| Mouhamed Niang | |
| Fullname: | Mouhamed Niang |
| Birth Date: | 8 October 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Dakar, Senegal |
| Position: | Defensive Midfielder, Centre Back |
| Currentclub: | Dumbarton |
| Clubnumber: | 20 |
| Youthclubs1: | Pollok |
| Years1: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs1: | Pollok |
| Caps1: | 19 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2018–2022 |
| Clubs2: | Partick Thistle |
| Caps2: | 17 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2019 |
| Clubs3: | → Cumnock Juniors (loan) |
| Years4: | 2019–2020 |
| Clubs4: | → Montrose (loan) |
| Caps4: | 14 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs5: | → Alloa Athletic (loan) |
| Caps5: | 30 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs6: | Hartlepool United |
| Caps6: | 13 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Years7: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs7: | Cove Rangers |
| Caps7: | 33 |
| Goals7: | 1 |
| Years8: | 2024– |
| Clubs8: | Dumbarton |
| Caps8: | 2 |
| Goals8: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 07:52, 18 August 2024 (UTC) |
Mouhamed "Sena" Niang (born 8 October 1999) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Dumbarton.[1]
Niang began his playing career with Pollok in August 2017. He made his competitive debut for the club in a 1–0 win against Arthurlie in the Sectional League Cup. He played the game at Right Back but previously his normal position under his coach Bill Reside at Pollok Under 19s was at sweeper but could quite easily move into midfield if required[2] Niang made a total of 19 league appearances for Pollok.
After impressing with Pollok, Niang joined Partick Thistle on trial playing for their reserves. However, his signing process was delayed due to work permit issues.[3] Sena officially signed for the club on 18 September 2018.[4] In January 2019, he signed an extended contract with Thistle and immediately moved out on loan to Cumnock Juniors for the remainder of the 2019–20 season to gain first-team experience.[5]
On 30 September 2019, Niang joined Scottish League One side Montrose on loan until January.[6] He made 15 appearances in all competitions for Montrose, scoring once.
After making his debut for Thistle in the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2019, Sena made his league debut for the club on 17 October 2020 coming on as a substitute for Salim Kouider-Aïssa in a 1–0 defeat to Clyde. In November 2020, he won Partick's Player of the Month award.[7] After establishing himself in the Thistle first team during 2020, Niang signed a three-year contract extension with Thistle on 17 December 2020.[8] He made 17 league appearances in the 2020–21 season as Thistle won Scottish League One and achieved promotion to the Scottish Championship.
In August 2021, Niang moved on loan to Scottish League One side Alloa Athletic for the entirety of the 2021–22 season.[9] He played 34 times for the club in all competitions, scoring four times.
On 23 June 2022, it was announced that Sena had joined League Two side Hartlepool United. He was released by Hartlepool at the end of the 2022–23 season and made 17 appearances in all competitions for the club.[10]
Following his release from Hartlepool, Niang signed a full-time two-year deal with Scottish League One side Cove Rangers. The move saw him link up with his former Hartlepool boss Paul Hartley who revealed he had tried to sign Sena for Cove Rangers during the previous January transfer window.[11]
After one season at Cove, Niang left the club for fellow Scottish League One side Dumbarton - saying he was keen to move back to the Central Belt.[12]
Sena is predominately a defensive midfielder[13] but he is also capable of playing in central midfield, as well as in the centre of defence where he played numerous times for Partick.[14] He is a tough tackler and in October 2021, he picked up one of the fastest red cards in Scottish football history when he was sent off for a lunge after 25 seconds for Alloa against Cove Rangers.[15] In January 2022, Sena picked up a two match ban due to crunching tackle on Celtic midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi.[16] He was described by Paul Hartley, who has managed Niang at Hartlepool and Cove Rangers, as "competitive, he can operate in a couple of different positions. He's an aggressive player, which I like, and he also keeps it simple. He knows how to play the position."[17]
Nicknamed "Sena", Niang was born in Dakar in Senegal but his family moved to Manchester in 2004. In 2008, his family moved back to Senegal for two years before moving to Glasgow.[18] He is a fan of Manchester United but described Senegal-born Patrick Vieira as his footballing hero. Niang attended All Saints Roman Catholic Secondary School and played for their school team.[18]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Partick Thistle | 2019–20[19] | Scottish Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[20] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[21] | Scottish League One | 17 | 0 | 2[22] | 0 | 3[23] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[24] | Scottish Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Partick Thistle total | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |||
| Montrose (loan) | 2019–20 | Scottish League One | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 1 | |
| Alloa (loan) | 2021–22 | Scottish League One | 30 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 2 | 1 | 34 | 4 | |
| Hartlepool United | 2022–23[25] | League Two | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[26] | 0 | 3[27] | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[28] | Scottish League One | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 1 | ||
| Dumbarton | 2024–25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 109 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 139 | 5 | |||
Partick Thistle