| Paul McLean | |
| Fullname: | Paul McLean |
| Birth Date: | 2 February 1990[1] |
| Birth Place: | Musselburgh, Scotland |
| Currentclub: | Cowdenbeath (Player/Coach) |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthyears1: | 2006–2008 |
| Youthclubs1: | Norwich City |
| Youthyears2: | 2008–2009 |
| Youthclubs2: | Falkirk |
| Years1: | 2009–2019 |
| Clubs1: | Brechin City |
| Caps1: | 289 |
| Goals1: | 21 |
| Years2: | 2019–2024 |
| Clubs2: | Stirling Albion |
| Caps2: | 95 |
| Goals2: | 9 |
| Club-Update: | 10:21, 10 March 2024 (UTC) |
Paul McLean (born 2 February 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Cowdenbeath. McLean previously played with Brechin City, where he spent 10 years and also captained the side and was at Stirling Albion.[2]
McLean started his career as a youth player with Norwich City F.C. Under-23s and Academy, after a successful trial in 2005 saw him being offered a contract for the 2006–07 season.[3] He spent two years in England, before subsequently moving back to Scotland with Falkirk in 2007.[3] His first contract as a senior footballer came when, at the age of 19, he was signed by Jim Duffy for Brechin City on a two-year deal.[4]
After 10 years at Brechin, McLean left the club in May 2019 and signed for Stirling Albion.[5]
But in May 2024 he joined Cowdenbeath as a player-coach after four seasons with the binos'.
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Brechin City | 2009–10 | Scottish Second Division | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[6] | 0 | 40 | 3 | |
| 2010–11 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[7] | 0 | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[8] | 0 | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[9] | 0 | 37 | 3 | |||
| 2013–14 | Scottish League One | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | 33 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[10] | 0 | 42 | 7 | |||
| 2015–16 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[11] | 1 | 35 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | Scottish Championship | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Scottish League One | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 289 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 341 | 23 | |||
| Stirling Albion | 2019–20 | Scottish League Two | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| 2020–21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 323 | 24 | 16 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 387 | 24 | |||
Outside of football, McLean works in medical research at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.[2]