Ciaran Gilligan Explained

Ciaran Gilligan
Fullname:Ciaran Patrick Gilligan[1]
Birth Date:5 February 2002
Birth Place:Derby, England
Height:1.8m (05.9feet)[2]
Position:Midfielder
Currentclub:Burton Albion
Clubnumber:25
Youthyears1:–2020
Youthclubs1:Burton Albion
Years1:2020–
Caps1:46
Goals1:1
Club-Update:02:15, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

Ciaran Patrick Gilligan (born 19 January 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Burton Albion. Born in England, he has represented the Republic of Ireland as a youth international.

Club career

Born in Derby, Gilligan signed his first professional contract with Burton in June 2020.[3] Gilligan joined Burton Albion's academy at under-8 level.[4] He broke into the club's first team in the 2020–21 season, and made his full debut for the club in a 3–3 EFL Trophy draw against Peterborough United on 8 September 2020.[5] He made his first League One start on 17 October 2020 against Bristol Rovers. In doing so, he became the first Burton player to progress through every age group of Burton's youth system before appearing in the first team.[6] In November 2020, Gilligan signed a new contract with the club, valid until summer 2022, with the option for a further year. Over the course of the season, he made 22 appearances, 18 of which were in the league. He missed a number of games during the second half of the 2021–22 season through a hamstring injury.[7] In April 2022, he signed a new contract until summer 2024.[8] He made 10 appearances over the 2021–22 season in total. Gilligan picked up a further hamstring injury in September 2022.[9]

On 10 February 2024, he scored his first senior goal with a "looping shot" in a 2–1 win away at Bristol Rovers.[10]

International career

Gilligan was called up to a training camp for the Republic of Ireland under-19 team in May 2021.[11] In March 2022, he was called up to the under-20 team for a fixture against an Ireland Amateurs team.[12] [13]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueFA CupEFL CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Burton Albion2020–21League One180001030220
2021–22League One80000020100
2022–23League One6000002080
2023–24League One141101020181
Career total461102090581

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 11 September 2020 . Notification of shirt numbers: Burton Albion . 17 September 2020 . English Football League . 15.
  2. Web site: FootballSquads - Burton Albion - 2022/2023 . 14 April 2024 . footballsquads.co.uk.
  3. News: Crawford . Colston . 16 June 2020 . Brewers add four more from the academy on contracts for next season . 14 April 2024 . Derby Telegraph.
  4. News: Crawford . Colston . 17 November 2020 . Gilligan's progress marked by new contract with Brewers . 14 April 2024 . Derby Telegraph.
  5. News: Crawford . Colston . 12 October 2020 . Gilligan's progress a positive for Brewers in recent weeks . 14 April 2024 . Derby Telegraph.
  6. News: Crawford . Colston . 22 February 2022 . Gilligan's progress an example to all, says JFH . 14 April 2024 . Staffordshire Live.
  7. Web site: Mail . Harry . 28 February 2022 . Burton Albion without midfielder Ciaran Gilligan for Sheffield Wednesday clash . 14 April 2024 . The72.
  8. Web site: Wilkinson . Ash . 8 April 2022 . Ciaran Gilligan signs new contract until 2024 . 14 April 2024 . Burton Albion F.C..
  9. Web site: Large . Matt . 22 September 2022 . Maamria set to lose Gilligan for up to four weeks . 14 April 2024 . Burton Albion F.C..
  10. Web site: 10 February 2024 . Bristol Rovers 1-2 Burton Albion . 14 April 2024 . BBC Sport.
  11. Web site: Wilkinson . Ash . Slater . Rob . 26 May 2021 . Parker, Gilligan and Taylor called up for international training camps and qualifiers . 14 April 2024 . Burton Albion F.C..
  12. Web site: 11 March 2022 . Ireland U20s side to take on Ireland Amateurs . 14 April 2024 . Football Association of Ireland.
  13. Web site: Wilkinson . Ash . 15 March 2022 . CIaran Gilligan called up to Ireland U20s . 14 April 2024 . Burton Albion F.C..