Ryan Stevenson
Ryan Stevenson
Ryan Stevenson
● Ryan Stevenson, 2015 (SC)

born in Scotland

Ryan Stevenson was born on Friday, 24th August, 1984, in Irvine, North Ayrshire.

The 5' 11 (13st 8lbs) midfielder signed for Alan Archibald's Thistle on Wednesday, 11th June, 2014, having most recently been with Heart of Midlothian.

Aged 29, he made his debut appearance on Wednesday, 9th July, 2014, in a 3-1 friendly win away to F.C. Pinatar.

Ryan scored his first goal for Thistle on Saturday, 19th July, 2014, in a 1-1 friendly draw away to Dumbarton.

He scored the last of his 9 goals on Saturday, 21st November, 2015, in a 2-1 win at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the SPFL Premiership.

That turned out to be his last game for the club, having appeared as a Jag on 57 occasions.

Ryan's club-list included St Johnstone, Ayr United, Heart of Midlothian, Ipswich Town, Partick Thistle, Dumbarton, Raith Rovers, Troon, Annan Athletic, Stranraer and Albion Rovers.

Bio Extra

Stevenson began his career as a youth player with Chelsea but after failing to make the breakthrough at Stamford Bridge he joined St Johnstone in 2002. After five years in Perth with St Johnstone, Stevenson moved to Ayr United in time for the start of the 2007-2008 season and was a big hit during his time at Somerset Park, he scored 17 times in his first season with the club, and began the first of two spells as a Hearts player in February 2010 after attracting plenty of attention during his time as an Ayr United player.

On 6 November 2011, Stevenson was called up to the Scotland squad for the first time as a late inclusion for a friendly match against Cyprus. In January 2012 Ryan joined Ipswich Town but returned to Scotland and Hearts in August of the same year. In 2013-14, Stevenson was a mainstay in a very young and inexperienced Hearts side that were, of course, hampered by a 15 point deduction prior to the start of the season. From his 29 league and cup appearances he scored 8 goals including two in Hearts’ 4-2 victory here at Firhill in April, when ironically Hearts had their relegation confirmed despite the win, and a hat-trick against Kilmarnock in what proved to be his final game as a Hearts player.

Stevenson signed for Partick Thistle in June 2014 on a two-year contract, with an option for a third year. He scored his first two goals for Thistle in a 2–0 Scottish Cup win over Hamilton Academical on 29 November 2014. He scored his first and second league goals in a Scottish Premiership 4–0 away win against Inverness On 31 October 2015, Stevenson had to play as goalkeeper for the last five minutes of a 4–0 defeat to Hearts because Thistle 'keeper Ryan Scully had been sent off and Thistle had already used all of their substitutions. Stevenson's first goal of the 2015–16 season was a 90th-minute winner in a 2–1 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. In December 2015, Stevenson signed a short-term loan deal with his former club Ayr United. He made three appearances for Ayr before returning to Partick Thistle. However, in January 2016, his contract at Thistle was cancelled by mutual consent.

Subsequent to his release by the Firhill side, Stevenson signed again with Ayr in January 2016, his fourth separate spell with the side. After achieving promotion to the Scottish Championship via the play-offs, Stevenson chose not to renew his contact at Somerset Park. Shortly after leaving Ayr United, Stevenson signed for Scottish Championship side Dumbarton. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 draw with Peterhead in July 2016. He left the club in December 2016. He joined Raith Rovers in January 2017 and hit the headlines after being forced to play a full 90 minutes in goal, after injuries to Raith's three first team goalkeepers. Rovers lost the match 1–0 to Ayr United. In March 2017, just over a week after playing in goals, Stevenson announced his shock retirement from professional football at the age of 32 as he sought a long-term career outside of football.

After leaving Raith Rovers in March 2017 to start a long-term career outside of football, Stevenson signed for Troon. With his personal life in turmoil, and after just one appearance and two weeks with the club, Stevenson announced he was to emigrate and he signed for Australian State League Division 2 South-East side Peninsula Strikers. However, the day he was due to leave for Australia he announced he had cancelled the agreement for family reasons.

Stevenson joined Scottish League Two side Annan Athletic in June 2017, managed by his former Ayr United teammate Peter Murphy. Stevenson managed only 8 matches before an old injury flared up & he decided to take a step back from the game to concentrate on family & work commitments. Stevenson rejoined Troon in November 2018 after more than a year out of the game, and he said the move gave him "his love of football back" thanks to the club's Manager Jimmy Kirkwood. The move to Portland Park proved a fruitful one for Stevenson, playing alongside former team-mates Christian Nade and Dean Keenan, and he netted 26 times in 50 appearances playing in an attacking midfield or forward role which he thrived on.

With a new-found hunger for football again, Stevenson got the opportunity to return to senior football and he joined Stranraer in January 2020. A part of the lure to Stranraer was their upcoming match against Rangers at Ibrox Park in the Scottish Cup, a possible final chance to play in front of 38,000 supporters and his family. Stevenson returned to Troon for a third time in May 2020. In March 2021, Stevenson signed for Scottish League Two side Albion Rovers.

Stevenson tok over as manager of Glenafton Athletic in March, 2022.

(PTFC/WIK)



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