Ruari Paton

Last updated
Ruari Paton
Personal information
Full name Ruari Michael Paton [1]
Date of birth (2000-08-09) 9 August 2000 (age 24) [2]
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland [2]
Height1.77 m (5 ft 9+12 in) [2]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Port Vale
Number 17
Youth career
2012 Shelbourne
2013 St Kevin's Boys
2014–2016 Belvedere
2016–2018 Hibernian
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2018–2019 Hibernian 0 (0)
2018–2019Gala Fairydean Rovers (loan)
2019–2020 East Kilbride
2020–2021 Stranraer 21 (6)
2021–2023 Queen of the South 70 (25)
2023–2024 Queen's Park 36 (17)
2024– Port Vale 9 (1)
International career
Republic of Ireland U16 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:44, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

Ruari Michael Paton (born 9 August 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League Two club Port Vale. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-16 level.

Contents

Paton, a talented dancer, spent his youth with Shelbourne, St Kevin's Boys and Belvedere, before he left Ireland to join the development squad at Scottish club Hibernian. He spent time on loan at Gala Fairydean Rovers, before joining East Kilbride in July 2019 after being released from Hibernian. His goal record in the Lowland League earned him a move to Stranraer in Scottish League Two. He was signed by Queen of the South in July 2021 and played on the losing side in the 2022 final of the Scottish Challenge Cup. He was named to the PFA Scotland Team of the Year following 22 Scottish League One goals in the 2022–23 season. He was sold to Queen's Park in June 2023 and was again named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year after scoring 17 Scottish Championship goals in the 2023–24 campaign. He was signed by English club Port Vale for an undisclosed fee in July 2024.

Early life

Ruari Paton was born in Dublin on 9 August 2000. [2] He grew up in Carpenterstown. [3] He was a talented dancer in his youth. [4] He gained a Higher in PE and a Sports Leadership Award from Ross High School. [5]

Career

Early career

Paton played for Belvedere in Dublin before signing for Hibernian as a sixteen-year-old on a pro-youth contract. [6] On 19 September 2018, he joined Gala Fairydean Rovers of the Lowland League on loan. [7] On 22 September, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Lossiemouth in a Scottish Cup qualification match at Netherdale. [8] He scored 13 league goals in the 2018–19 season. [9] He did not play a first-team game at Easter Road and was one of 17 players released from Hibernian in May 2019. [10] He later said "I went there thinking I was the man and had it all sorted out and would go to the first team. It did not work out that way and life comes around and hits you in the face." [11]

Paton failed a trial with Airdrieonians as manager Ian Murray felt he was not good enough for professional football. [3] On 3 July 2019, he signed with Lowland League champions East Kilbride. [12] Paton said that "Stuart Malcolm [East Kilbride manager] gave me a chance there when no one else would". [3] He supplemented his income playing for East Kilbride by working as a labourer on a building site. [3] He later said that "I was eating Pot Noodles every day for dinner" due to lack of finances, but that he refused to accept returning to Ireland without having made a success of his footballing career in Scotland. [3] He scored 12 goals by November, helping the Lowland League side to reach the third round of the Scottish Cup. [13] He scored 12 league goals in the 2019–20 season. [14]

Stranraer

Paton agreed a two-year contract with Stranraer. [15] [16] [17] He had caught the eye of manager Stephen Farrell with his goalscoring record the previous season, which had been cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. [18] He was signed to compete with Thomas Orr for a place alongside veteran forward Darryl Duffy. [19] The three players ended up playing as an attacking trio. [20] The Blues qualified for the Scottish League Two play-offs at the end of the 2020–21 season, losing to Dumbarton at the semi-final stage. Paton scored nine goals in 30 matches at Stair Park. [21]

Queen of the South

On 2 July 2021, Paton signed a two-year contract with Queen of the South in Dumfries, following an undisclosed transfer fee. [22] Manager Allan Johnston said he was "a great young prospect that we all have high hopes for". [23] Paton scored his first goals for the Palmerston Park club later that month in his first two games versus Annan Athletic and Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup. [24] He scored the winning goal in the Scottish Challenge Cup quarter-finals. [25] Queen of the South reached the final of the Challenge Cup at Excelsior Stadium, where they were beaten 3–1 by Raith Rovers. [26] Paton ended the 2021–22 campaign with eight goals in 45 games, with three goals coming in the league. [27] Queens were relegated from the Scottish Championship in last place. [28]

Paton finished the 2022–23 season with 25 goals for the Doonhamers. [29] Paton finished as joint-top scorer in Scottish League One, alongside Calum Gallagher of Airdrieonians, and was also named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. [30] Speaking in March, manager Marvin Bartley told his players to be less reliant on Paton's goalscoring ability to win games for them. [31] The team finished in fifth place, missing out on the play-offs by three points. [32]

Queen's Park

On 22 June 2023, Paton returned to the Scottish Championship after signing a three-year contract with Queen's Park. [33] On 25 July, Paton scored four goals in a 5–0 win over Elgin City in the Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park, his first professional hat-trick and four-goal haul in his career. [34] He was named Scottish Championship Player of the Month after scoring three league goals to send Robin Veldman's Spiders top of the table in August. [35] Paton scored 25 goals in the 2023–24 season and was named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, and was also nominated for the Player of the Year award. [36] In the expectation that Paton would leave the club, manager Callum Davidson signed Zak Rudden as his replacement in July 2024. [37] [ deprecated source ]

Port Vale

On 15 July 2024, Paton signed a three-year deal with English League Two club Port Vale for an undisclosed "six-figure" transfer fee. [38] [39] He scored his first goal for the Valiants in his second appearance for the club, converting a 25 yards (23 m) free kick in a 3–2 defeat at Barrow in an EFL Cup fixture on 13 August; he was also named as man of the match. [40] Paton lost his first-team place, but marked his return to the starting eleven with the only goal of the game at Harrogate Town on 22 October. [41]

Style of play

Paton is a hard-working striker with an excellent goalscoring record. [42] He often celebrates goals by dancing. [43]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [lower-alpha 1] League cup [lower-alpha 2] OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gala Fairydean Rovers (loan) 2018–19 [8] [44] Lowland League [lower-alpha 3] 3434
East Kilbride 2019–20 [45] Lowland League [lower-alpha 3] 334073
Stranraer 2020–21 [21] Scottish League Two 21631422 [lower-alpha 4] 0309
Queen of the South 2021–22 [27] Scottish Championship 34321425 [lower-alpha 5] 2458
2022–23 [46] Scottish League One 362210534 [lower-alpha 5] 04625
Total70253195929133
Queen's Park 2023–24 [47] Scottish Championship361710442 [lower-alpha 5] 14322
Port Vale 2024–25 [48] League Two 9110111 [lower-alpha 6] 1123
Career total13618148221214418674
  1. Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup
  2. Includes Scottish League Cup, EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearance data in the Lowland League not available
  4. Appearances in Scottish League Two play-offs
  5. 1 2 3 Appearances in Scottish Challenge Cup
  6. Appearance in EFL Trophy

Honours

Queen of the South

Individual

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References

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