Name: Paul McGowan
Date of birth: 07/10/1987
Position: Forward
Former clubs: Celtic, Morton, Hamilton
Signed: Summer 2010
Contracted to: Summer 2014
After spending 2010/11 on loan at Saints, Paul signed permanently in 2011 after leaving Celtic. He started his career in the youth ranks at Parkhead and was loaned to Morton in the 2006/07 season, scoring 16 goals as they won the second division. Although he played a few European games for Celtic - scoring against Rapid Vienna - he was never able to make the breakthrough - although did feature the night we gubbed Celtic 4-0! He was loaned to Hamilton in 2009 and then to Saints the following season - making his debut in the Renfrewshire Cup against Morton. He can play in midfield or up front, but seemed to struggle in his first six months with us and got himself stupidly sent off against Kilmarnock. Scored against Ross County and a fine effort against Caley Thistle, but his performances often frustrated the Saints support who began to wonder if the terms of his loan agreement made him undroppable. However, after bagging a hat-trick against Peterhead in the cup his performances improved. Scored against Aberdeen in the cup and put in a number of good displays as we beat the drop. His permanent arrival coincided with our change of style and it suited Paul down to the ground. Suddenly he had team-mates on the same wavelength, his passing and dribbling were a joy to watch and he also provided a few goals - including the winner against Rangers on Christmas Eve. Seems to be able to play his way out of situations with ease and is a real handful for opposition defenders. Unfortunately suffered a shoulder injury in September 2012 that kept him out for a few months but he returned in time to score a penalty against Celtic in the League Cup semi-final and then was man of the match n the final. It looked as if he would leave at the end of the season but, to the delight of every Buddie, he decided to stick around for another year.
Click here to see Paul's playing stats.
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