Liam Lindsay

Liam Lindsay
Personal information
Full name Liam James Lindsay[1]
Date of birth (1995-10-12) 12 October 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland[2]
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[3]
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Preston North End
Number 6
Youth career
2011–2012 Partick Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2017 Partick Thistle 64 (7)
2014 → Alloa Athletic (loan) 10 (0)
2015 → Airdrieonians (loan) 13 (1)
2017–2019 Barnsley 83 (2)
2019–2021 Stoke City 20 (1)
2021 → Preston North End (loan) 13 (2)
2021– Preston North End 114 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:44, 21 December 2024 (UTC)

Liam James Lindsay (born 12 October 1995) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL Championship club Preston North End.

Lindsay started his career with Partick Thistle breaking into the first team at Firhill after loan spells with Alloa Athletic and Airdrieonians. After a successful 2016–17 season with the Jags which saw him named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, Lindsay joined English Championship side Barnsley. The Tykes were relegated from the Championship in 2017–18 but were able to gain an instant return in 2018–19 finishing 2nd in EFL League One. Lindsay joined Stoke City in June 2019 for an initial fee of £2 million.

Club career

Partick Thistle

Lindsay was born in Glasgow and attended St Ninian's High School in Giffnock where he played in the school football team along with Andrew Robertson.[4][5] After joining the youth system at Partick Thistle in 2011, Lindsay signed his first professional contract with the club on 6 June 2012.[6] He made his debut for the club in their final match of the 2012–13 season, a 0–0 draw away to Dumbarton on 4 May 2013.[7] On 31 January 2014, Lindsay signed for Scottish Championship club Alloa Athletic on loan for the rest of the 2013–14 season.[8] He made his debut on 1 February 2014, as Alloa drew 1–1 with Dundee.[9] He played 11 times for Alloa helping them to avoid a relegation play-off.[10]

After returning to Partick Thistle, Lindsay signed a new two-year contract with the club in June 2014.[11] Lindsay made his full Scottish Premiership debut, playing 90 minutes on 4 January 2015, in a 2–2 draw with high-flying Dundee United.[12] On 29 January 2015, Lindsay signed for Scottish League One side Airdrieonians on a loan deal until the end of the 2014–15 season.[13] Lindsay played 13 matches for Airdrieonians scoring once in a 1–0 away win against Peterhead on 25 April 2015.[14][15]

Lindsay broke into Thistle's first team in the 2015–16 season after impressing manager Alan Archibald in pre-season.[16] He scored his first goal for Partick Thistle in a 1–1 draw with Dundee on 8 December 2015.[17] He was sent-off twice during the campaign firstly against Kilmarnock in August 2015 and then against Dundee in January 2016.[18][19] Lindsay played 27 times in 2015–16 as Thistle finished in 9th position.[20] He became a main stay of the defence in 2016–17 which saw him make 42 appearances, scoring seven goals as the Jags finished in 6th position after.[21]

Lindsay was named in the Scottish Premiership 2016–17 Team of the Year; he was only player outside of Aberdeen and Celtic to be in the team.[22]

Barnsley

In June 2017, he turned down a prospective transfer to English club Oxford United.[23] Later that month Partick Thistle accepted an offer for Lindsay from Barnsley.[24] Lindsay signed a three-year contract with Barnsley on 22 June.[25] He made his Barnsley debut on 26 August 2017 in a 3–0 victory against Sunderland.[26] Lindsay settled into life at Barnsley well and by November 2017 there were calls for him to earn a Scotland call-up.[27] However Barnsley hit poor form around December and they ended up being relegated after losing 4–1 at Derby County in the final match of the 2017–18 season.[28] In 2018–19 under the management of Daniel Stendel, Lindsay formed a strong partnership with Ethan Pinnock as the Tykes held the best defensive record in the EFL with only 39 goals conceded and kept 21 clean sheets helping them secure second spot and a return to the Championship at the first time of asking.[29][30][31]

Stoke City

Lindsay joined Stoke City on 25 June 2019 for an initial fee of £2 million, rising to £2.5 million, along with Barnsley teammate Adam Davies.[32][33] Lindsay made his debut on 10 August 2019 in a 3–1 defeat against Charlton Athletic.[34][35] He scored his first goal for Stoke against Birmingham City on 31 August 2019.[36] The team began the season in poor form and were struggling at the bottom of the table which resulted in a change of manager in November 2019.[37] Lindsay kept his spot in the team until Michael O'Neill brought in James Chester in January and he took Lindsay's place for the remainder of the 2019–20 season.[38] In August 2020 he was linked with a transfer away from the club, to Sheffield Wednesday or Huddersfield Town.[39]

Preston North End

On 1 February 2021, Lindsay joined Preston North End on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[40] Lindsay made 13 appearances for Preston scoring twice.[41] Lindsay made his move to Preston permanent on 9 June 2021, joining for an undisclosed fee.[42][43]

International career

Lindsay received the first international call up of his career for the Scottish National team aged 28, on 1 October 2024, for Scotland’s Nations League fixtures with Croatia and Portugal.[44]

Personal life

Lindsay's uncle Ricky Gillies was also a professional footballer, whilst his father, James, was once on the books at Celtic.[45]

Career statistics

As of 21 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Partick Thistle 2012–13[7] Scottish First Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2013–14[10] Scottish Premiership 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2014–15[14] Scottish Premiership 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2015–16[20] Scottish Premiership 25 1 2 0 0 0 — 27 1
2016–17[21] Scottish Premiership 35 6 2 0 4 1 — 42 7
Total 63 7 4 0 4 1 0 0 71 8
Alloa Athletic (loan) 2013–14[10] Scottish Championship 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Airdrieonians (loan) 2014–15[14] Scottish League One 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 1
Barnsley 2017–18[46] Championship 42 1 1 0 1 0 — 44 1
2018–19[47] League One 41 1 3 0 0 0 2 1 46 2
Total 83 2 4 0 1 0 2 1 90 3
Stoke City 2019–20[48] Championship 20 1 1 0 2 0 — 23 1
2020–21[41] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 20 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 23 1
Preston North End (loan) 2020–21[41] Championship 13 2 0 0 0 0 — 13 2
Preston North End 2021–22[49] Championship 15 0 0 0 2 0 — 17 0
2022–23[50] Championship 37 0 2 0 0 0 — 39 0
2023–24[51] Championship 46 3 1 0 0 0 — 47 3
2024–25[52] Championship 16 0 0 0 4 0 — 20 0
Total 114 3 3 0 6 0 0 0 123 3
Career total 315 16 13 0 13 1 2 1 344 18

Honours

Barnsley

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Stoke City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 69. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. ^ Liam Lindsay at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  3. ^ "Liam Lindsay". Barnsley F.C. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Good luck to @stninianshigh former pupil Liam Lindsay who has started for @ThistleTweet v Dundee Utd #stniniansconveyorbelt". Twitter.
  5. ^ "From 'Cheeky Chappy' to Liverpool Star: The Early Years That Made Andy Robertson". Bleacher report. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  6. ^ "THREE NEW YOUNG JAGS SIGN". Partick Thistle F.C. 6 June 2012. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b "DUMBARTON 0 PARTICK THISTLE 0". Partick Thistle F.C. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Wasps add defender". Alloa Athletic F.C. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  9. ^ "New Alloa boy Liam Lindsay thrilled with Dundee debut draw". Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  10. ^ a b c "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  11. ^ Jack, Chris (26 June 2014). "Banzo set to touch base for training". Evening Times. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  12. ^ Lindsay, Clive (4 January 2015). "Partick Thistle 2-2 Dundee United". BBC Sport.
  13. ^ "LIAM LINDSAY". Airdrieonians F.C. 29 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  14. ^ a b c "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  15. ^ "Peterhead 0–1 Airdrieonians". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Liam Lindsay is desperate to repay Alan Archibald's faith in him as teen hope to face up to boyhood heroes Celtic". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  17. ^ Brian McLauchlin (8 December 2015). "Dundee 1-1 Partick Thistle". BBC Sport.
  18. ^ "Partick Thistle 2–2 Kilmarnock". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Partick Thistle 2–4 Dundee". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  22. ^ "Liam Lindsay selected in PFA Scotland team of the year". PTFC. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  23. ^ Kenny Crawford (17 June 2017). "Liam Lindsay: Partick Thistle defender opts not to join Oxford United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  24. ^ Jonathan Sutherland (20 June 2017). "Liam Lindsay: Partick Thistle agree fee with Barnsley for central defender". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  25. ^ "Liam Lindsay: Barnsley sign Partick Thistle defender for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  26. ^ "Barnsley 3–0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  27. ^ "Liam Lindsay loving life at Barnsley as he attracts interest from English Premier League giants". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  28. ^ "Derby 4–1 Barnsley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  29. ^ "All's well at Oakwell: how Barnsley built Football League's tightest defence". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  30. ^ "New centre-back Mads hoping to improve EFL's best defence". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  31. ^ "League One promotion: Luton Town and Barnsley return to Championship for 2019-20". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  32. ^ "Stoke City: Liam Lindsay, Adam Davies, Jordan Cousins, Nick Powell & Lee Gregory join Potters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  33. ^ "Davies, Powell, Gregory, Cousins and Lindsay arrive…". Stoke City. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  34. ^ "Charlton 3–1 Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  35. ^ "Stoke City new boy gutted and desperate to put things right". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Birmingham 2–1 Stoke". BBC. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  37. ^ "'I'm just trying my hardest every day' - Stoke City summer signing buzzing as he caps starting XI return with clean sheet". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  38. ^ "Michael O'Neill makes sweeping changes again as Stoke City take on Barnsley". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  39. ^ Chicken, Steven; Howson, Dom (23 August 2020). "Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town linked with Stoke defender". YorkshireLive.
  40. ^ "Lindsay heads out". Stoke City. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  41. ^ a b c "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  42. ^ "Liam seals permanent Preston switch". Stoke City. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  43. ^ "Preston sign Lindsay from Stoke" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  44. ^ "Scotland: Steve Clarke turns to fresh faces as injuries mount". BBC Sport. 1 October 2024.
  45. ^ "Partick defender Liam Lindsay keeps football in the family". Planet Radio. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  46. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  47. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  48. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  49. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  50. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  51. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  52. ^ "Games played by Liam Lindsay in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  53. ^ "League One: 2018/19: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
    "Barnsley: Squad details: 2018/19". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  54. ^ Treadwell, Matthew (5 May 2017). "Celtic and Aberdeen dominate PFA Scotland Team of the Year". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 November 2017.