Rory James Loy (born 19 March 1988) is a Scottish former professional
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 ...
now working as a football commentator on radio and television. He last played for
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 ...
side
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
. He has previously played for
Rangers,
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 ...
,
St Mirren (two spells),
Carlisle United and
Dundee and
Falkirk (two spells). Loy has also represented
Scotland at under-21 international level.
Early life
Loy was born in
Dumfries on 19 March 1988 and grew up in the town of
Stranraer and the village of
Sandhead
Sandhead is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland. It overlooks Luce Bay, 7 miles south of Stranraer. The old main road, named "Main Street", runs through the village, but the A716 now bypasses it with a narrow and twisti ...
. He attended Sandhead Primary School and
Stranraer Academy.
Club career
Rangers
Loy began his career with
Kilmarnock in 2004 aged fourteen
before being snapped up by
Rangers for £20,000 in 2006. In October 2007, Loy signed a one-year extension to his Rangers contract to remain at
Ibrox until the summer of 2009. In March 2009, having impressed on loan, Loy signed a further two-year extension to his Rangers contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2011.
He made his first team debut in a
Scottish Premier League match against
Inverness CT on 1 November 2008, coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute.
Dunfermline Athletic (loan)
In December 2008, he joined
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 until 26 January 2009. After the move, Loy revealed it was a chance he could not turn down. Loy made his debut, several days after joining the club, coming on as a substitute for
Andy Kirk, in a 2–1 win over
Queen of the South and scored his first goal for the club on 17 January 2009, in a 1–1 draw against
Airdrie United. His loan was then extended till the end of the season. Having agreed the loan extension, Loy believed it could help him earn a first team place when he returned to Rangers. Later in the season, Loy scored two more goals in matches against
Partick Thistle and
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 ...
.
St Mirren (first loan)
On 29 January 2010, Loy joined Scottish Premier League rival
St Mirren on a six-month loan deal. He made his debut as a substitute for
Garry Brady, in a 1–0 loss against
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 ...
on 2 February 2010. However, Loy was not in the starting line-up regularly, due to a virus he suffered along with team-mate
Paul Gallacher
Paul James Gallacher (born 16 August 1979) is a Scottish former professional footballer who currently is the goalkeeping coach for Heart of Midlothian. Gallacher made eight appearances for the Scottish national team between 2002 and 2004. He ...
,
John Potter and
Lee Mair.
Carlisle United
On 28 January 2011,
English League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Carlisle United announced the signing of Loy on a permanent deal from
Rangers on a two and a half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. After the move, Loy stated he had to leave Rangers to help revive his career.
Loy made a slow start for the club, but on 1 March 2011, he scored his first goal and set up a goal for
Ben Marshall, who then, in turn, set up a goal for Loy, in a 3–1 win over
Charlton. In the
Football League Trophy Final, Loy played the final two minutes after coming on as a substitute for
Tom Taiwo as Carlisle United beat
Brentford.
With lack of first team players, Manager
Greg Abbott
Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 ...
promised that he would give Loy and
Paddy Madden first team opportunities next season.
In his first full season, Loy scored three goals before his season was ended, when he suffered a broken leg on Boxing Day in a fixture against
Preston after a nasty challenge from
David Gray, which led to a nine-minute delay during the match. Loy's injury would lead the club to suffer a strikers crisis. His injury resulted in undergoing surgery; which was successful. His injury also led to Preston wishing Loy a speedy recovery, when the caretaker manager visited him. Two months later, in mid-February, Loy managed to walk without using crutches.
The next season, Loy would spend five months on the sidelines after having another setback due to injury. On 31 December 2012, Loy made his first appearance since his injury, coming on as a substitute for
Brad Potts, in a 1–0 loss against
Crewe. Upon his return, Manager
Greg Abbott
Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 ...
said Loy has returned more sharp and positive. At the start of February, Loy scored against
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
,
Stevenage and
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in three consecutive games. After scoring in one of the matches, Loy says was delighted to make his return and that his absence helped him appreciate playing first-team football. At the end of the season, Loy was among seven players to be released, upon the expiry of their contract. Days after his release, Loy attracted interest from a number of teams, according to his agent. While Loy, himself, says on Twitter: ''"Met some people and made some memories at #cufc that will stick with me forever. Two years gone by in a flash. Loved every minute. Some real nice messages from the #cufc fans. Nice touch and always nice to know you were appreciated. Thank you.''"
Falkirk (first spell)
In July 2013, Loy started training with
Scottish First Division
The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013.
History
The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as ...
side
Falkirk and played as a trialist in a friendly against
Forfar
Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a pop ...
, scoring both goals as the Bairns won 2–1. He also played in Falkirk's 2–2 friendly draw with
Dunfermline. Loy signed a two-year contract with
Falkirk on 31 July 2013.
Loy quickly established himself in the Falkirk side, scoring a double in his first home appearance against
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 ...
on 17 August 2013. Loy scored his first hat trick for Falkirk in a 5–0 win against
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
on 5 April 2014. He said his aim was for the club to win the Scottish Championship
Throughout the season he became renowned for his hard work and composed finishing, and this helped him build a strong rapport with
The Bairns faithful. Loy was nominated along with
Peter MacDonald,
Anthony Andreu and
Kane Hemmings for the
PFA Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
Player of the Year for season 2013–14, but lost out to Hemmings. However, on 27 April 2014, he was awarded the Falkirk Supporters Player of the Year, along with the Players Player of the Year, capping an overall superb campaign. He was also handed the Falkirk Herald's Starshot award for the season, previously won by fan favourites
Michael McGovern,
Mark Millar,
Ryan Flynn and
Scott Arfield
Scott Harry Nathaniel Arfield (born 1 November 1988) is a professional association footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Rangers.
He began his career at Falkirk before moving to the English leagues for eight year ...
. Loy would add to his awards when he was named in the
2013–14 Scottish Championship team of year. Throughout the season he was also named as Falkirk's player of the month for September, February and March by the club's supporters.
Falkirk manager
Gary Holt confirmed on 1 May 2014, that Loy was one of a few players to be offered an improved contract at the club, with his current deal running until 2015, Having yet to sign a new contract, Loy, nevertheless, started the season well when he scored his first goals of the season, in a 7–1 win over
East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish association football club based in the town of Falkirk. The club was founded in 1881 and competes in the , in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. The club's origins ca ...
in the first round of the Challenge Cup. Loy scored his first league goal, in the opening game of the season, in a 2–2 draw against
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
on 9 August 2014. A few weeks later on 23 August 2014, Loy scored, in a 1–0 win over
Hibernian. He added three more goals by the end of 2014 against Cowdenbeath,
Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...
and
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
. By the end of January, Loy added two more goals when he scored against
Queen of the South and
Hearts.
On the last day of the winter transfer window,
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
side
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 ...
made a bid to sign Loy, but the bid was turned down. Loy added his ninth goal of the season on 27 February 2015, in a 1–1 draw against
Rangers. However he missed the remainder of the season after suffering a leg injury.
Despite this, Loy was named in the
2014–15 Championship Team of the Year. Loy managed to recover from injury in time for the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[The FA
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...](_blank)
's
St George's Park for two weeks.
Loy eventually started in the final in his last appearance for the club as Falkirk lost 2–1 to
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 ...
.
Dundee
On 23 February 2015, Loy signed a pre-contract agreement with
Dundee, agreeing to join the club on a three-year deal at the beginning of the 2015–16 season. He scored twice on his competitive debut for Dundee, in a 4–0 win away to Kilmarnock. He left Dundee by mutual consent on 4 July 2017.
St Mirren (second loan)
On 12 January 2017, Loy joined
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...
side
St Mirren on loan, having previously been on loan with the club 7 years earlier. Towards the end of the campaign Loy hit a good run of form, scoring important goals including the one that ultimately kept St Mirren in the Championship in the last game of the season against Hibernian at Easter Road.
Falkirk (second spell)
On 4 July 2017, Loy returned to
Falkirk on a two-year deal. He left the club in June 2018 by mutual consent having scored just once in 26 appearances.
Dumbarton
After leaving Falkirk Loy signed a two-year deal with
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 ...
side
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
. He made his debut for the club in a
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 ...
against
Kilmarnock in July 2018, setting up the club's second goal in a 4–2 defeat. His spell with the Sons was badly restricted by injury however, as he made just 12 appearances before being leaving the club a year into his two-year deal.
International career
Loy made his
Scotland U21 debut against
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in November 2008.
He gained four further caps at this level in 2009 against
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
and
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
.
Loy scored a goal in the 4–0 win against Azerbaijan.
Career statistics
Honours
Club
;Carlisle United
*
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
:
2011
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loy, Rory
1988 births
Living people
Scottish men's footballers
Scotland men's under-21 international footballers
Rangers F.C. players
Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players
St Mirren F.C. players
Carlisle United F.C. players
Scottish Premier League players
English Football League players
Scottish Football League players
People educated at Stranraer Academy
Men's association football forwards
Footballers from Dumfries and Galloway
Falkirk F.C. players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Dundee F.C. players
Dumbarton F.C. players
People from Stranraer