Ronan Hale

Ronan Hale

Personal information
Full name	Ronan Aiden Connolly Shea Chapman Hale [1]
Date of birth	(1998-09-08) 8 September 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Ross County
Number	9
Youth career
0000	Crusaders
2016–2019	Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Birmingham City	0	(0)
2018	→ Derry City (loan)	31	(7)
2019	Crusaders	13	(3)
2019–2020	St Patrick's Athletic	10	(2)
2020–2022	Larne	65	(17)
2022–2024	Cliftonville	62	(32)
2024–	Ross County	17	(5)
International career
2016–2017	Republic of Ireland U19	7	(3)
2018	Republic of Ireland U21	5	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:17, 15 December 2024 (UTC)

Ronan Aiden Connolly Shea Chapman Hale (born 8 September 1998) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club Ross County, having previously played for Cliftonville, Larne, St Patrick's Athletic, Crusaders, Derry City and Birmingham City. His brother Rory Hale is also a professional footballer, currently with Cliftonville and the pair's grandfather is Derry City and Crusaders legend Danny Hale.

Club career

Early career

Growing up in Newington, Belfast, Hale started off playing his youth football with local club Crusaders. ^[2] It was there that he caught the eye and earned a move to England with Birmingham City. During this time, his brother Rory was playing at his side's city rivals, Aston Villa, which made the homesickness he suffered a little easier with both living in Birmingham. ^[2] He scored an incredible 28 goals in 23 games for Birmingham City U21 side in his first season at the club, before moving up to the Birmingham City U23 side, where he scored 4 goals in 16 appearances. ^[3]

Derry City loan

Hale signed a six-month loan deal with League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City alongside his brother Rory Hale on 3 January 2018. ^[4] He made his debut in senior football on 12 February 2018 away to Waterford at the RSC. ^[5] His first senior goals came on 12 March 2018 when he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Limerick at the Brandywell. ^[6] He followed this up 4 days later by scoring again in a 5–1 win over Bray Wanderers. ^[7] His loan deal with Derry was extended until the end of the season on 28 June 2018. ^[8] This allowed him his first taste of European football as he featured in both legs of the club's UEFA Europa League tie against Dinamo Minsk of Belarus. Derry lost the first leg 2–0 at home, leaving them with an uphill battle to go through in the second leg. ^[9] After an early goal from Ally Roy, Derry performed well and after conceding a first half equaliser, Hale scored the winner in the 75th minute but it was not enough despite a late Derry push as they were knocked out 3–2 on aggregate. ^[10] The 16 September 2018 saw Hale win the first trophy of his senior career when he scored in a 3–1 win over Cobh Ramblers as Derry City won the League of Ireland Cup for the record 11th time. ^[11] Hale ended the season, with 12 goals in 40 appearances in his first season in senior football. ^[12] He returned to Birmingham City at the end of his loan spell. ^[13]

Crusaders

On 11 January 2019, Birmingham City announced that Hale's contract had been terminated by mutual consent. ^[14] It was announced shortly after that Hale had moved back to Belfast, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Crusaders. ^[15] After his brother Rory, Ronan became the fourth member of his family to represent the club, following in his grandfather Danny and great-uncle Gerry's footsteps. ^[16] He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Linfield on 19 January 2019. ^[17] His first goal for the club came a week later when he scored in a 3–1 win away to Institute. ^[18] He was part of the squad that won the County Antrim Shield following a 4–3 thriller against Linfield in the final in March. ^[19] He was an unused substitute in the Irish Cup Final as Crusaders beat Ballinamallard United 3–0 in the final at Windsor Park. ^[20] He finished the season with 3 goals in 18 appearances. ^[12]

St Patrick's Athletic

2019 season

It was announced on 1 August 2019 that Hale had signed an 18-month contract with Dublin club St Patrick's Athletic, given the number 25 shirt, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2020 season. ^[21] Hale made his debut the following day away to Cork City, coming off the bench for Ciaran Kelly in the 74th minute before scoring a 91st-minute winner to secure all 3 points for his new side with a 1–0 win. ^[22] He went on to finish the season with 9 appearances in all competitions and one goal. ^[12]

2020 season

Hale started the 2020 season off well, scoring an excellent goal in a 5–1 win pre-season friendly over Cobh Ramblers on 16 January 2020, dribbling past two defenders before finishing into the bottom right corner. ^[23] Two days later he scored a penalty in a 6–0 win against Fermoy in a friendly. ^[24] He finished a pre-season in top form, scoring 2 goals against Athlone Town and the winner against Galway United to make it 5 goals in 5 games. ^[25] He scored on his first start of the season, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds. ^[26] It was announced on 1 August 2020, exactly one year since he joined the club, that Hale had departed to sign for Larne of the NIFL Premiership. ^[27]

Larne

Hale returned to the NIFL Premiership on 1 August 2020, signing for Larne. ^[27] He scored a penalty in his first league game for Larne, as they beat Dungannon Swifts 3–0 on the opening day of the season. ^[28]

In Larne's maiden European campaign Hale scored the winner in a first round 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League tie ^[29] and in the next round his goal eliminated Aarhus Gymnastikforening ^[30]

At the end of the 2021–22 NIFL Premiership season, he scored all four goals for Larne in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off final match after coming on as a substitute as the club came back from 2–0 down against Glentoran. ^[31] His goals in the 75th, 84th, 100th and 121st minutes included the fourth, dubbed a "wonder-goal" a 75 yard strike from just outside his own penalty box. ^[32]

Cliftonville

On 26 May 2022, Hale signed for Cliftonville. ^[33]

Hale scored on his debut in a 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League tie at FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda ^[34]

On 4 May 2024, in his last game for the club, he scored twice in extra-time in a 3–1 win over Linfield as Cliftonville won the Irish Cup for the first time since 1979. ^[35]

Ross County

On 9 July 2024, Hale signed for Scottish Premiership club Ross County on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[36]

International career

Hale played for Republic of Ireland under-19s in the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, ^[37] and both he and his brother Rory scored on their under-21 debuts in a friendly against Iceland in March 2018. ^{[38] [39]}

In May 2024, senior Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill stated that he would be open to calling up Hale to his squad if he was to opt to switch his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland. ^[40]

Career statistics

As of match played 14 December 2024 ^[12]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Birmingham City	2017–18	EFL Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	2018–19		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Derry City (loan)	2018	LOI Premier Division	31	7	3	2	4	2	2 [a]	1	—		40	12
Crusaders	2018–19	NIFL Premiership	13	3	4	0	—		—		1 [b]	0	18	3
St Patrick's Athletic	2019	LOI Premier Division	7	1	2	0	—		—		0 [c]	0	9	1
	2020		3	1	—		—		—		—		3	1
	Total		10	2	2	0	—		—		0	0	12	2
Larne	2020–21	NIFL Premiership	31	12	4	5	0	0	—		4 [d]	1	39	18
	2021–22		34	5	2	4	0	0	6 [e]	2	5 [f]	8	47	19
	Total		65	17	6	9	0	0	6	2	9	9	86	37
Cliftonville	2022–23	NIFL Premiership	37	18	3	3	4	7	2 [e]	1	5 [g]	0	51	29
	2023–24		25	14	5	8	1	0	—		0	0	31	22
	Total		62	32	8	11	5	7	2	1	5	0	82	51
Ross County	2024–25	Scottish Premiership	17	5	0	0	3	3	—		—		20	8
Career total			198	66	23	22	12	12	10	4	15	9	258	113

1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
2. Appearances in County Antrim Shield
3. Appearances in Leinster Senior Cup
4. 2 appearances in NIFL Premiership UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs & 2 appearances, 1 goal in County Antrim Shield
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
6. 2 appearances, 4 goals in NIFL Premiership UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs & 3 appearances, 4 goals in County Antrim Shield
7. 2 appearances in NIFL Premiership UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs, 1 appearance in Scottish Challenge Cup & 2 appearances in County Antrim Shield

Honours

Derry City

• League of Ireland Cup: 2018

Crusaders

• Irish Cup: 2018–19
• County Antrim Shield: 2018–19

Larne

• County Antrim Shield (2): 2020–21, ^[41] 2021–22 ^[42]

Cliftonville

• Irish Cup: 2023–24 ^[43]

References

1. "Club list of registered players" (PDF). EFL. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
2. Brendan Crossan (15 February 2018). "Derry City new boys Rory and Ronan Hale aiming for England return". The Irish News. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
3. "Ronan Hale". www.extratime.ie.
4. "Derry sign Ireland under-19 international Ronan Hale on loan from Birmingham City". ExtraTime.ie.
5. "Live Updates - 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division - Waterford -v- Derry City". www.extratime.ie.
6. "Live Updates - 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division - Derry City -v- Limerick". www.extratime.ie.
7. "Live Updates - 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division - Derry City -v- Bray Wanderers". www.extratime.ie.
8. "Dean Shiel's sign's for Derry City and Ronan Hale stay's for another season". Highland Radio. 28 June 2018.
9. "Derry-Dinamo Minsk". UEFA.com. UEFA Europa League.
10. "Dinamo Minsk-Derry". UEFA.com. UEFA Europa League.
11. "Live Updates - 2018 League Cup Final - Derry City -v- Cobh Ramblers". www.extratime.ie.
12. "R. Hale". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
13. Dick, Brian (26 September 2018). "The expert view of Blues youngster Ronan Hale's time at Derry City". birminghammail.co.uk.
14. "Ronan Hale leaves Blues". Birmingham City Football Club. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
15. Fullerton, Gareth (10 January 2019). "Crusaders sign striker Ronan Hale on two-and-a-half-year deal". BelfastLive. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
16. Luney, Graham (19 January 2019). "'Ronan and Rory will do well at Seaview because they're smashing lads and players. The family is very proud'". Belfast %elegraph. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
17. "Crusaders vs. Linfield - 19 January 2019". ie.soccerway.com. Soccerway.
18. "Institute vs. Crusaders - 26 January 2019". ie.soccerway.com. Soccerway.
19. "County Antrim Shield final: Late double sees Crusaders beat Linfield 4–3 in thriller". BBC Sport. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
20. "Irish Cup final: Ballinamallard United 0–3 Crusaders". BBC Sport. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
21. "Hale Signs For Saints". www.stpatsfc.com. St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
22. "Cork City Vs St Patricks Athletic". SSE Airtricity League. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
23. "Pre-season Result: Cobh 1 - Saints 5". www.stpatsfc.com. St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
24. "Pre-season Result: Fermoy 0 - Saints 6". www.stpatsfc.com. St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
25. "Pre-season Result: Galway 1 - Saints 2". www.stpatsfc.com. St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
26. "Sligo Rovers vs St Patrick's Athletic". SSE Airtricity League. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020.
27. "Invermen snap up Ronan Hale". Larne F.C. August 2020.
28. "Impressive Larne ease past Swifts". BBC Sport.
29. "Larne-Bala". UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/22.
30. "AGF-Larne". UEFA Europa Conference League 2021/22.
31. "Watch: Ronan Hale secures European football for Larne in breathless encounter at The Oval". BBC Sport. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
32. Fullerton, Gareth (13 May 2022). "Larne striker Ronan Hale scores wonder goal from edge of own penalty box". Belfast Live. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
33. Fullerton, Darren (26 May 2022). "Cliftonville new boy "can't wait to get started" after Solitude move". BelfastLive. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
34. "Dunajská Streda-Cliftonville | UEFA Europa Conference League 2022/23".
35. "Cliftonville v Linfield - Irish Cup Final". BBC Sport.
36. "Irish Premiership: Cliftonville striker Ronan Hale seals Ross County switch". BBC Sport. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
37. "Ronan Hale". Football Association of Ireland.
38. "Hale brothers score on U21 debut in Iceland win". Football Association of Ireland. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
39. Graham, Brendan (22 March 2018). "Friendly Report: Republic of Ireland U21 3–1 Iceland U21". ExtraTime.ie. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
40. "Michael O'Neill: I'm open to calling up Ronan Hale to NI... but he has to switch from Republic first". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 20 May 2024.
41. "County Antrim Shield final: Larne defeat Glens in Seaview shootout". BBC Sport . BBC. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
42. "Co Antrim Shield: Impressive Larne see off Linfield in gripping final to retain trophy". BBC Sport . BBC. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
43. "Cliftonville end 45-year wait for Irish Cup glory". IFA. Retrieved 20 May 2024.

External links

• "Player Profiles: Ronan Hale". stpatsfc.com. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
• "Ronan Hale - St Patrick's". uefa.com. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
• "Ronan Hale - St Patrick's Athletic". skysports.com. Retrieved 1 August 2019.