Louis Laing
Laing playing for Sunderland
Personal information
Full name Louis Mark Laing
Date of birth (1993-03-06) 6 March 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
2009–2011 Sunderland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Sunderland 1 (0)
2012 → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) 11 (0)
2014–2015 Nottingham Forest 0 (0)
2014 → Notts County (loan) 10 (0)
2015 → Motherwell (loan) 11 (1)
2015–2017 Motherwell 15 (1)
2016–2017 → Notts County (loan) 21 (1)
2017 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 14 (0)
2017–2018 Hartlepool United 40 (1)
2018–2019 Blyth Spartans 18 (1)
2019–2021 Darlington 36 (0)
Total 178 (5)
International career
2008 England U16 3 (0)
2009–2010 England U17 9 (0)
2011 England U18 1 (0)
2010–2011 England U19 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:59, 19 December 2022 (UTC)

Louis Mark Laing (born 6 March 1993) is a former English footballer who played as a defender. He started his career at Sunderland and also played for Wycombe Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Motherwell, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hartlepool United, Blyth Spartans and Darlington.

Club career

Sunderland

Laing was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, and grew up supporting Newcastle United.[1] Laing started at youth level with Montague B.C.[2] before he joined Newcastle's arch-rivals Sunderland in summer 2009.[3] In his first year at the Sunderland academy, he made 18 appearances, scoring once, despite injuries during the 2009–10 season.[3]

Laing made his Sunderland debut on 14 May 2011, coming on as a late substitute for John Mensah in a 3–1 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.[4] Although manager Steve Bruce was normally keen to let young players out on loan to play first-team football, the Sunderland Echo speculated that Laing might "have a part to play" for his parent club.[5]

On 16 January 2012, Laing signed for League One club Wycombe Wanderers on a one-month loan.[6] On 21 January, he made his debut in a 3–0 win against Rochdale at Adams Park.[7] The loan was extended until the end of the season.[8]

On his return from loan, Laing signed a new contract with Sunderland.[9] His next two seasons were overshadowed by injuries,[10] and he was released at the end of the 2013–14 season.[11]

Nottingham Forest

Despite interest from Blackburn Rovers,[12] Newcastle United[13] and Manchester United,[14] Laing signed a one-year deal with Nottingham Forest.[15]

Having only featured in Forest's reserves and under-21 sides, Laing joined Notts County on a one-month emergency loan on 12 September 2014.[16] He made his County debut the next day in a 0–0 draw with Peterborough United.[17] After helping the club keep four clean sheets in seven matches, Laing's loan spell with Notts County was extended to the maximum 93 days.[18] After making ten appearances for the club, Laing's loan spell with Notts County came to an end, as he made his last appearance against Swindon Town on 13 December.[19]

On 30 January 2015, Laing moved on loan to Motherwell until the end of the 2014–15 season.[20] He made his debut the following day against St Johnstone, but was sent off after 25 minutes.[21] Laing scored his first Motherwell goal in a 2–1 win over Inverness CT on 28 February.[22] He played in both legs of the Scottish Premiership play-off final as Motherwell maintained their top-flight status with a 6–1 win on aggregate against Rangers.[23] At the end of the season, Laing returned to his parent club,[24] although he said he hoped he would be able to come back to Motherwell.[25]

Laing was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of the season, having never made an appearance for the club.[26]

Motherwell

On 30 June 2015, Laing returned to Motherwell, signing a two-year contract with the club.[27] In March 2016, Laing revealed that earlier in the season, while out of the first team at Motherwell, he had considered giving up football.[28]

On 15 August 2016, Laing moved on loan to Notts County until 16 January 2017.[29] He was released by Motherwell on 31 January.[30]

Inverness

Laing signed for Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 16 February 2017 on a contract due to run until the end of the 2016–17 season.[31]

Hartlepool United

Laing signed for Hartlepool United on 10 July 2017.[32] His contract was terminated by mutual consent in October 2018;[33] he made 40 league appearances for the club.

Blyth Spartans

Shortly after his release from Hartlepool, Laing signed for National League North club Blyth Spartans on 18 October.[34]

Darlington

Laing signed for another National League North club, Darlington, in 2019.[35]

International career

Laing played for England at all levels from under-16 to under-19.[36]

Personal life

Laing now works for an insurance broker in Newcastle.[37]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] League Cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sunderland 2010–11[38] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2011–12[39] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2012–13[40] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2013–14[41] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
Wycombe Wanderers (loan) 2011–12[39] League One 11 0 — — — 11 0
Nottingham Forest 2014–15[42] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Notts County (loan) 2014–15[42] League One 10 0 0 0 — 2[c] 0 12 0
Motherwell (loan) 2014–15[42] Scottish Premiership 11 1 — — 2[d] 0 13 1
Motherwell 2015–16[43] Scottish Premiership 15 1 0 0 1 0 — 16 1
2016–17[44] Scottish Premiership 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 26 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 29 2
Notts County (loan) 2016–17[44] League Two 21 1 3 1 — 3[e] 0 27 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2016–17[44] Scottish Premiership 14 0 0 0 — — 14 0
Hartlepool United 2017–18[45] National League 39 1 2 0 — 1[f] 0 42 1
2018–19[45] National League 1 0 — — — 1 0
Total 40 1 2 0 — 1 0 43 1
Blyth Spartans 2018–19[45] National League North 18 1 1 0 — 1[f] 0 20 1
Darlington 2019–20[45][46] National League North 30 0 4 0 — 4[f] 0 38 0
2020–21[45][47] National League North 6 0 1 0 — 2[f] 0 9 0
Total 36 0 5 0 — 6 0 47 0
Career total 178 5 11 1 1 0 15 0 205 6
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League Cup/EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in Football League Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in Premiership play-offs
  5. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  6. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

References

  1. ^ Ralston, Gary (30 May 2015). "Motherwell defender Louis Laing: My Newcastle idols survived.. now it's our turn". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Louis Laing". Sunderland A.F.C. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Louis Laing". Sunderland A.F.C. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  4. ^ Scrivener, Peter (14 May 2011). "Sunderland 1–3 Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Sunderland boss Steve Bruce hails teenage defender Louis Laing". Sunderland Echo. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Wycombe Wanderers secure loan for Sunderland's Louis Laing". BBC Sport. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Wycombe 3–0 Rochdale". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.[dead link]
  8. ^ "Wycombe Wanderers keep Louis Laing until the end of the season". BBC Sport. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  9. ^ Young, Chris (4 July 2012). "Laing heads list of new deals for 11 Sunderland rookies". Sunderland Echo. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  10. ^ Anderson, Graeme (23 January 2013). "Sunderland make Academy clear-out". Sunderland Echo. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
    Young, Chris (17 August 2013). "Sunderland prospect Laing out for six weeks". Sunderland Echo. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Sunderland's retained list confirmed". Sunderland Echo. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Blackburn consider Sunderland defender". Sunderland Echo. 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Newcastle United step up bid to offload defender". Sunderland Echo. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  14. ^ O'Rourke, Pete (24 April 2014). "Transfer news: Manchester United take Sunderland's Louis Laing on trial". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Louis Laing signs for Forest". Nottingham Forest F.C. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Louis heads for the Lane". Nottingham Forest F.C. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Peterborough United 0–0 Notts County". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Louis Laing extends loan stay with Notts County". Notts County F.C. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Notts County 0–3 Swindon Town". BBC Sport. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
    "Laing: We will go into it believing we can win". Notts County F.C. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  20. ^ "'Well net Notts Forest defender". Motherwell F.C. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  21. ^ Crawford, Kenny (31 January 2015). "Motherwell 1–1 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  22. ^ Lamont, Alasdair (28 February 2015). "Motherwell 2–1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  23. ^ Wilson, Richard (28 May 2015). "Rangers 1–3 Motherwell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
    Lindsay, Clive (31 May 2015). "Motherwell 3–0 Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  24. ^ "Motherwell offer Rangers rammy kid Lee Erwin a new deal as FIFTEEN players leave Fir Park". Daily Record. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  25. ^ Mullen, Scott (4 June 2015). "Laing: Deal me in Motherwell". Glasgow Evening Times. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  26. ^ Taylor, Paul (12 June 2014). "Football League confirm players released by Nottingham Forest". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  27. ^ "Louis Laing signs on again". Motherwell F.C. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  28. ^ "Motherwell's Louis Laing pondered quitting game". BBC Sport. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  29. ^ "Louis Laing: Notts County sign Motherwell defender on loan". BBC Sport. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Fry and Laing depart the Steelmen". Motherwell F.C. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  31. ^ Dowden, Martin (16 February 2017). "Louis Laing: Inverness sign former Motherwell defender until summer". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  32. ^ "Louis Laing makes Pools move". Hartlepool United F.C. 10 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  33. ^ "Louis Laing leaves the club". Hartlepol United F.C. 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018.
  34. ^ Dick, Stuart (18 October 2018). "Arrival: Spartans sign former England Youth International Laing". Blyth Spartans A.F.C. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  35. ^ Simpson, Ray (3 June 2019). "Darlington sign centre half Louis Laing". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  36. ^ "Louis Laing". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  37. ^ "Meet the Team: Louis Laing". Bespoke Financial. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  38. ^ "Games played by Louis Laing in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  39. ^ a b "Games played by Louis Laing in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  40. ^ "Games played by Louis Laing in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  41. ^ "Games played by Louis Laing in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  42. ^ a b c "Games played by Louis Laing in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  43. ^ "Games played by Louis Laing in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  44. ^ a b c "Games played by Louis Laing in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  45. ^ a b c d e "L. Laing". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  46. ^ For FA Cup qualifying rounds: Simpson, Ray (5 October 2019). "Tyrone and Justin put Quakers through". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
    Simpson, Ray (19 October 2019). "Two from Tyrone help to fire Quakers into the first round". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
    For FA Trophy third qualifying round: Simpson, Ray (23 November 2019). "Sub Justin scores the winner". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  47. ^ For FA Cup 3rd qualifying round: Simpson, Ray (13 October 2020). "Early Liddle goal sets up Quakers goal spree". Darlington F.C. Retrieved 3 March 2020.

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