| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 February 1990 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Musselburgh, [1] Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cowdenbeath (Player/Manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2008 | Norwich City | ||
| 2008–2009 | Falkirk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2019 | Brechin City | 289 | (21) |
| 2019–2024 | Stirling Albion | 103 | (9) |
| 2024– | Cowdenbeath | 14 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 December 2024 | |||
Paul McLean (born 2 February 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Lowland League club Cowdenbeath as a player/coach. McLean previously played with Brechin City, where he spent 10 years and also captained the side and was at Stirling Albion. [3]
McLean started his career as a youth player with Norwich City F.C. Under-23s and Academy, after a successful trial in 2005 saw him being offered a contract for the 2006–07 season. [4] He spent two years in England, before subsequently moving back to Scotland with Falkirk in 2007. [4] His first contract as a senior footballer came when, at the age of 19, he was signed by Jim Duffy for Brechin City on a two-year deal. [5]
After 10 years at Brechin, McLean left the club in May 2019 and signed for Stirling Albion. [6]
In May 2024 he joined Cowdenbeath as a player-coach after four seasons with the binos'. [7]
In March 2025. Paul Mclean officially retired after ripping his tights. Paul is now planning a career in athletics coaching up and coming sprinters.
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brechin City | 2009–10 [9] | Scottish Second Division | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 [a] | 0 | 40 | 3 |
| 2010–11 [10] | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 [b] | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 [11] | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 [12] | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 [d] | 0 | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 [13] | Scottish League One | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| 2014–15 [14] | 33 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 [e] | 0 | 42 | 7 | ||
| 2015–16 [15] | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 [16] | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 [f] | 1 | 35 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 [17] | Scottish Championship | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 [c] | 1 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 [18] | Scottish League One | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Total | 289 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 341 | 23 | ||
| Stirling Albion | 2019–20 [19] | Scottish League Two | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 [c] | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| 2020–21 [20] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 [21] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 323 | 24 | 16 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 387 | 24 | ||
Outside of football, McLean works in medical research at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. [3]