sharjah". Sky Sports.
  41. ^ "Dundee eye Bantams defender McGowan". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 30 January 2019.
  42. ^ "McGOWAN IN DUNDEE LOAN SWITCH". bradfordcityfc.co.uk. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  43. ^ Simon Parker (7 May 2019). "Bradford City announce retained list". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  44. ^ a b McPartlin, Patrick (3 July 2019). "Ryan McGowan joins Sydney, will face brother and fellow ex-Hearts player Dylan McGowan in city derby". Edinburgh Evening News.
  45. ^ "Ryan McGowan departs for overseas contract". Sydney FC. 4 July 2021.
  46. ^ "Aussies Abroad: Ryan McGowan seals move to Kuwait SC". socceroos.com. 7 July 2021.
  47. ^ "Ryan McGowan: St Johnstone sign former Australia and former Hearts defender". BBC Sport. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  48. ^ "County need final-day win after 95th-minute goal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  49. ^ "Our thanks to Ryan McGowan and Daniel Phillips". St Johnstone Football Club. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  50. ^ "Welcome to Livingston, Ryan McGowan!". Livingston Football Club. 5 July 2024.
  51. ^ "Forfar Athletic vs Livingston: League Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  52. ^ "Qantas Young Socceroos downed by Korea Republic". Footballaustralia.com.au. 15 November 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  53. ^ "Young Socceroos U20 World Cup Squad Revealed". Au.fourfourtwo.com. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  54. ^ "CZECH REPUBLIC U20 VS. AUSTRALIA U20 2 – 1". Soccerway. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  55. ^ "Socceroos call-up Jambos ace McGowan for Scotland clash". Daily Record. Glasgow. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  56. ^ "Scotland 3–1". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  57. ^ "McGowan and Black refuse to let boo boys spoil debuts". The Scotsman. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  58. ^ "McGowan inches closer to Socceroo debut". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  59. ^ "OzFootball profile". Australian Player Database. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  60. ^ "Ryan and Dylan McGowan on their heartfelt brotherly love". The Scotsman. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  61. ^ Ryan McGowan at Soccerbase
  62. ^ Single source here, if player is inactive. If player has not retired, move source next to "Updated" template.
  63. ^ "足协杯-麦克格文压哨绝杀 鲁能5-4舜天夺冠". Sports.sina.com.cn. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  64. ^ "Sydney FC set new Australian record with Grand Final success". Football Federation Australia. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  65. ^ "2014足协杯冠军含金量最足 青岛海牛成黑马代表". Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
[edit]
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