Let me introduce Dylan McGeouch, a youngster who, despite being born on 15 January 1993, seems to have skirted around the edges of big-time football for a paradoxically long while. The chap is a midfielder, mainly playing centrally, and he currently graces Carlisle United with his presence. He's fairly diminutive, only reaching the lofty heights of 5ft 10in (1.78m) and barely tipping the scales at a feathery light 10st 12lb (69kg). The number 21 jersey is lucky enough to contain him.
In July 2011, during a moonlit, covert operation, McGeouch snuck away from Rangers to Celtic for a fee forever dammed to remain 'undisclosed'. His debut season 2011-2012 saw him launched into Celtic's first team for six fleeting appearances, with a single goal to his name. He made a dozen appearances the following season, repeating his one-goal feat like clockwork.
However, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 were barren seasons, with McGeouch making a laughably solitary appearance each year - enough for a year-end Christmas card, perhaps. In January 2014, he narrowed his eyes at the grey English skies and decided to take a whirlwind tour of Coventry City - a mere eight appearances before returning home to Celtic.
At Celtic's fold, the seasons unfolded in a similar rut of 2011-2015, with relatively minuscule participation and one-goal returns that you could set your watch by. By some quirk of fate, he was transferred on loan to Hibernian. He delivered hearty performances across 2014 - 2018, cementing first-team appearances and warming the Hibernian supporters' hearts with some thrilling football.
In August 2015, someone presumably woke up to the repeated notes on their desk and McGeouch was finally transferred officially from Celtic to Hibernian, again for an undisclosed fee that probably entailed a lifetime supply of haggis. In July 2018, he packed his bags again, trekking off to Sunderland, and then was catapulted to Aberdeen in January 2020 (undisclosed fee, naturally).
At Aberdeen, he served decent stints between the 2019-2022 seasons, probably enough to be remembered fondly by the handful of die-hard supporters. Moving faster than a spinning top in June 2022 seemed to have been a misstep as he joined - well, no one really. That ended quickly.
In November 2022, he found himself amongst the Forest Green Rovers' rank with a decent tally of first team appearances. Unrested, he moved again in July 2023 to Carlisle United, making a slow-burn start to his days at the beleaguered team. His solitary start in the EFL Trophy 2024-2025 season seems like a cherry atop an otherwise dry cake of a career. One wonders what's next for this star predominantly in transit.
