Aaron Splaine (born 13 October 1996) is a Scottish professional footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for Clyde. He started his career as a youth player for Queen of the South and also played for Kilmarnock, Dunfermline Athletic, Annan Athletic, Northern Irish side Derry City and Gibraltarian clubs Europa Point and Bruno's Magpies.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 October 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2013 | Queen of the South | ||
| 2013–2015 | Kilmarnock | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | Kilmarnock | 8 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Dunfermline Athletic | 7 | (0) |
| 2018 | Derry City | 11 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Europa Point | 34 | (16) |
| 2020 | Bruno's 23Magpies | 46 | (22) |
| 2020–2021 | Annan Athletic | 9 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Clyde | 30 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:33, 8 May 2022 (UTC) | |||
Career
Born in Spain, Splaine was brought up in Newton Stewart[1] and joined local side Queen of the South at youth level.[3] Splaine spent five years at Palmerston Park, before following the Doonhamers manager Allan Johnston to Kilmarnock when he took over as manager in 2013.[1]
Splaine made his debut in the penultimate Scottish Premiership match of the 2014–15 season, against Ross County at Rugby Park.[4] Although Kilmarnock lost the match 1–2, Splaine was praised for the composed way that he operated in midfield, with BBC Scotland correspondent Kenny Crawford describing him as looking like a "seasoned professional".[4] Splaine went on to make a further eight appearances for the club, before being released on 23 May 2016 along with five other players at the end of their contract.[5]
After six months away from football, Splaine subsequently had trials with Leeds United[6] and Burnley,[1] before signing a one-year deal with Scottish Championship club Dunfermline Athletic on 15 June 2017, joining up with former Doonhamers and Killie manager Allan Johnston.[7] Splaine started the season in-and-out of the first team, making his full league debut for the club versus Queen of the South in October.[8] Splaine suffered a season ending leg-break in a Fife Cup match against Burntisland Shipyard in November 2017,[9] and was released by the club in May 2018, following the end of his contract.[10]
After leaving Dunfermline, Splaine joined former Pars teammate Dean Shiels in signing for side Derry City.[11] Splaine scored on his debut for the club, in a 2–1 victory over Limerick.[12] He left the club at the end of the 2018 season.[citation needed] In August 2019, Splaine joined Europa Point in Gibraltar. He made his debut on 21 August in a 5–0 defeat to Lynx.[13]
After a spell with Bruno's Magpies, Splaine returned to Scottish football in August 2020 with Annan Athletic.[14] In June 2021, Splaine moved up a division to sign for Scottish League One club Clyde.[15]
Career statistics
- As of match played 16 April 2022
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kilmarnock | 2014–15[16] | Scottish Premiership | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015–16[17] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Dunfermline Athletic | 2017–18[18] | Scottish Championship | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Derry City | 2018[19] | Premier Division | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Annan Athletic | 2020–21[20] | Scottish League Two | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Clyde | 2021–22[21] | Scottish League One | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| Career total | 65 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 80 | 3 | ||
References
External links
- Aaron Splaine at Soccerbase
- Aaron Splaine at Soccerway