Patrick McClean

Patrick McClean (born 22 November 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers. His previous clubs are Derry City (over 2 spells), Waterford & Glentoran (over 2 spells).

Club career

Youth career

Derry native McClean was raised in the Creggan area of the city and came through the Derry City academy, with his first involvement at first team level coming when he was named on the bench against Galway United on 6 February 2015.

Derry City

McClean made his senior debut for Derry City on 18 September 2015, replacing Ryan McBride from the bench in the 82nd minute of a 1–0 win at home to Shamrock Rovers. On 16 April 2016, he scored his first goal in senior football, with a 35 yard equaliser in a 1–1 draw away to Longford Town.

Waterford

On 4 January 2017, McClean signed for League of Ireland First Division club Waterford on a 1 year contract. He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 loss away to Athlone Town on 24 February 2017 in the first game of the season. His first goal for the club came on 10 March 2017, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over UCD at the UCD Bowl. He scored 2 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions as the club won the 2017 League of Ireland First Division title to gain promotion to the Premier Division. On 6 November 2017, he signed a new 1 year contract with the club, but departed just 4 months later, a week into the new season.

Sligo Rovers

On 22 February 2018, McClean signed a 2 year contract with Sligo Rovers after they had agreed an undisclosed fee with Waterford for his signature. He made his debut on 23 February 2018 in a 2–1 win over his hometown club Derry City at The Showgrounds. McClean's first goal for the club came on 15 June 2018, in a 3–0 win away to St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park. He scored 1 goal in 33 appearances in all competitions during his first season with the club. On 24 December 2018, the club announced that they had accepted a bid from Derry City for McClean for an undisclosed fee, and that Derry were then free to negotiate a contract with him.

Return to Derry City

On 3 January 2019, Derry City announced that McClean had returned to his hometown club for an undisclosed fee, 2 years after first departing the club. His returning debut for the club was in a 3–0 win over UCD on 15 February 2019 in the opening game of the season at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. He struggled for regular game time with the club, making just 10 appearances, scoring once, midway through the season, which resulted in him departing the club for more regular game time.

Glentoran

On 28 July 2019, McClean signed for NIFL Premiership club Glentoran, after rejecting fellow Belfast club Cliftonville who were also after his signature. On 9 August 2019, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw away to Glenavon at Mourneview Park. He scored his first goal for the club on 21 September 2019, with an injury time match winning header in a 2–1 victory at home to Warrenpoint Town. On 31 July 2020, he played the full 120 minutes as his side beat Ballymena United 2–1 after extra time at Windsor Park to win the 2019–20 Irish Cup. He made his career debut in European football on 20 August 2020, in a 1–0 win over Faroese club HB in the UEFA Europa League. On 12 February 2023, McClean announced his retirement from football aged 26 with immediate effect, stating in a social media post ''"I’ve decided to call it a day on my football career. It's not been an easy decision but it's the one that I've been thinking about for a while now. I've had a good journey and met some amazing people that will be friends for life and worked with some top players/coaches. Thank you to everyone who's been a part of it, over and out."'' He later stated that he had several reasons for retiring from football, including becoming bit disillusioned with the game amidst upheaval at the club after manager Rodney McAree had taken over from Mick McDermott, as well as issues in his personal life. During his time out of football, he worked on a building site in Dublin with friends.

Return to Glentoran

On 23 July 2023, McClean returned to Glentoran, just 5 months after announcing his retirement from the game, stating ''"I want to apologise to the club, to my team mates and especially to the supporters for how I left in February, I know the timing was poor but at the time I had issues in my life that I was struggling with and I couldn’t concentrate on football the way I needed to."'' On 13 October 2023, he scored his first goal since returning to the club, in a 6–0 win over Loughgall at The Oval. He departed the club in June 2025, stating that it had been a ''"Real pleasure to play for Glentoran"''.

Return to Sligo Rovers

On 21 June 2025, McClean returned to League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers for an undisclosed fee, 7 years after his last season with the club, with his 18 month contract set to commence from 1 July. On 12 July 2025, he scored his first goal since returning to the club, in a 2–2 draw with his hometown club Derry City. On 25 July 2025, McClean scored a headed equaliser to help his side come back from 2–0 down to eventually win the game 3–2 away to relegation rivals Cork City at Turners Cross.

Personal life

He is the younger brother of fellow professional footballer James McClean, who has played in the Premier League and for the Republic of Ireland national team. In April 2025, his club Glentoran launched an investigation after videos of McClean had circulated online of him allegedly attending an Easter Monday parade in Derry that was linked to the New Irish Republican Army.

Career statistics

Honours

;Waterford
*League of Ireland First Division: 2017

;Glentoran
*Irish Cup: 2019–20

References

External links

Patrick McClean Extratime.com Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClean, Patrick
1996 births
Living people
Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
Derry City F.C. players
Waterford F.C. players
Sligo Rovers F.C. players
Glentoran F.C. players
League of Ireland players
NIFL Premiership players
Men's association football defenders
Association footballers from Derry (city)
21st-century Irish sportsmen