Michael McGlinchey
Michael McGlinchey | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1987 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Footballer (retired) |
| Years active | 2005–2022 |
| Known for | Midfielder for Central Coast Mariners, Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand national team |
Michael Ryan McGlinchey (born 7 January 1987) is a retired New Zealand footballer who played primarily as a midfielder.
McGlinchey initiated his professional journey with Scottish club Celtic, which included a loan period at Dunfermline Athletic. He later moved to the A-League, joining Central Coast Mariners, where he amassed over 100 appearances. While with the Mariners, he had loan stints at Motherwell in 2010 and Vegalta Sendai in 2014. After negotiating his release from Central Coast Mariners, he signed for Wellington Phoenix in 2014. In 2018, he returned to the Mariners before relocating to Scotland in 2020 to play for Queen's Park and subsequently Clyde. In 2022, McGlinchey joined the Weston Bears, competing in Australia's National Premier Leagues.
On the international stage, McGlinchey represented Scotland at under-20 and under-21 levels before opting to represent his native New Zealand. He was included in New Zealand’s squad for the 2010 World Cup and participated as an over-age player at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Throughout his international tenure, he earned over fifty caps and netted five goals for New Zealand.
Celtic
As a midfielder, McGlinchey developed through the ranks of Scottish powerhouse Celtic. At age 17, then-manager Martin O'Neill convinced him to join Celtic—the club he supported—over offers from Manchester United. He made his first-team debut coming off the bench against Livingston in December 2005. This appearance remained his sole outing for the Scottish Premier League side, as subsequent managerial changes limited his opportunities.
In the 2007–08 season, McGlinchey was loaned out to Scottish First Division club Dunfermline Athletic until January 2008. Although he performed well during this spell, a groin injury prematurely ended the loan. Celtic released him in May 2009.
Central Coast Mariners
After impressing during a trial period, McGlinchey secured a two-year deal with A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners. He made his debut against Melbourne Victory in August 2009 and scored his inaugural professional goal in a surprising 2–0 victory over the defending champions.
As the 2009–10 A-League season drew to a close, seeking increased playing time ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, McGlinchey arranged a season-long loan move to Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.
Dispute
McGlinchey attempted to depart Central Coast Mariners on a free transfer; however, in August 2014 it was determined that he remained contractually bound to the club. The Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) contested this ruling, arguing that due to a change in club ownership, he should be allowed to join Wellington Phoenix on a free transfer. This claim was ultimately unsuccessful. On 11 September 2014, Central Coast Mariners agreed to terminate his contract following compensation, citing McGlinchey’s wish to leave as a significant factor.
Motherwell
In February 2010, McGlinchey moved on loan to the Scottish club Motherwell for the remainder of the 2009–10 season, where he featured in 8 matches.
Vegalta Sendai
On 23 December 2013, Central Coast Mariners confirmed McGlinchey’s loan transfer to Japanese outfit Vegalta Sendai for one year, following coach Graham Arnold. Nevertheless, after Arnold's dismissal, Vegalta Sendai ended McGlinchey’s loan agreement on 11 June 2014.
Wellington Phoenix
After securing his release from the Mariners on 11 September 2014, McGlinchey signed a two-year deal with Wellington Phoenix on 12 September 2014. He spent four seasons with the club before being released on 1 May 2018.
Return to Central Coast Mariners
McGlinchey rejoined Central Coast Mariners in June 2018, agreeing to a two-year contract. He was released by the Mariners following the conclusion of the 2019–20 A-League campaign.
Return to Scotland
In October 2020, McGlinchey signed a short-term contract with Queen's Park, competing in Scottish League Two. His tenure ended in January 2021 upon contract expiration.
Subsequently, in March 2021, he joined Clyde, a club in Scottish League One, on a deal lasting until the end of the 2020–21 season.
Return to Australia
McGlinchey made his return to Australian football in February 2022 by signing with Weston Bears, participants in the National Premier Leagues.
International career
Eligible to represent Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand, McGlinchey’s football lineage includes his father, Norrie McGlinchey, who played for New Zealand clubs Stop Out and Hutt Valley United. The family relocated back to Scotland when Michael was one year old.
He represented Scotland twice at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, appearing against Costa Rica and Nigeria.
Following a FIFA regulation change in 2009 that removed age restrictions for switching national teams, McGlinchey opted to play for the New Zealand All Whites. Manager Ricki Herbert selected him for the World Cup qualification play-offs against Jordan and Bahrain. McGlinchey made his New Zealand debut on 9 September 2009 in a match versus Jordan.
He contributed significantly during the Bahrain play-offs, coming off the bench in the away leg and starting in the home fixture in Wellington, which New Zealand won 1–0 courtesy of Rory Fallon's goal.
On 10 May 2010, McGlinchey was included in New Zealand’s final squad of 23 players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Additionally, he was one of three over-age players representing New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Olympics, participating in all three group stage games.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Celtic | 2005–06 | Scottish Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dunfermline Athletic (loan) | 2007–08 | Scottish First Division | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 2009–10 | A-League | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| 2010–11 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 33 | 7 | ||
| 2013–14 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | ||
| Total | 120 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 133 | 13 | ||
| Motherwell (loan) | 2009–10 | Scottish Premier League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Vegalta Sendai (loan) | 2014 | J1 League | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 2014–15 | A-League | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
| 2015–16 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Total | 85 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 11 | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2018–19 | A-League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥١٥1515 | |||||
| Career total | 274 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 300 | 26 | ||
International
| New Zealand national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Appearances | Goals |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 | 3 | 1 |
| 2012 | 11 | 2 |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 7 | 1 |
| 2017 | 11 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 54 | 5 |
International goals
- Statistics updated as of match played on 15 November 2017. New Zealand's score is presented first; the score column indicates the tally following each goal scored by McGlinchey.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score after goal | Final result | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2011 | Wuhan Sports Center Stadium, Wuhan, China | 8 | Template:Fb | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly match |
| 2 | 16 October 2012 | Rugby League Park, Christchurch, New Zealand | 20 | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC third round |
| 3 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 31 May 2016 | Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | 35 | Template:Fb | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2016 OFC Nations Cup |
| 5 | 1 September 2017 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | 48 | Template:Fb | 5–1 | 6–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC third round |
Club
Central Coast Mariners:
- A-League Premiership winner: 2011–12
- A-League Championship titleholder: 2012–13
International
- New Zealand
- OFC Nations Cup champion: 2016
Individual accolades
- Selected for PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2012–13
- Participant in A-League All Stars Game: 2013
See also
- List of Central Coast Mariners FC players
- List of sportspeople who competed for more than one nation
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1987 births
- Living people
- Scottish men's footballers
- New Zealand men's association footballers
- New Zealand men's international footballers
- New Zealand people of Irish descent
- New Zealand men's youth international footballers
- Celtic F.C. players
- Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players
- Motherwell F.C. players
- J1 League players
- Vegalta Sendai players
- Central Coast Mariners FC players
- Wellington Phoenix FC players
- Queen's Park F.C. players
- Clyde F.C. players
- A-League Men players
- A-League Men All-Stars
- 2010 FIFA World Cup players
- Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- 2012 OFC Nations Cup players
- 2016 OFC Nations Cup players
- 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players
- Association footballers from Wellington City
- New Zealand people of Scottish descent
- Scotland men's youth international footballers
- Scotland men's under-21 international footballers
- Scottish Premier League players
- Scottish Football League players
- Olympic association footballers for New Zealand
- Men's association football midfielders
- New Zealand expatriate men's association footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Japan
- New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Japan
- 21st-century Scottish sportsmen
- 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen
- A-League Men championship–winning players