Scott Laird
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Scott Benjamin Laird[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 May 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Taunton, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Stevenage | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2006 | Plymouth Argyle | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Tiverton Town (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| 2007 | → Torquay United (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Stevenage (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2008– | Stevenage | 177 | (19) |
| National team | |||
| 2003 | Scotland U16 | 3 | (2) |
| 2009 | England C | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:44, 11 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Scott Benjamin Laird (born in 15 May 1988) is a defender who plays for League One side Stevenage.
Laird began his football career as a trainee at Plymouth Argyle, progressing through the club's centre of excellence. He spent a total of eight years on the club's books, but only managed to make one first–team appearance for the club. In 2006, he was loaned out to Tiverton Town, playing a total of 20 games for the club, scoring four times. He was later loaned to Torquay United in September 2007, making two appearances for the side. Another loan spell followed, this time to Stevenage in late 2007. Laird impressed under manager Peter Taylor and signed on a permanent basis at the start of February 2008 for an undisclosed fee.
He has been a first–team regular since his move, and was the club's Player of the Year for the 2009–10 season, a season in which the Hertfordshire side won promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history. His success as a Stevenage player continued the following season, as he played an integral role in the club's 2010–11 campaign, helping Stevenage earn promotion to League One. Laird has also represented Scotland at youth level, captaining the Scotland U16 team. However, Laird was called up for the England C side in April 2009, starting in a game against the Belgium U21 team.
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[edit] Club career
[edit] Early career
Laird began his football career as a trainee at Plymouth Argyle's centre of excellence.[3] He made the hour journey to Plymouth from his Bridgwater home in order to train with the club every Tuesday and Thursday.[4] Laird attracted interest from Scottish side Rangers in 2003, with the SPL club enquiring about the player after his performances for Scotland in the Victory Shield.[5] No move materialised, and he continued to progress through the youth system at Home Park, and was offered a professional contract at the age of 17 by manager Tony Pulis in February 2006.[6] During his time as an apprentice, Laird lived in a hotel "just for apprentices" with Luke Summerfield, Reuben Reid, and Chris Zebroski, and described the experience as a "great way to grow into football".[4]
The following season, Laird joined Tiverton Town of the Southern Football League on an initial one month loan in September 2006.[7] He made his debut for the club in Tiverton's 2–1 victory against Wealdstone,[8] and played in the following game against Cheshunt.[9] The loan was extended for a further five months, and Laird scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 defeat at Hemel Hempstead Town on 5 April 2007.[10] Two days later, he scored twice in Tiverton's 3–1 home win against Cirencester Town, netting both of his goals in the space of four minutes to give Tiverton a two goal lead.[11] A week later, he scored again, netting the opening goal of the game as Tiverton lost 4–1 to King's Lynn.[12] Laird played a total of 18 games for the club, scoring four times from a