Ryan Stirk
Personal information
Full name Ryan William Stirk[1]
Date of birth (2000-09-25) 25 September 2000[2]
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Walsall
Number 25
Youth career
2010–2020 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Birmingham City 3 (0)
2021–2022 → Mansfield Town (loan) 31 (2)
2023 → Bromley (loan) 14 (1)
2023– Walsall 23 (2)
International career
Wales U16
2016 Wales U17
2017–2019 Wales U19
2019–2021 Wales U21 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:30, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

Ryan William Stirk (born 25 September 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Walsall.

Stirk began his career with Birmingham City, for whom he made his EFL debut in 2021. He spent the 2021–22 season on loan to Mansfield Town of League Two and the second half of the following season on loan to National League club Bromley. Birmingham released him in 2023, and he signed for Walsall. He was born in England, and has represented Wales at levels up to under-21.

Club career

Early life and career

Stirk was born in Birmingham,[3] and raised in Tamworth, Staffordshire, where he attended Landau Forte Academy.[4][5] His parents were both keen on football and he has two older brothers.[6] He joined Birmingham City F.C.'s Academy in 2010,[4] went on a pre-season tour with the under-18s while still a 14-year-old schoolboy,[7] took up a scholarship in July 2017, and signed his first professional contract, of three years with the option for a fourth, on his 17th birthday.[4] He was a member of the club's under-18 team that reached the semifinal of the 2017–18 FA Youth Cup, performing well against a strong Chelsea side,[8] and became a regular in Birmingham's under-23 team in 2018–19.[2]

Birmingham City

When head coach Pep Clotet fielded an inexperienced team for the visit to Portsmouth in the 2019–20 EFL Cup first round, in which several youngsters made their senior debuts, Stirk was an unused substitute.[9] The club took up their one-year option on his contract,[10] and when the Championship season resumed after its suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was named on the nine-man bench for six of Birmingham's remaining nine matches under the temporary rules, but remained unused.[11]

Once relegation was safely avoided at the end of the 2020–21 season, Birmingham manager Lee Bowyer stated that he intended to use the two remaining matches to assess fringe members of the squad.[12] Described by the Birmingham Mail as a "diminutive but neat defensive midfielder who reads the game well and breaks up play before inviting team-mates into the play",[13] Stirk made his first-team debut in a much-changed starting eleven for the Championship match at home to Cardiff City on 1 May 2021, played the whole of the 4–0 defeat, and kept his place for the last fixture of the season.[3] In June, Stirk extended his contract for a further year with an option for a second.[14]

Loans

Stirk signed for League Two club Mansfield Town on 27 July 2021, on loan for the 2021–22 season. He joined up with former Birmingham U23 team-mate Ryan Burke, who joined Mansfield earlier in the month after being released by Birmingham.[15][16] He made his debut on the opening day of the season, as a stoppage-time replacement for George Maris in a 2–1 win at home to Bristol Rovers,[17] and came close to opening the scoring with a "low first-time shot ... through a crowd of players" in the EFL Cup first-round tie at home to Championship opponents Preston North End before the visitors went on to win 3–0.[18] In mid-September he damaged ankle ligaments and was out for six weeks, but returned to score his first senior goal and secure a 2–1 win away to Stevenage on 13 November.[19][20] He finished the season with 36 appearances in all competitions,[21] helping Mansfield reach the play-off final but was an unused substitute as they failed to gain promotion.[22][23]

He made a couple of appearances for Birmingham in August 2022,[24] before joining National League club Bromley on 16 February 2023 on loan until the end of the season.[25] He was a regular in the starting eleven, scoring once from 14 appearances in the regular season,[11] and won the club's Player of the Month award for two of the three months he was with Bromley[26] as he helped the team reach the play-offs. He "was behind most of Bromley's good moves" as they beat Woking in the play-off eliminator,[27] but was substituted in the semi-final as they lost out to Chesterfield 3–2 after extra time.[11]

Walsall

Out of contract at the end of the 2022–23 season, Stirk was one of 13 professionals included on Birmingham's list of players released.[28] On 16 June 2023, League Two club Walsall confirmed that Stirk would join them on 1 July on a two-year contract.[29]

International career

Stirk was born in England, and qualifies for Wales via his maternal grandmother.[30] He was an unused substitute for Wales U16 while still a 13-year-old,[31] made his under-17 debut at 15,[32] and went on to play at under-19 and under-21 levels.[33]

Career statistics

As of match played 26 December 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Birmingham City 2019–20[11] Championship000000—00
2020–21[3] Championship200000—20
2021–22[21] Championship—————
2022–23[24] Championship100010—20
Total 300010—40
Mansfield Town (loan) 2021–22[21] League Two31220102[lower-alpha 1]0362
Bromley (loan) 2022–23[11] National League141——2[lower-alpha 2]0161
Walsall 2023–24[34] League Two23230102[lower-alpha 3]0292
Career total 715503060855
  1. ↑ One appearance in EFL Trophy, one in League Two play-offs
  2. ↑ Appearances in National League play-offs
  3. ↑ Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

  1. ↑ "Club list of registered players" (PDF). English Football League. 18 May 2019. p. 5. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Ryan Stirk". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Games played by Ryan Stirk in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Panter, Matt (2 November 2017). "Birmingham City hand professional deal to Tamworth teenager". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "2013–2014 Competitions: ESFA Boys Under-13 PlayStation Schools' Cup: Round 4". English Schools' Football Association. 11 December 2013. 4.042. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Feringa, Megan (18 December 2020). "Next-gen Dragons: Ryan Stirk". Welsh Football Fans. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ryan Stirk". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Dick, Brian (31 March 2018). "Imperious Chelsea, luckless Bailey, Stirk promise – what we learned from Birmingham City's FA Youth Cup defeat". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Chapman, Joseph (6 August 2019). "Birmingham City player ratings: Jude Bellingham shines bright despite defeat". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Blues take up option on duo". Birmingham City F.C. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "R. Stirk". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Dick, Brian (26 April 2021). "Lee Bowyer makes this promise to Birmingham City's new 'fearless' teen star". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Dick, Brian (1 May 2021). "Who is Ryan Stirk? The 'velvet' Wales Under 21 making his Birmingham City debut against Cardiff". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Midfield pair sign new contracts". Birmingham City F.C. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  15. ↑ "Stags strengthen midfield with new signing". Mansfield Town F.C. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Stags sign young full-back". Mansfield Town F.C. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Mansfield Town 2–1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Seddon, Dave (10 August 2021). "Mansfield Town 0 Preston North End 3 match report: Scott Sinclair nets twice in Carabao Cup victory at Field Mill". Lancashire Post. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Stags 'stood up' to Orient test – manager". Mansfield Town F.C. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  20. ↑ Lomas, John (13 November 2021). "Matchwinner Ryan Stirk still believes Mansfield Town can join the promotion hunt". Chad. Mansfield. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 "Games played by Ryan Stirk in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  22. ↑ Lomas, John (14 May 2022). "Mansfield Town establish 2–1 first leg lead in play-off semi-final thriller with Northampton Town". Chad. Mansfield. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  23. ↑ Ames, Nick (28 May 2022). "Port Vale and emotional Darrell Clarke seal promotion against Mansfield". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  24. 1 2 "Games played by Ryan Stirk in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "Ryan is a Raven". Bromley F.C. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  26. ↑ "Player of the Month Award". Bromley F.C. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Doig, Mark (4 May 2023). "Bromley deserve first National League play-off win – Andy Woodman's call to rest players in previous game paid off". London News Online. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  28. ↑ "Blues Men's: Retained and released list". Birmingham City F.C. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Saddlers snap up Ryan Stirk as first summer signing". Walsall F.C. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  30. ↑ "Young guns: how they qualify". Dragon Soccer. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  31. ↑ "Wales Under 16's defeat France". Football Association of Wales. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  32. ↑ "Under 17: Wales 1 Hungary 2". Dragon Soccer. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  33. ↑ "Ryan Stirk: Internationals". worldfootball.net. HeimSpiel Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  34. ↑ "Games played by Ryan Stirk in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
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