Suzanne Shepherd (née Robertson; born 3 July 1975) is a Scottish football manager and former player whose position was defender. She has been the head coach of Dundee United Women since March 2024.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Suzanne Robertson | ||
| Date of birth | 3 July 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2007 | Hibernian | ||
| 2000 | → New Jersey Wildcats (loan) | ||
| 2001 | → New Jersey Wildcats (loan) | ||
| 2005 | → ÍBV (loan) | ||
| 2007–2009 | Celtic | ||
| 2009–2011 | Hibernian | ||
| 2009–2011 | Hutchison Vale | 15 | (1) |
| 2013–2016 | Spartans | ||
| International career | |||
| 2001–2005 | Scotland | 11 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2017 | Spartans | ||
| 2018–2023 | Boroughmuir Thistle | ||
| 2024– | Dundee United | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editRaised in Edinburgh, Robertson did not play organised football until the age of 19.[1] She joined Hibernian around the time the team was formed in 1997, and was a major part of their success in the first decade of the 21st century,[2] winning three Scottish Women's Premier League championships, three Scottish Women's Cups and one SWPL Cup. She also spent time on loan in the United States with New Jersey Wildcats[1][3] (alongside compatriot Debbie McWhinnie) and in Iceland with ÍBV[1] (with fellow Scot Suzanne Malone).[4]
In 2007, Robertson was recruited to be part of the new women's football setup at Celtic – the team reached the Scottish Cup final in their first season but were defeated by Hibs,[5] and were unable to dethrone the increasingly dominant Glasgow City in the league. Robertson returned to Hibs in 2009 and lifted a further Scottish Cup and SWPL Cup[2] before moving on to smaller Edinburgh teams Hutchison Vale[6] and finally Spartans, where she began to transition into a coaching role but also appeared in one more Scottish Cup final at the age of 39 – Spartans were beaten 5–0 by Glasgow City.[7]
During her first spell with Hibs, Robertson was selected 11 times by Scotland between 2001 and 2005.[8]
Coaching career
editAs her playing days drew to a close, Shepherd was appointed as the Spartans manager to succeed Debbi McCulloch in late 2015,[9][10] taking up the role for the 2016 season in which the club finished 6th. They improved to 5th in 2017, but she stepped down at the end of the year.[11] At that time she was also working as the assistant to Pauline Hamill, coach of the Scotland under-19 team.
Intending to take a break from the game, she was soon invited to take a leading role at Boroughmuir Thistle, an Edinburgh club with an extensive youth team network for girls but no financial backing from a men's club.[1] She remained there for over five years, in which Boroughmuir consolidated their position in the third tier SWFL First Division, then were promoted to the Scottish Women's Premier League 2 in 2020 after the withdrawal of Hutchison Vale from the competition.[12] The club survived at that level for three seasons, but Shepherd resigned as head coach at the end of 2022–23 campaign.[13] In her vocation as a personal trainer,[1] she had also overseen the development of Boroughmuir's most promising young player, Emma Watson, who soon moved on to a professional contract at Rangers and became a full international.[14]
In March 2024, Shepherd was appointed head coach at Dundee United, after Graeme Hart was sacked with the side struggling near the foot of the table in their first-ever season in SWPL1.[15][16] Two months later, the team retained their place in the top division by defeating Kilmarnock in the relegation/promotion play-off.[17]
Honours
editHibernian
- Scottish Women's Premier League: 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Scottish Women's Cup: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010
- Runner-up 2011
- Scottish Women's Premier League Cup: 2004–05, 2011
- Runner-up 2006–07
Celtic
Spartans
Individual
- Hibernian F.C. Hall of Fame inductee: 2024[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Leading the Line Meets: Boroughmuir Thistle Head Coach Suzy Shepherd, Chris Marshall, Leading the Line, 4 September 2020
- ^ a b c Six Hibs legends inducted into Hall of Fame, Hibernian FC, 17 October 2024
- ^ McWhinnie nets game winner, The Trentonian, June 18, 2001
- ^ Tvær skoskar stúlkur til ÍBV [Two Scottish girls to ÍBV], Morgunblaðið, 29 May 2005 (in Icelandic)
- ^ a b Hibernian Ladies 3 - 1 Celtic Ladies: Women's team show male counterparts how it's done, The Scotsman, 19 May 2008
- ^ S. Robertson, Soccerway
- ^ a b Scottish Cup Final: Spartans fall at Final hurdle against City, Spartans FC Women, 16 November 2014
- ^ Scotland Women’s National Team from 1998: a Complete Record, Andy Mitchell, Scottish Sport History, October 2022
- ^ appoint Suzy Shepherd as new SWPL Manager, North Edinburgh News, 24 September 2015
- ^ Football: New manager Suzy Shepherd aiming to steer Spartans to League Cup semi-finals, Alan Campbell, The National, 26 March 2016
- ^ Suzy Departs Spartans, Spartans FC Women, 5 November 2017
- ^ SWPL: Boroughmuir Thistle take Hutchison Vale’s place, SheKicks.net, 8 January 2020
- ^ Former Boroughmuir manager Suzy Shepherd felt the “time was right” to leave the club, Jack Dawson, Edinburgh Evening News, 14 April 2023
- ^ Boroughmuir manager Suzy Shepherd ‘isn’t surprised’ by Emma Watson’s success, Jack Dawson, Edinburgh Evening News, 14 April 2023
- ^ Suzy Shepherd Takes DUFCW Reins, Dundee United FC, 1 March 2024
- ^ Dundee United Women appoint Suzy Shepherd as head coach, BBC Sport, 1 March 2024
- ^ Dundee United come from behind to win SWPL Play-Off, She Kicks, 24 May 2024