External links
- Liam Shephard at Soccerbase
- Liam Shephard at Soccerway
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Liam Shephard [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1994 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Pentre, Wales | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Newport County | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2011 | Cardiff City | ||
| 2011–2013 | Swansea City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | Swansea City | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | → Yeovil Town (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2016 | → Yeovil Town (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Yeovil Town (loan) | 38 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Peterborough United | 24 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Forest Green Rovers | 58 | (6) |
| 2020–2021 | Newport County | 42 | (2) |
| 2021–2025 | Salford City | 70 | (3) |
| 2025– | Newport County | 2 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Wales U21 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:28, 16 August 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:11, 17 November 2015 (UTC) | |||
Liam Shephard (born 22 November 1994) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a right-back for EFL League Two club Newport County. He is a former Wales under 21 international.
Shephard grew up in Pentre, Rhondda Cynon Taf. He is son of former footballer Garry Shephard. [3]
Shephard joined Swansea City from Cardiff City in the summer of 2011, and progressed through Swansea City's Academy. [4] Shephard signed his first professional deal with Swansea at the start of the 2013–14 season. [5] Shephard broke into the first-team squad in the first half of the 2014–15 season, and was included on the bench for four Premier League matches and two cup games. [6] Shephard was rewarded for his progress with a new 2+1⁄2-year contract until June 2017. [7]
On 17 January 2015, Shephard joined League One team Yeovil Town on a youth loan deal and made his professional debut three days later against Preston North End. [8] [9] Yeovil later extended the loan until the end of the season. [10] Shephard went on to make 20 appearances for the Glovers and was awarded Young Player of the Year, as Yeovil were relegated to League Two. [11]
Shephard made his first team debut for Swansea City in the FA Cup against Oxford United, on 10 January 2016, in a 3–2 third round defeat. [12]
On 24 March 2016, Shephard returned to Yeovil Town on a month loan deal. [13] Initially brought in as cover for fellow Swansea loanee Connor Roberts, Shephard started six matches all in a defensive midfield role as he helped Yeovil to avoid relegation. [14]
On 1 July 2016, Shephard joined Yeovil Town for a third time on a six-month loan deal. [15]
Upon his return from his loan spell with Yeovil, Shephard was released by Swansea at the end of the 2016–17 season. [16]
On 10 July 2017, Shephard signed for League One club Peterborough United on a two-year contract. [17]
On 28 June 2018, Shephard joined League Two club Forest Green Rovers for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract. [18] Shephard was released by Forest Green Rovers at the end of the 2019–20 season. [19]
On 2 September 2020 Shephard joined Newport County on a one-year contract. [20] He made his debut for Newport on 5 September 2020 in the 2–0 EFL Cup win against Swansea City. [21] He scored his first goal for Newport on 19 September 2020 in the League Two 2–1 win against Barrow. [22] Shephard played for Newport in the League Two playoff final at Wembley Stadium on 31 May 2021 which Newport lost to Morecambe, 1–0 after a 107th-minute penalty. [23]
In June 2021 Shephard rejected a contract extension at Newport and signed a two-year contract at Salford City. [24] In June 2023 Shephard extended his Salford contract until the end of the 2024–25 season. [25]
On 12 May 2025, the club announced he would be released in June when his contract expired. [26]
On 6 August 2025 Shephard rejoined Newport County on a one year contract. [27] He made his second debut for Newport on 9 August 2025 in the 2-1 League Two win against Crawley Town, scoring Newport's second goal. [28]
Shephard was called up to Wales under-21 squad to face Bulgaria in March 2015. [29] Later in the qualification campaign, Shephard made his debut in a 2–1 win over Armenia. [30]
Shephard is primarily a right-back but can also play at centre-back. [31]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Swansea City | 2014–15 [32] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 [14] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 [33] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Yeovil Town (loan) | 2014–15 [32] | League One | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2015–16 [14] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 [33] | League Two | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 [a] | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| Total | 64 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 72 | 1 | ||
| Peterborough United | 2017–18 [34] | League One | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 [a] | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Forest Green Rovers | 2018–19 [35] | League Two | 39 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 [b] | 0 | 44 | 5 |
| 2019–20 [36] | League Two | 19 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 [a] | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
| Total | 58 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 67 | 7 | ||
| Newport County | 2020–21 [37] | League Two | 42 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 [c] | 0 | 52 | 2 |
| Salford City | 2021–22 [38] | League Two | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 [a] | 0 | 38 | 3 |
| 2022–23 [39] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 [d] | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 [40] | League Two | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 [a] | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 [41] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 56 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 65 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 244 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 287 | 13 | ||
