| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Duncan Nichol Shearer | ||
| Date of birth | 28 August 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Fort William, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1983 | Clachnacuddin | ? | (?) |
| 1983–1986 | Chelsea | 2 | (1) |
| 1986–1988 | Huddersfield Town | 83 | (38) |
| 1988–1992 | Swindon Town | 164 | (79) |
| 1992 | Blackburn Rovers | 6 | (1) |
| 1992–1997 | Aberdeen | 152 | (54) |
| 1997–2002 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 55 | (17) |
| Total | 462 | (190) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Scotland | 7 | (2) |
| 1995–1996 | Scotland B [1] | 2 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004–2008 | Buckie Thistle | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Duncan Nichol Shearer (born 28 August 1962) is a Scottish former footballer, currently coaching the 'Development squad' at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. During his playing career, Shearer predominantly played for Huddersfield Town, Swindon Town, Aberdeen and Inverness. He also captained the Scotland 'B' team and played seven times for the full Scotland national team.
Since his retirement from playing, Shearer has had spells as assistant manager at Aberdeen and Inverness, as well as managing in the Highland League with Buckie Thistle. He is the brother of fellow former Clachnacuddin and English League player, Dave Shearer. He also played shinty as a youth.
Shearer was born in Fort William. Having had an unsuccessful trial with Partick Thistle as a teenager, Shearer began his career as a striker at Scottish Highland Football League club, Clachnacuddin F.C. in Inverness.
While playing with Clach, the then-Aberdeen manager, Alex Ferguson, watched Shearer on several occasions and subsequently invited him to play in a reserve team match on a Wednesday evening at Pittodrie. However, early in the afternoon of the game, the Clachnacuddin chairman received a telephone call from Aberdeen to inform him that the reserve fixture that evening had been cancelled. The Chairman had to rush down to Inverness railway station and 'haul' Shearer off the train to Aberdeen.[ citation needed ] No further invitations for a trial at Aberdeen materialised at that time. However, later in his career, Shearer did get the opportunity to sign for the Dons.
From Clachnacuddin, Shearer moved to Chelsea in 1983. He left at the end of the 1985–86 season after appearing in only two League games in his three-year spell at the London club, scoring one goal, although he stated he learned a lot during his time at Stamford Bridge. [2]
He signed for Second Division Huddersfield Town, scored a hat-trick in his first full game for the club (a 3–1 win against Barnsley) and was top goalscorer for 1986–87 and 1987–1988, whilst also being named the team's Player of the Year for 1987, and being including in the publication Huddersfield Town F.C. - The Fans' Favourites during the club's centenary in 2008.
However, he was unable to prevent Huddersfield's relegation to the Third Division at the end of the 1987–88 season. Weeks before this, the unrelated English striker Alan Shearer (aged 17) had scored a hat-trick in the First Division for Southampton against Arsenal, a game which Arsenal captain Tony Adams missed through injury. In his autobiography 11 years later, Adams said that he had followed the progress of the game on Ceefax and mistakingly believed that the Shearer who scored the hat-trick was Duncan Shearer.[ citation needed ]
He was approached by Lou Macari, who offered a club record fee of £250,000 for Shearer to join Swindon in 1988, and fill the striker position following Dave Bamber and Jimmy Quinn exiting the Wiltshire club. [3] In his first season, he was sidelined due to an injured foot and later a groin strain, but managed to score 14 goals in the 45 league games he took part in and was the club's top scorer for that season. [3] In the 1989–90 season he scored 21 league goals for Swindon as well as the winning goal in the semi-final play-offs against Blackburn Rovers, and was part of the team that won promotion at Wembley – only to be demoted due to financial irregularities at the club. [3]
In all he was top scorer for Swindon in every season he was at the club. He was Player of the Year in 1991 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for Division Two. [4]
In March 1992 Shearer was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £800,000. Despite scoring on his debut, he only played six games for Rovers under his boyhood hero, manager Kenny Dalglish, [2] helping the club reach the playoffs where they were ultimately promoted, before he returned to Scotland at the end of the season, [3] to be replaced at Rovers by his namesake Alan. Although officially signed due to an injury to Mike Newell (who coincidentally also later played for Aberdeen), it has been suggested that Rovers only purchased Shearer to weaken Swindon's team in their league battle. [4] [2]
The powerfully-built forward signed for Aberdeen in 1992 for £500,000, aged 29. [5] After scoring twice on his debut [6] he became popular with the fans and was nicknamed 'Deadly Dunc' for his strike-rate. [2] He formed successful partnerships with other strikers such as Eoin Jess, Scott Booth and Billy Dodds during his time at Pittodrie.
In November 1995, Shearer won the Scottish League Cup with the club, scoring the second goal in the 2–0 win over Dundee at Hampden Park. [7] He had also appeared in the 1992 Scottish League Cup Final [8] and the 1993 Scottish Cup Final, [9] when the Dons were beaten 2–1 by Rangers on both occasions, and featured heavily in League campaigns in 1993 and 1994 which ended with runners-up finishes, again behind Rangers. Shearer made 152 league appearances for Aberdeen, scoring 55 goals.
In 1997, at the age of 35, he returned to his native Highlands to join Inverness Caledonian Thistle, where he played for two-and-a-half seasons, making 55 league appearances and scoring 17 goals.
During his time at Aberdeen, Shearer was capped seven times for Scotland between 1994 and 1995, scoring two goals including an important opening strike in an away win over Finland [10] which helped the national side qualify for Euro 96, although Shearer did not make the squad for that tournament.
The senior team was his first experience of international football, having never played at any age-group level. He achieved a childhood ambition when he played in the national team alongside John McGinlay, a childhood friend also from Fort William. [5]
In season 1999–00 he began to concentrate more on coaching than playing, and was in the dugout when Caley Thistle famously beat Celtic 3–1 in the Scottish Cup. In 2000, he became assistant to then Inverness Caley Thistle manager Steve Paterson, following the departure of former assistant manager Alex Caldwell to Elgin City. He continued to be registered as a player (though seldom appeared in the squad) until the end of the 2001–02 season.
In December 2002 both Paterson and Shearer left Inverness to take up management roles at Aberdeen. However, this did not prove to be a happy return to Pittodrie for Shearer, as Aberdeen struggled in the SPL and were put out of the Scottish Cup at the fourth-round stage by Livingston. Steve Paterson and Duncan Shearer left the club in 2004.
Shearer was appointed as manager of Highland League side Buckie Thistle in October 2004. During his reign as manager, he won the Aberdeenshire Cup twice and the Aberdeenshire Shield once. He was sacked in April 2008, after a disappointing home defeat to Cove Rangers effectively ended Buckie's hopes of winning the Highland League championship. [11]
He then became a youth coach at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Shearer and fellow coach, Scott Kellacher, were put in temporary charge of the first-team after manager Terry Butcher moved to Hibernian in November 2013. [12]
He released his autobiography in 2011. [13]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea | 1983–84 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| 1984–85 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1985–86 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 1985–86 | Second Division | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 7 |
| 1986–87 | 42 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | - | - | 48 | 24 | ||
| 1987–88 | 33 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | 38 | 16 | ||
| Total | 83 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | - | - | 94 | 47 | ||
| Swindon Town | 1988–89 | Second Division | 38 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 42 | 16 |
| 1989–90 | 45 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | - | - | 54 | 26 | ||
| 1990–91 | 44 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 50 | 23 | ||
| 1991–92 | 37 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | - | - | 46 | 32 | ||
| Total | 164 | 79 | 9 | 7 | 19 | 11 | - | - | 192 | 97 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 1991–92 | Second Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 1 |
| Aberdeen | 1992–93 | Scottish Premier Division | 34 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 27 |
| 1993–94 | 43 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 26 | ||
| 1994–95 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 13 | ||
| 1995–96 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 7 | ||
| 1996–97 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 5 | ||
| Total | 152 | 54 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 194 | 78 | ||
| Inverness Caledonian | 1997–98 | Scottish Second Division | 24 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 28 | 6 |
| 1998–99 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 33 | 13 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Scottish First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 55 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 62 | 19 | ||
| Career total | 462 | 190 | 37 | 19 | 42 | 32 | 9 | 2 | 550 | 243 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1994 | 3 | 2 |
| 1995 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 2 | |
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Shearer goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 1994 | Nieuw Galgenwaard, Utrecht, Netherlands | Netherlands | 1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly match |
| 2 | 7 September 1994 | Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland | Finland | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifier |
Buckie Thistle
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
The Scottish Highland Football League is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scottish Professional Football League.
Barry John Wilson is a Scottish football coach and former player.
John Grant Robertson is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who is currently the sporting director of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. His playing career included spells at Newcastle United, Dundee and Livingston, but he is best known for his two spells at Heart of Midlothian totalling about 18 years, where he is the club's all-time leading goalscorer. He has since managed Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Heart of Midlothian, Ross County, Livingston, Derry City and East Fife.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, Inverness CT or just Inverness, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, and hosts home games at Caledonian Stadium.
Buckie Thistle Football Club are a senior football club based in the town of Buckie, Moray, who currently play in Scotland's Highland Football League. Founded in 1889, they are also known as The Jags and play their football at Victoria Park, Buckie.
Fort William Football Club is a senior football team from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. They play in the North Caledonian Football League having been relegated from the 2021–22 Highland Football League.
Wick Academy Football Club are a senior football club founded in October 1893, who currently play in the Scottish Highland Football League at Harmsworth Park. They represent the Caithness town of Wick, making them the most northerly professional football league club in the United Kingdom.
Steven William Paterson is a Scottish football manager and former player.
Alexander Sutherland is a Scottish former professional footballer who last played for Brora Rangers. Born in Wick, he grew up in the village of Helmsdale in Sutherland.
The term North derby is sometimes used to emphasise their relative geographical proximity, when matches are played between Scottish football clubs Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The clubs first met in a Scottish League Cup tie played on 8 August 1998. Inverness first entered the Scottish Football League in 1994 alongside fellow Highland side Ross County, forming the Highland derby. However, Inverness progressed over the next 10 years to form a rivalry with Aberdeen, after winning promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2004.
The 2011–12 season was Inverness Caledonian Thistle's second consecutive season in the Scottish Premier League, having competed in the league since their promotion in the 2009–10 season. Inverness also competed in the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
The 2011–12 Scottish Cup was the 127th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 24 September 2011 and ended on 19 May 2012. It was sponsored by William Hill in the first season of a three-year partnership, known as the William Hill Scottish Cup. The winner of the competition qualified for the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Heart of Midlothian won 5–1 against city rivals Hibernian at Hampden Park.
Josh Meekings is an English professional footballer and coach, who plays as a central defender, and currently is a player-assistant manager for Highland Football League club Brora Rangers. Meekings has previously played for Ipswich Town, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Dundee, and Wealdstone.
The 2012–13 Scottish Cup was the 128th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 4 August 2012 and ended on 26 May 2013. It was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in the second season of a three-year partnership and is known as the William Hill Scottish Cup. The winner of the competition qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. The holders Hearts were knocked out by their Edinburgh rivals Hibernian in the fourth round, in a repeat of the previous season's final.
The 2013–14 Scottish Cup was the 129th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 14 September 2013 and ended on 17 May 2014. It was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in the third season of a five-year partnership after a two-year extension was agreed, and was known as the William Hill Scottish Cup. The winner of the competition qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.
The 2015–16 Scottish Cup was the 131st season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the fifth season of a five-year partnership. The final was contested between second-tier clubs for the first time ever with no Premiership clubs reaching the final.
The 2020–21 Inverness Caledonian Thistle season is the club's 27th season in existence, and their fourth consecutive season in the Championship, the second-tier of Scottish football.
Ryan Fyffe is a Scottish footballer who plays as a defender for Buckie Thistle.
Anthony Low (born 18 August 1983) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a midfielder for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Brora Rangers, Albion Rovers, Clachnacuddin, Buckie Thistle, Elgin City, Nairn County and Peterhead.
The 2022–23 Highland Football League was the 120th season of the Highland Football League, and the 9th season as part of the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Fraserburgh were the reigning champions, but were unable to defend their title.
