Caolan Boyd-Munce

Caolan Stephen Boyd-Munce (born 26 January 2000) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club St Mirren.

Caolan Boyd-Munce
Personal information
Full name Caolan Stephen Boyd-Munce[1]
Date of birth (2000-01-26) 26 January 2000[2]
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 St Mirren
Number 15
Youth career
200?–2016 Glentoran
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Glentoran 1 (0)
2016–2022 Birmingham City 7 (0)
2018 → Redditch United (loan) 4 (0)
2022–2023 Middlesbrough 2 (0)
2023– St Mirren 9 (0)
International career
Northern Ireland U15
Northern Ireland U16
2016 Northern Ireland U17 3 (0)
2017 Northern Ireland U19 3 (0)
2019–2022 Northern Ireland U21 21 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:23, 2 July 2023 (UTC)

Boyd-Munce made one senior appearance for Glentoran in the NIFL Premiership before moving to England in 2016 to join EFL Championship club Birmingham City. He made nine appearances for Birmingham, all but one during the 2019–20 season, before signing for divisional rivals Middlesbrough in January 2022. Boyd-Munce was released by Middlesbrough in January 2023, and then signed for St Mirren two months later.

In international football, Boyd-Munce has represented Northern Ireland from under-15 up to under-21 level.[1]

Early life and career

Boyd-Munce was born in Belfast where he attended De La Salle College.[2][3] He was on the books of Glentoran as a youngster, and made a brief first-team appearance on 30 April 2016 as a 78th-minute substitute in an NIFL Premiership match against Crusaders.[4]

Club career

Birmingham City

After leaving school Boyd-Munce came to England where he took up a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City F.C.'s Academy in July 2016.[5] Academy coach Steve Spooner described him as a "good technician [who] has a very good engine and displays the capabilities of a real box to box midfield player."[5] He established himself in Birmingham's under-18 team, played for the under-23s,[2] and was a member of the youth team that reached the semifinal of the 2017–18 FA Youth Cup, in which Chelsea beat Birmingham 7–0 on aggregate.[6] He was not offered professional terms after his two years, instead accepting a third scholarship year.[7]

In August 2018, Boyd-Munce spent a month on loan to Redditch United. He played four matches in the Southern League Premier Division South and, according to senior development coach Richard Beale, found it an eye-opening experience.[8][9] Boyd-Munce went on to become a regular for Birmingham's development squad team the 2018–19 season, making 21 appearances as they finished as runners-up in the Professional Development League northern section and lost out to Leeds United on penalties for the overall title.[10][11] He was offered a two-year deal in March 2019,[8] and signed it in June.[10]

Boyd-Munce made his competitive debut for Birmingham on 6 August 2019 in the EFL Cup first round. Manager Pep Clotet fielded an inexperienced team for the visit to Portsmouth, and Boyd-Munce came into the 3–0 defeat as a second-half substitute, replacing Jude Bellingham after 81 minutes.[12] He made his first appearance in the Championship on 7 February 2020, as a very late substitute in a 3–1 win away to Bristol City, and made a further five, all from the bench, in the last few matches of the 2019–20 season.[13] In November 2020, new head coach Aitor Karanka gave Boyd-Munce a difficult first league start, playing out of position at left wing-back directly marking AFC Bournemouth's in-form winger David Brooks.[14] Later that month, he injured an ankle and did not return to first-team training until the end of the following March.[15] Although he regained sufficient fitness to help Birmingham's U23 team beat Sheffield United U23 in the national final of the 2020–21 Professional Development League,[16] he had no matchday involvement with the first team in what remained of the season.[17]

In June 2021, reassured as to his future by manager Lee Bowyer and director of football Craig Gardner, Boyd-Munce signed a two-year contract to remain with Birmingham City.[18] However, he had no further involvement with the first-team matchday squad, and Bowyer suggested he was likely to be leaving.[17][19]

Middlesbrough

On 7 January 2022, Boyd-Munce signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with another Championship club, Middlesbrough, for an undisclosed fee.[20] He started the next day's FA Cup third-round tie away to League Two club Mansfield Town, scored his side's second goal after 14 minutes of a 3–2 victory and, according to the TeessideLive reporter, made a positive contribution both in and out of possession in the hour he spent on the pitch.[21] He made only two Championship appearances over the next 12 months, both as a substitute, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent at the end of the January 2023 transfer window.[22]

St Mirren

Boyd-Munce signed a short-term contract with Scottish Premiership club St Mirren in March 2023.[23]

International career

Boyd-Munce has represented Northern Ireland at under-15,[24] under-16, in the squad for the 2014–15 Victory Shield,[3] under-17, playing in qualifiers for the 2017 European U17 Championships,[1] under-19, playing in qualifiers for the following year's European U19 Championships,[1] and most recently at under-21 level.[25]

Boyd-Munce was called up to the senior Northern Ireland squad in March 2022.[26]

Career statistics
As of end of 2022–23 season
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Glentoran 2018–19 NIFL Premiership100000—10
Birmingham City 2018–19[27] Championship000000—00
2019–20[13] Championship601010—80
2020–21[28] Championship100000—10
2021–22[29] Championship00—00—00
Total 701010—90
Redditch United (loan) 2018–19[9] Southern League
Premier Division Central		4000—40
Middlesbrough 2021–22[29] Championship1011——21
2022–23[30] Championship100010—20
Total 201110—41
St Mirren 2022–23[30] Scottish Premiership30———30
Career total 140212000181
  1. Includes Irish Cup, FA Cup
  2. Includes Northern Ireland Football League Cup, EFL Cup

References
  1. "Caolan Boyd-Munce: Internationals". worldfootball.net. HeimSpiel Medien. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  2. "Caolan Boyd-Munce". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  3. "Northern Ireland in the Victory Shield (2001–2020)". Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  4. "Glentoran 0–1 Crusaders". Glentoran F.C. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  5. "An introduction to the Academy new boys". Birmingham City F.C. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  6. Dick, Brian (5 April 2018). "How the Birmingham City players rated as Chelsea U18s race into first leg FA Youth Cup semi-final lead". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
    "Report: Chelsea Under-18s 4 Blues Under-18s 0". Birmingham City F.C. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  7. "Professional deals for young Blues". Birmingham City F.C. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  8. "Deals for Blues scholars". Birmingham City F.C. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  9. "Caolan Boyd-Munce: 2018/2019 Biog & Stats". Southern Football League. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  10. Fullerton, Gareth (6 June 2019). "Northern Ireland teenager Caolan Boyd-Munce signs pro contract with Birmingham City". Belfast Live. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  11. "Report: Leeds United Under-23s 0 Blues Under-23s 0 – Leeds win 4–2 on penalties". Birmingham City F.C. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  12. Chapman, Joseph (6 August 2019). "Birmingham City player ratings: Jude Bellingham shines bright despite defeat". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  13. "Games played by Caolan Boyd-Munce in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. Dick, Brian (8 November 2020). "Hogan, Kieftenbeld and a masterclass as Birmingham City are swept aside". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  15. Dick, Brian (30 March 2021). "Birmingham City's transfer window explained as Swansea worry over key injury blow". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  16. Dick, Brian (24 May 2021). "Blues U23s vs Sheff Utd U23s player ratings: Man City trainee sparkles as George blunts Blades". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  17. "C. Boyd-Munce". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. "Midfield pair sign new contracts". Birmingham City F.C. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  19. Dick, Brian (17 December 2021). "'It's done' – Lee Bowyer delivers the transfer news Birmingham City fans have been fearing". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  20. "Caolan Boyd-Munce: Middlesbrough sign Birmingham City midfielder". BBC Sport. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  21. Johns, Craig (8 January 2022). "Middlesbrough just about make it through in the FA Cup – Take aways from Mansfield". TeessideLive. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  22. Johns, Craig (1 February 2023). "Caolan Boyd-Munce leaves Middlesbrough by mutual consent after struggling for game time". TeessideLive. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  23. "St Mirren sign Northern Ireland under-21 international Caolan Boyd-Munce". BBC Sport. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  24. "More international recognition for Academy". Glentoran F.C. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  25. "Ian Baraclough's Under-21s hit late winner to stun Mexico U22s in Spain". Irish Football Association. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  26. "Caolan Boyd-Munce: Middlesbrough player earns first NI senior call-up after Matty Kennedy is ruled out". BBC Sport. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  27. "Games played by Caolan Boyd-Munce in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  28. "Games played by Caolan Boyd-Munce in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  29. "Games played by Caolan Boyd-Munce in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  30. "Games played by Caolan Boyd-Munce in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
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