Former Preston North End defender Scott Laird has today completed a move to National League North side Gloucester City on a dual-registration contract.
Laird will also be playing for Barnstaple Town and provides significant experience to both teams backline. Of the two clubs, Gloucester are the far more established, yet are struggling this season.
Operating in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football, Gloucester currently sit in 23rd and are six points off of safety. Relegation to step three of the non-league system seems imminent if nothing changes soon and the signing of Laird may spark somewhat of an improvement.
In a team lacking experience, Laird bring a plethora of it with him at a very good level. With 287 EFL appearances to his name, the versatile defender would establish himself as a great asset at the level during his professional career.
Although he would turn out for quite a few EFL clubs during his career, including the likes of Walsall, Forest Green Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Scunthorpe United when they were in League One, Laird is best known for his time with boost Stevenage and Preston North End.
The now 35-year-old will be remembered as a bit of a club legend at Stevenage, as he was played a key part in the club’s rather meteoric rise. Laird would help the Boro to their first ever promotion to the Football League in 2010 and would then be a key figure in the side which would get promoted to League One just a season later.
As a result of his performances for the current League One play-off chasers, the defender would earn himself a move to Preston North End. Despite injury hampering parts of his career at Deepdale, Laird would still make over 108 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Perhaps he could be considered somewhat of a promotion expert, as he would also play a role in Preston’s promotion back to the Championship in the 2014/15 season, where they have resided ever since. Although he would leave in the summer, Preston fans will still have the upmost respect for their former defender.
More recently, Laird helped Weston-Super-Mare to promotion to the National League South as a player assistant manager and may well take a similar role with Gloucester City in the future.
Writer’s View
Given Preston’s consistency in the Championship in recent years, many fans will have Laird to thank in getting them there in the first place. Although he was by no means the central figure of the squad in their promotion season, he would still make 31 appearances in what was a consistent season for the defender.
The same can be said about his time at Stevenage, and consistency is very much the key word. He would be in the limelight more with the Boro, and those performances for the club helped him earn his move to Preston.
It seems highly likely that we’ll see Laird back in the EFL one day in a coaching capacity, when that will be is unknown but it does seem as if it is ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
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