Jason Scotland

Jason Kelvin Scotland CM (born 18 February 1979) is a Trinidadian former professional footballer and current coach of Larkhall Thistle who last played for Scottish team Hamilton Academical.

Scotland started his footballing career in his native Trinidad and Tobago before moving to play professionally for Scottish club Dundee United. He has also had spells with St Johnstone, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, Ipswich Town, Barnsley and Hamilton Academical. He made 41 international appearances and scored 8 goals for Trinidad and Tobago between 2000 and 2012, playing at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career and Dundee United

Born in Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago, after playing for Malick Senior Comprehensive School, Scotland went on to play with San Juan Jabloteh – for whom he scored nine goals in as many league games – and Defence Force, where he scored 30 goals in 31 league appearances. This goalscoring form earned him a trial with Scottish side Dundee United in May 2003 alongside fellow Trinidad player Devon Mitchell.

After impressing the staff, Scotland joined compatriot Collin Samuel at Tannadice after gaining a work permit in July. After making his debut in August 2003, Scotland featured mostly as a substitute in his first season and was wanted on loan by Northern Irish club Linfield in January 2004, although no move materialised. In March, Scotland scored his first goal for United, netting in a 3–2 win at Livingston and four days later scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win against Motherwell. With three more goals that season, Scotland scored five league goals from 21 appearances, with the majority as substitute appearances, and was awarded a new contract.

In Scotland's second season, it again took him several months to score, netting his first of the season in late December. In April, however, Scotland scored perhaps his most important goal of the season, netting the winner in the Scottish Cup semi-final to take United into the final. He went on to play the full 90 minutes of the showpiece match as United narrowly lost 1–0 to Celtic.

St Johnstone

In July 2005, Scotland was denied a new work permit and the club made an appeal, which was deemed unsuccessful by a Scottish Premier League appeals committee. Within three weeks, St Johnstone of the Scottish First Division were successful in gaining a work permit for the player – despite using the same dossier as United had presented previously. Scotland went on to net 15 goals in 31 league appearances in his first season at McDiarmid Park, including a goal on his debut and a hat-trick in April. He was named in Trinidad Tobago's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. Scotland's second season produced 18 league goals, including a goal against former club Dundee United in a League Cup match; despite his goal against his former club, he received a warm reception from the United fans. In February 2007, Scotland was the subject of racist taunts by a small section of Motherwell fans during St Johnstone's visit to Fir Park in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup