Nick Swirad
Nick Swirad in Nongbua team bus parade after championship win
Personal information
Full name Nicholas Ryan Swirad
Date of birth (1991-05-28) 28 May 1991
Place of birth Manchester, England
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 FC United of Manchester 17 (0)
2012–2014 Stocksbridge Park Steels 50 (8)
2015 Northern Rangers 16 (2)
2016–2017 Johor Darul Ta'zim II 22 (0)
2017-2018 Melaka United 38 (2)
2019 PKNS 22 (4)
2020 Selangor 4 (0)
2020 Nongbua Pitchaya 4 (1)
2021–2023 Sri Pahang 40 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 Dec 2023

Nicholas Ryan Swirad (born 28 May 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back.

Club career

Swirad started his senior career with FC United of Manchester,[1] making his debut at the age of 17 having played for the Manchester FA's youth and academy programme at Manchester College.[2] He went on to play 17 matches for the club before representing several other clubs in the Manchester region[3] including New Mills, Mossley,[4] Ashton United and Stocksbridge Park Steels.

After playing in non-league football in England, he spent a year coaching at an academy in New Jersey, USA[5] before joining NPL Tasmania side Northern Rangers in 2015, playing 16 matches and scoring 2 goals for the club in all competitions.[6]

Johor Darul Ta'zim II

At the end of the 2015–16 season, Swirad left Northern Rangers to sign for Johor Darul Ta'zim II of the Malaysia Premier League, playing 22 games under coach Benjamin Mora and helping the team finish 3rd in the league standings.[7]

Melaka United

On 12 June 2017, Swirad joined Super League team Melaka United on loan for the remainder of the 2017 season. There, he helped to maintain the club's Super League status under new coach Eduardo Almeida.[8][9] In his 18 months at the club, he made 38 appearances, scoring 2 goals including a last minute winner against Selangor FA on the 21st of July, 2018.[10]

PKNS

Swirad joined Selangor based Super League side PKNS FC for the 2019 season under coach K Rajagobal. He scored 4 goals in 23 games for the team, earning an international call-up to the Malaysia national football team, in what was PKNS' final season as an independent Super League club.

Selangor

After his selection to represent Selangor in their 1-0 win against Singapore FA in the 2019 Sultan of Selangor trophy [11] Swirad joined Selangor FA the following season under coach B. Sathianathan. However, he struggled with injuries making only 4 appearances for the club in a Covid-19 hit season that saw the league reduced to 11 from 22 matches only.[12]

Nongbua Pitchaya

On 1 January 2021, Swirad joined Thai Division 2 team Nongbua Pitchaya FC, looking to secure promotion to Thai League 1 on a short term deal.[13]

In a month at the club, he played 4 games scoring the final goal of the season in a 3-0 win against Kasetsart FC, which confirmed the club as league champions.[14]

He signed a contract extension with the club for the 2021-22 Thai League 1 season, but was unable to register due to visa restrictions requiring ASEAN imports to have made 3 international appearances.[15]

Sri Pahang

Unable to continue with Nongbua, Swirad signed for Sri Pahang FC on his 30th birthday, which was aired live on Astro Arena.[16] He made his league debut for the club against Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, coming on for Ashar Al Aafiz Abdullah in the 83rd minute.[17] His full debut was against JDT on the 27th of August 2021, in Johor Bahru,[18] a performance which stamped his place in the first team for the remainder of season, including in the 2021 Malaysia Cup.

Swirad extended his contract with Sri Pahang until 2022, and went on to captain the team to their first win of the season against Penang FC. [19]

International career

In March 2019, Swirad received his first call-up to the Malaysia national football team, but a groin injury prevented him from making his debut.[20] Malaysia national team head coach Tan Cheng Hoe spoke highly of Swirad during his call-up: "I’ve been monitoring him since last year, and to me, he is a quality player. He is versatile and able to play anywhere at the back. I hope to see him recover quickly and make his national debut as a centre back against Singapore."[21]

Nick received his second call-up in 2022, ahead of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup. However family issues prevented him from joining up with the main team during the first week of training camp and he was then placed on the standby list.[22]

In 2023 Nick was named on the standby list for the national team ahead of two international friendlies against Syria and China, to prepare for the upcoming 2024 Asian Cup.[23]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 18 Dec 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Malaysia Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Johor Darul Ta'zim II 2016 Malaysia Premier League 1000050–150
2017 Malaysia Premier League 601000–70
Total1601050–220
Melaka United 2017 Malaysia Super League 910030–121
2018 Malaysia Super League 1911060–261
Total2821090–382
PKNS 2019 Malaysia Super League 1533041–224
Selangor 2020 Malaysia Super League 400000–40
Nongbua Pitchaya 2020 Thai League 2 410000–41
Sri Pahang 2021 Malaysia Super League 800060–140
2022 Malaysia Super League 2002020-240
2023 Malaysia Super League 1202010-150
Total4004090–530
Career Total107690271––1437

    Honour

    Nongbua Pitchaya F.C.

    Personal life

    Born in Manchester, Swirad's father is from England and his mother is a Chinese-descent from Malaysia.[24] He also currently works for Malaysia’s Premier League broadcaster Astro Supersport. He hosted 2 seasons of Astro Supersport’s Man on the Street with co-host Reem Shahwa, where they connected local fans with ex-football legends including Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Henrik Larsson, Manu Petit and Jaap Stam.[14]

    Swirad used to work as a security guard at the Manchester Apollo in Ardwick whilst attending Manchester College nearby.[25]

    References

    1. ↑ "Player Profile - Nick Swirad | FC United of Manchester". www.fc-utd.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
    2. ↑ "Rebels stars get England call - The Pitching In Northern Premier League". www.thenpl.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    3. ↑ "Nick Swirad moves on to Rossendale United". www.fc-utd.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
    4. ↑ "Nick signs from Millers". www.mossleyweb.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
    5. ↑ "Nick Swirad - New Mills Football Club New Mills FC - 1st Team". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    6. ↑ "EKSKLUSIF: Dari Manchester Ke Malaysia, Hijrah Nicholas Swirad Demi Harimau Malaya". Semuanya BOLA. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    7. ↑ The Story of Malaysian Footballer Nicholas Swirad, retrieved 7 August 2021
    8. ↑ "8 pemain baru melaka united". melakaunited.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
    9. ↑ "Melaka united buat rombakan besar-besaran". sinarharian.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
    10. ↑ Top 5 unifi Liga Super Malaysia 2018 | Last Minute Goals, retrieved 7 August 2021
    11. ↑ Taharumalengam, Avineshwaran a/l. "Swirad finally nicks himself sweet spot in Selangor". The Star. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    12. ↑ Taharumalengam, Avineshwaran a/l. "Tendon hurts defender Swirad's chances for new team Selangor". The Star. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    13. ↑ "Nick Swirad Bakal Beraksi Di Saingan Thai League 2 Musim Hadapan". VOCKET FC (in Malay). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    14. 1 2 "Swirad wins league title with Nongbua". euro.stadiumastro.com. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    15. ↑ Zulhelmi Zainal Azam cuba dapat bayangan kelab baru Nick Swirad di Liga Super | Nadi Arena, retrieved 7 August 2021
    16. ↑ Nadi Khas : Nick Swirad ke Sri Pahang FC, retrieved 7 September 2021
    17. ↑ "Sabah vs. Pahang - 28 July 2021 - Soccerway". my.soccerway.com. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
    18. ↑ "Johor Darul Ta'zim vs. Pahang - 27 August 2021 - Soccerway". my.soccerway.com. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
    19. ↑ "Pahang vs. Pulau Pinang - 23 April 2022 - Soccerway". my.soccerway.com. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
    20. ↑ "PKNS' Swirad happy to work with league's 'best defenders'". thestar.com.my. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
    21. ↑ AVINESHWARAN, T. "Cheng Hoe wants uncapped players to strut their stuff". The Star. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
    22. ↑ "Swirad earns call-up to AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup".
    23. ↑ "SIARAN MEDIA: SENARAI 26 PEMAIN KE KEM LATIHAN PUSAT HARIMAU MALAYA BERMULA 29 OGOS 2023 | FAM". www.fam.org.my. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
    24. ↑ "Happy 60th mum! Love yas and see you soon x". Nicholas Ryan Swirad. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021 – via Facebook.
    25. ↑ Jom Lepak: Nick Swirad, retrieved 7 August 2021
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