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Stuart Balmer

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Scottish footballer
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Stuart Balmer
Personal information
Full name Stuart Murray Balmer
Date of birth (1969-09-20) 20 September 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth Falkirk, Scotland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)

Defender

Grahamston
Youth career
000?–1987 Celtic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1990 Celtic 0 (0)
1990–1998 Charlton Athletic 227 (8)
1998–2001 Wigan Athletic 101 (3)
2001–2003 Oldham Athletic 36 (6)
2002 → Scunthorpe United (loan) 6 (0)
2002–2004 Boston United 47 (3)
2004–2005 Clyde 13 (0)
2005–2006 Hamilton Academical 15 (1)
2006–2008 St Mirren 0 (0)
Total 445 (21)
Managerial career
2017 Forfar Athletic (interim manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stuart Murray Balmer (born 20 September 1969 in Falkirk) is a Scottish professional footballer, who played as a defender.

Playing career

Balmer was a young player at Celtic, having progressed from the Celtic Boys Club, in the late 1980s. Having never made a competitive first team appearance at Parkhead, he was sold to Charlton Athletic in August 1990 for a fee of £120,000. He has the distinction of being the first outfield player in the English league to be allocated the squad number 1; Charlton in the early 1990s allocated their squad numbers alphabetically, hence Balmer (and not a goalkeeper as is typical) wore the number 1 shirt for the season.

After eight years at Charlton, Balmer moved to Wigan in September 1998 for £200,000. In three seasons there, Balmer made over 100 appearances before going on to play for several lower league English sides. Whilst at Wigan he also played in the final as they won the 1998–99 Football League Trophy.

In July 2004, Balmer returned to Scotland as player/assistant-manager to Billy Reid at Clyde and then followed him when he moved to Hamilton Academical a year later. Balmer scored one goal for Hamilton, ironically in a game against former club Clyde.

Coaching career

In January 2011, Balmer joined the coaching staff at Ross County as assistant to manager Willie McStay. McStay was sacked as manager a month later, but Balmer remained on the coaching staff under Jimmy Calderwood who was appointed to manage the side until the end of the season. Ross County only narrowly avoided relegation and Calderwood left at the end of the season. Balmer was re-appointed assistant manager by Derek Adams on his appointment as manager in June 2011, and that following season the management team helped Ross County win the Scottish First Division championship and promotion to the Scottish Premier League. In a further readjustment of the coaching staff at Victoria Park in November 2012, Balmer took on the duties of coaching the Under-20 side., before leaving the club completely in May 2013.

Balmer joined Airdrie in November 2013 as assistant to their recently appointed manager, Gary Bollan and subsequently followed Gary, as his assistant, to Forfar in December 2015. After Bollan was sacked by Forfar in September 2017, Balmer took charge of the side on an interim basis.

References

  1. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 33. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. Traynor, James (12 April 1990). "Desperate times as Celtic find themselves short at the back". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  3. ^ "Stuart Balmer | Football Stats | No Club | Age 52 | 1989-2007 | Soccer Base".
  4. "Which maverick outfield footballers have worn the No 1 shirt?". The Guardian. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. "Letters, WSC 274". When Saturday Comes. December 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  6. "Auto Windscreens Shield Final - Sunday 18th April 1999". cockneylatic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  7. "Reid takes charge at Clyde". BBC Sport. 9 January 2004.
  8. "Jones becomes Accies' assistant". BBC Sport. 5 October 2006.
  9. "Clyde 2-2 Hamilton Academical". BBC. 28 January 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Stuart Balmer to assist Derek Adams at Ross County". BBC Sport. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  11. "Ross County celebrate promotion to SPL". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  12. "Neale Cooper returns to Ross County as assistant manager". BBC Sport. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  13. Ross County Fans (20 May 2013). "Ross County Football Club can confirm that Under 20s Coach Stuart Balmer has left the Club with immediate effect..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. Paterson, Colin (7 November 2013). "Gary Bollan appoints Stuart Balmer as Airdrieonians assistant". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  15. "News - Forfar Athletic Football Club - News - Official Website of the Loons". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  16. "Gary Bollan: Forfar Athletic sack manager after run of defeats". BBC Sport. BBC. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.

External links

Charlton Athletic F.C. – Player of the Year
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