Connor Shields
{{short description|Scottish footballer (born 1997)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Connor Shields
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|7|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = Coatbridge, Scotland{{cite web|title=Connor Shields Motherwell F.C. player profile|url=https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/player/connor-shields/|website=motherwellfc.co.uk|access-date=25 July 2021|archive-date=19 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619231223/https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/player/connor-shields/|url-status=dead}}
| height =
| position = Striker
| currentclub = Chennaiyin
| clubnumber = 10
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 = 2015–2018
| clubs1 = Albion Rovers
| caps1 = 39
| goals1 = 9
| years2 = 2018–2019
| clubs2 = Sunderland
| caps2 = 0
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2018–2019
| clubs3 = → Alloa Athletic (loan)
| caps3 = 30
| goals3 = 3
| years4 = 2019–2020
| clubs4 = Aldershot Town
| caps4 = 22
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2020
| clubs5 = → Billericay Town (loan)
| caps5 = 2
| goals5 = 1
| years6 = 2020–2021
| clubs6 = Queen of the South
| caps6 = 22
| goals6 = 8
| years7 = 2021–2023
| clubs7 = Motherwell
| caps7 = 44
| goals7 = 2
| years8 = 2023
| clubs8 = → Queen's Park (loan)
| caps8 = 14
| goals8 = 5
| years9 = 2023–
| clubs9 = Chennaiyin
| caps9 = 38
| goals9 = 4
| club-update = 13:48, 9 February 2025 (UTC)
}}
Connor Shields (born 29 July 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian Super League club Chennaiyin. He has previously played for Albion Rovers, Sunderland, Aldershot Town and Queen of the South and Motherwell. Shields has also had loan spells with Alloa Athletic, Billercay Town and Queen's Park.
Career
Shields started his career at Albion Rovers during the 2015–16 season.{{soccerbase|90697}}
In January 2018, Shields earned a move to England, signing for Sunderland.{{cite web|url=https://www.safc.com/players/u23s/connor-shields|title=Profile|accessdate=12 February 2019|publisher=Sunderland A.F.C.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-youngster-connor-shields-hoping-14832151|title=Sunderland youngster Connor Shields hoping to make big impression in pre-season|date=27 June 2018|accessdate=12 February 2019|author=Craig Johns|publisher=Chronicle Live}} In August 2018, Shields was loaned to Alloa Athletic for six months.{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/sunderland-youngster-connor-shields-joins-15097309|title=Sunderland youngster Connor Shields joins Alloa Athletic on loan until January|date=31 August 2018|accessdate=12 February 2019|author=Craig Johns|publisher=Chronicle Live}} Shields was released by Sunderland at the end of the 2018–19 season and received interest and offers from a number of clubs.{{cite news|url=https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/latest-sunderland-afc-news/former-sunderland-youngster-connor-shields-receives-several-full-time-contract-offers-178007|title=Released youngster opens up on challenging Sunderland spell as he weighs-up next move|newspaper=Sunderland Echo}}
In June 2019, Shields signed for Aldershot Town on a one-year deal.{{cite web|url=https://www.theshots.co.uk/shots-sign-shields/|title=Shots Sign Shields – Aldershot Town FC|website=www.theshots.co.uk|date=26 June 2019}} In March 2020 he moved on loan to Billericay Town,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theshots.co.uk/transfer-news-connor-shields-joins-billericay-town-on-a-months-loan/|title=TRANSFER NEWS: Connor Shields Joins Billericay Town on a month's loan! | Aldershot Town FC|date=6 March 2020}} scoring on his debut.{{Cite web|url=https://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/18289594.goalscoring-debutant-connor-shields-praised-late-billericay-town-triumph-braintree-town/|title=Goalscoring debutant Connor Shields praised after late Billericay Town triumph over Braintree Town|website=Echo}}
In August 2020, Shields signed for Queen of the South on a one-year deal.{{Cite web|url=http://www.qosfc.com/news-5157|title=QosFC: Six Doonhamers|website=www.qosfc.com}}
=Motherwell=
On 27 May 2021, Shields signed a three-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Motherwell.{{Cite web|url=https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2021/05/27/connor-shields-signs/|title=Connor Shields signs|website=motherwellfc.co.uk|date=27 May 2021}} He scored his first goal for the club on 20 November 2021, in a 2–0 home win against Heart of Midlothian.{{cite web|title=Motherwell 2–0 Heart of Midlothian|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59271376|website=BBC Sport|last=Southwick|first=Andrew|date=20 November 2021|access-date=29 November 2021}}
On 31 January 2023, Shields joined Scottish Championship club Queen's Park on loan until the end of the season.{{Cite web |last=Cairns |first=Ian |date=31 January 2023 |title=Connor Shields on loan from Motherwell |url=https://queensparkfc.co.uk/connor-shields-on-loan-from-motherwell/ |access-date=1 February 2023 |website=Queen's Park Football Club |language=en-US}}
On 26 July 2023, Motherwell announced that Shields had left the club to join Indian Super League club Chennaiyin FC.{{cite web |title=CONNOR SHIELDS JOINS CHENNAIYIN FC |url=https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2023/07/26/connor-shields-joins-chennaiyin-fc/ |website=motherwellfc.co.uk |publisher=Motherwell F.C. |access-date=26 July 2023 |date=26 July 2023}}
Career statistics
{{updated|16 January 2024}}{{Soccerway|connor-shields/441115|accessdate=29 April 2021}}
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|National Cup !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="4"|Albion Rovers
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17
|Scottish League One |18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 2017–18
|Scottish League One |21 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 12 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!39||9||2||0||5||3||0||0||46||12 | ||||||||||
| rowspan=3|Sunderland
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alloa Athletic (loan)
|30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2{{efn|Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup.}} | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| Aldershot Town
|22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Billericay Town (loan)
|2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Queen of the South
|Scottish Championship |22 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | colspan=2|— | 28 | 11 | ||
| rowspan=3|Motherwell
|25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2022–23{{soccerbase season|90697|2022|accessdate=28 July 2022}}
|Scottish Premiership |19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2{{efn|Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League}} | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!44 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 3 | |
| Queen's Park (loan)
|Scottish Championship |14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 5 | |
| Chennaiyin
|10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | colspan=2|— | 3{{efn|Appearances in the Durand Cup}} | 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| colspan=3|Career total
!183||31||13||3||12||5||9||1||217||40 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{2020–21 PFA Scotland Scottish Championship Team of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Connor}}
Category:Footballers from Coatbridge
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:Albion Rovers F.C. players
Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players
Category:Alloa Athletic F.C. players
Category:Aldershot Town F.C. players
Category:Queen of the South F.C. players
Category:Scottish Professional Football League players
Category:National League (English football) players
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Billericay Town F.C. players
Category:Motherwell F.C. players
Category:Queen's Park F.C. players
Category:Chennaiyin FC players
Category:Indian Super League players
Category:Scottish expatriate men's footballers
Category:Scottish expatriate sportspeople in India