Paul McGowan (born 7 October 1987) is a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

, on loan from Dundee. McGowan started his career with Scottish Premier League club Celtic, but struggled to break into the first team and was sent out on loan several times. He spent the 2006–07 season with third-tier side

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

, where he won the

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title and received individual accolades. Having made only two appearances following his return to Celtic, he spent the second half of the 2008–09 season with

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the 2020–21 Scotti ...

in the SPL. He moved on loan to another SPL side, St Mirren, for the 2010–11 season, after which Celtic released him from his contract and he signed with St Mirren permanently. In December 2011 he won the SPL player of the month award, and won the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

with the club in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. He joined Dundee in June 2014 and would become a mainstay and a key player for the side throughout his 9-year tenure there, making over 300 appearances for the ''Dark Blues''.

Career

Celtic

McGowan came through the

youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

at Celtic, at which time he was considered primarily to be a striker.

Loan to Greenock Morton

McGowan was loaned out to

Greenock Morton Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Green ...

for the 2006–07 season. He played as a striker for Morton and scored a total of 16 goals in 44 competitive matches. During his spell at Cappielow, McGowan won the Scottish Football League's young player of the month award for January 2007. He was the club's top scorer and received a winner's medal as Morton won the

Scottish Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...

. He was chosen to the 'Team of the year' in the Second Division and 3rd place in the 'Player of the Year' award. Morton failed to land the player in the summer transfer window when their bid – approaching a six-figure sum – was rejected.

Return to Celtic

McGowan made his Celtic debut in a 5–0 win over

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

in September 2007, where he came on as a substitute. It was his only appearance of the season. He scored his first goal for Celtic on 7 August 2008 in a pre-season friendly against Manchester City at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...

. He had the chance to score another to win the match, but his shot hit the crossbar and the game ended 1–1. McGowan made his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

debut against

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on 10 December 2008, as a 75th-minute substitute for Aiden McGeady. Celtic won the match 2–0 but finished bottom of their group, and once again McGowan did not appear for the club again during that campaign.

Loan to Hamilton Academical

McGowan was loaned out to SPL side

at the beginning of the January 2009 transfer window, and started his first game with an assist for Chris Swailes in the 1–0 win over Ross County in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Falkirk, scoring from 10 yards out. At the end of the 2008–09 season, his loan spell came to an end.

Return to Celtic

In the 2009–10 season, McGowan became part of the Celtic first team squad under manager

Tony Mowbray Anthony Mark Mowbray (born 22 November 1963) is an English former professional footballer who is currently the manager of Sunderland. Mowbray played for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich Town as a defender. He began his coaching career with Ip ...

. On 17 December 2009, just over a year to the day of his European bow, McGowan made his

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

debut in a 3–3 draw away to

Rapid Vienna Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade'' ...

; he made an impact in the 91st minute by scoring his first competitive goal for the ''Hoops'' to complete a comeback from 3–0 down to draw 3–3. On 24 January 2010, McGowan made an impressive display when he provided assists for both Marc-Antoine Fortuné and Paddy McCourt, as Celtic made a comeback from 1–0 down to win 4–1 against St Johnstone. On 29 April 2010, he signed a two-year contract with Celtic. Having signed the new deal, McGowan stated in May 2010 that he expected to make more appearances in the first team in the near future, but in fact he had already made his final appearance for the club the previous week.

Loan to St Mirren

In July 2010, McGowan was again sent out on loan, this time to St Mirren. He made his league debut for the club in the opening game of the 2010–11 season, a 1–1 draw against

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

on 14 August 2010. He scored his first competitive goal for the ''Buddies'' in a

match against Ross County – St Mirren lost in the penalty-shootout when the tie ended 2–2 after normal time and 3–3 after extra-time. In September 2010, McGowan received a straight red card for an off-the-ball violent incident involving Manuel Pascali of Kilmarnock, which was spotted by the referee. He was then observed to make a rude hand gesture at opposing fans who had been taunting him. After the match, McGowan apologised for his actions, while his manager

Danny Lennon Danny Lennon (born 6 April 1969) is a Scottish football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Scottish League One club Clyde. In his playing career he is best known for his spells at Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle. ...

stated a fine would be considered once video evidence had been reviewed. After missing one game, he made his return from suspension on 25 September and scored his first goal, in a 2–1 loss against

. In January 2011, McGowan scored the first

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

of his career in a 6–1 win over

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

in a fourth round replay in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

. Throughout the season, he played a total of 39 matches and scored 6 goals in all competitions for St Mirren. Danny Lennon converted McGowan from a striker to a central attacking midfielder with the role of playmaker during this period.

Permanent move to St Mirren

On 6 June 2011, McGowan signed a two-year deal with St Mirren, having had a successful loan spell. McGowan's first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came on the opening game of the season, in a 0–0 draw against

. In a 2–0 loss against his former club, on 28 August 2011, McGowan made a mistake when he misplaced a pass, allowing

Gary Hooper Gary Hooper (born 26 January 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cypriot club Omonia. Hooper started his career at League Grays Athletic in 2003. While there he won the 2004–05 Conference South, as wel ...

to score, but Lennon praised him in spite of this, while McGowan himself stated he would take full responsibility for his performance. He scored a brace in a 3–0 victory against Kilmarnock in September 2011, and netted two more on 22 October 2011 in a 3–2 loss against Hibernian. In November 2011, McGowan attracted interest from English clubs, believed to be

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

and

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. He won the Scottish Premier League player of the month award for December 2011. McGowan revealed he was surprised to receive the award, and was the first ''Saints'' player to win it since

Andy Dorman Andrew Dorman (born 1 May 1982) is a former professional footballer. During his club career, he played for New England Revolution, Crystal Palace and St. Mirren. Born in England, represented the Wales national team. Born in England of Englis ...

in April 2009. McGowan gained plaudits for his ability to retain possession of the ball. Throughout the season, he played a total of 45 matches and scored 8 goals in all competitions for St Mirren. After scoring two goals at the outset of the 2012–13 season (in a 5–1 win over

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

in first round of the Scottish League Cup, and in a 3–1 loss against Kilmarnock on 22 September 2012), McGowan suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. While on the sideline, captain

Jim Goodwin James Michael Goodwin (born 20 November 1981) is an Irish Association football, football manager and former player who manages Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen F.C., Aberdeen. Goodwin had a playing career from 2000 to 2019 in Scotland and En ...

stated the club missed McGowan he was a major player. McGowan returned to the first team in mid-Decemberand went on to score a penalty against former employers Celtic in the

semi-final; St Mirren qualified for the final with an unexpected 3–2 win. Ahead of the 2013 Scottish League Cup Final, McGowan scored and provided an assist for Graham Carey in a 2–0 league win over Heart of Midlothian, and in the showpiece event itself at Hampden Park, he was named 'man of the match' in the ''Buddies'' 3–2 victory over the same opposition as the club ended its 26-year wait for silverware. After the match, McGowan told BBC Scotland that he felt "very proud". A few weeks after the final, McGowan scored a penalty in a 1–1 draw against Celtic. Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, McGowan admitted that his future was uncertain, having attracted interest from English clubs, with one believed to be

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

after manager Lennon revealed he had yet to sort out his future at the club by signing a new deal. Eventually, on 3 June 2013, it was announced that McGowan had re-signed for St Mirren on a free transfer, just two days after his previous contract had expired. After signing a new contract, he cited family reasons as his basis for staying in Paisley. In the 2013–14 season, McGowan started off his season by struggling to score for the eight games, netting his first of the season on 5 October 2013, in a 2–0 win over Hearts. He scored another, as well as two assists, in a 4–3 win over St Johnstone on 19 October. In the match against Inverness CT, McGowan limped off where he sustained a broken toe, and later had to wear a protective mask in the fourth round replay of the Scottish Cup against Queen of the South. Despite being disciplined by the club for an incident away from football, McGowan continued to play, adding two more goals to his tally; one was against Dundee United on 15 March 2014 and the other against Hibernian on 19 April 2014, to help the club secure their future in the Scottish Premiership. After the latter match, McGowan stated he was happy to put the disciplinary incident behind him by helping the club finish the season on a high. At the end of season 2013–14, St Mirren announced that McGowan would not be offered a new contract and he was released.

Dundee

McGowan signed a two-year contract with newly promoted side Dundee in June 2014. Upon joining Dundee, Manager

Paul Hartley Paul Hartley (born 19 October 1976) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the manager of Scottish Championship side Cove Rangers. As a player, Hartley won trophies with both Hearts and ...

stated he immediately sought to signed him once he learned he was released by St Mirren. McGowan made his Dundee debut, playing as a central midfielder, as Dundee won 4–0 against Peterhead on 2 August 2014 in the

, and then made his league debut as Dundee drew 1–1 with Kilmarnock on 9 August 2014. McGowan continued to be in the first team throughout the first half of the season until he suffered a knee injury that kept him sidelined for four weeks. He made his return to the first team in the

Dundee derby The Dundee derby is a football match between Dundee and Dundee United. The clubs are based yards apart in the city of Dundee, the fourth-largest city in Scotland. History Dundee is the older of the two, having been founded in 1893, compared ...

, which Dundee lost 6–2 to

. McGowan scored his first Dundee goal in the last minute in a 1–0 win over Partick Thistle on 14 February 2015. As a result of being placed on a court-imposed curfew for another incident outside football, McGowan could not be included in the matchday squad for evening kick-offs for the remainder of the season, though he was still available for afternoon games. During a League Cup group stage match against Forfar Athletic in 2016, McGowan chipped

Grant Adam Grant Adam (born 16 April 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Lochee United. He has previously played for Rangers, St Mirren, Cowdenbeath, Airdrieonians, Greenock Morton, Dundee, Cowdenbeath, Forfar Athle ...

on the edge of the box to open the scoring in a 7–0 win for Dundee. He then scored in the opening league game of the 2016–17 season, a 3–1 win over Ross County in

Dingwall Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cas ...

, however afterwards Dundee would go into a six-game losing streak which saw the club involved in a relegation fight. On 29 October, McGowan scored a crucial winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Hamilton. Just before Christmas he scored an equalising goal against Hearts as Dundee came from 2–0 down to win 3–2. Towards the end of the season McGowan assisted

Marcus Haber Marcus Warren Haber (born January 11, 1989) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Cambodian club Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng. Haber began his career at local club Vancouver Selects, playing four years with th ...

to score in a crucial match against Kilmarnock in a 1–0 win to help Dundee steer clear of relegation during

Neil McCann Neil Doherty McCann (born 11 August 1974) is a Scottish football manager, pundit and former professional player who played as a left winger. His most recent role in football was a stint as the caretaker manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. ...

's reign as interim manager. McGowan scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season against

in the

Dundee Derby The Dundee derby is a football match between Dundee and Dundee United. The clubs are based yards apart in the city of Dundee, the fourth-largest city in Scotland. History Dundee is the older of the two, having been founded in 1893, compared ...

to win the game 2–1, beating Harry Lewis from 20 yards. He picked up his second goal of the season with another long-range strike in a 1–1 draw with Motherwell at

Fir Park Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premiership club Motherwell and was the temporary home of Gretna for the 2007–08 SPL season. M ...

. While not netting for the rest of the season, McGowan was a key player in once again keeping the Dee in the Premiership. After St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright confirmed his interest in signing him, McGowan signed a new one-year contract extension with Dundee with the option of a further year. McGowan remained an important piece in the 2018–19 season, but had to endure a horrible season where the club managed just five league wins all season, and only one of them being at home, en route to relegation. Despite the dismal season, McGowan managed a couple of league goals during the season, both against Hibernian. The first was a crucial equaliser at

Easter Road Easter Road is a association football, football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (Hibs). The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity ...

in November during Dundee's most successful spell of the season, and the second also being an equaliser at Dens, though Dundee would eventually lose the game. As the 2019–20 season began, McGowan was given the captain's armband many times, and scored two key penalties in shootouts during Dundee's League Cup group stage matches to help them top the group. McGowan would get his scoring underway in his 200th appearance for the club, scoring the opener against Partick Thistle, though a late Dundee collapse would ruin the day. He went on to score the next week, away to

with what would prove to be the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory. McGowan would next find the net on 14 December, scoring against

in a 4–3 victory, and followed that up with his second goal in as many games the next week, once again netting against Partick in an away win. McGowan continued being a key player for the Dark Blues until the season was ended early due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. After the season was brought to a close, McGowan was named the winner of the Andrew De Vries Player of the Year Award for the 2019–20 season. As one of the Dundee players due to have his contract expire in June and with many club officials and players on furlough due to the pandemic, McGowan's contract was extended until July in order to give more time for discussions. McGowan signed a one-year extension with Dundee near the end of June 2020, agreeing to drop his wages significantly for the year to help the club cope better with the coronavirus crisis. In April 2021, an appearance clause in his contract triggered a further one-year extension in McGowan's contract, keeping him with Dundee until the summer of 2022. He would play a prominent role in Dundee's success in the Premiership play-offs, and helped the club gain promotion back to the Premiership. In January 2022, McGowan would once again agree a one-year contract extension, taking him into his ninth season with the club. McGowan would mark his 300th appearance for the ''Dark Blues'' in September 2022, in what would be his first for the club outside of Scotland as Dundee defeated Welsh champions

The New Saints The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club, also known as The New Saints ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed y Seintiau Newydd) or TNS, are a professional football club that currently play in the Cymru Premier. They are the most successfu ...

away in the Scottish Challenge Cup. He would spend several months out with a knee injury.

Loan to Dunfermline Athletic

On 21 February 2023, McGowan reunited with former teammate and manager

James McPake James McPake (born 24 June 1984) is a professional football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Dunfermline Athletic. McPake played for Livingston, Greenock Morton, Coventry City, Hibernian and Dundee. He mainly played a ...

after joining

Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was ...

club

on loan until the end of the season. On 25 February, McGowan made his debut for the ''Pars'' as a substitute in an away league win against Queen of the South.

Personal life

In December 2013, McGowan pleaded guilty to attacking two police officers at

Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbrid ...

police station on 11 August. On 8 January 2014, the sheriff ordered McGowan to do a 130 hours of unpaid work and a one-year supervision order. Manager

believed McGowan was lucky to avoid a jail sentence. McGowan was told by Sheriff Frank Pieri ''" that the punishment was a 'direct alternative' to custody and told him to behave in future or face prison"''. As a result of this incident, McGowan was disciplined by the club. For the second time in 2014, McGowan was arrested after attacking a community support constable at Coatbridge Police station. McGowan was convicted of assault on 19 March 2015. On 15 April 2015, McGowan was spared a jail sentence, but was placed on a restriction curfew for sixteen weeks and had to wear electronic tags, meaning he could not play in midweek matches for the duration of the order as he had to be at home by 7pm each day. Following the incident, McGowan apologised for his actions and said he hoped to become a better person, having a problematic lifestyle of alcohol and gambling, while the club stood by him. McGowan is a father of a son. In the wake of his conviction in April 2015, he vowed to be a better father by putting his life on track for the sake of his son. In July 2018 McGowan was again convicted of assault, this time for spitting on a

bouncer A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...

outside a Dundee nightclub two months earlier after attending the club's annual awards event; he again avoided a prison sentence for the offence and was instead given a

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...

order.

Career statistics

Honours

Clubs

Greenock Morton *

: 2006–07 St Mirren *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Renfrewshire Cup The Renfrewshire Cup was an annual association football competition between teams in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The final was generally a Renfrewshire derby contested between the two largest team ...

: 2010, 2011, 2012

Individual

* SFL Young Player of the Month: January 2007 * SPL Player of the Month: December 2011 * Dundee F.C. Player of the Year: 2019–20

References

External links

Paul McGowan
Celtic FC * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGowan, Paul 1987 births Living people Footballers from Bellshill Association football forwards Scottish footballers Celtic F.C. players Greenock Morton F.C. players Hamilton Academical F.C. players St Mirren F.C. players Scottish Premier League players Scottish Football League players Scottish Professional Football League players Dundee F.C. players Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players