Ruari Paton

Ruari Paton (born 9 August 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club  Port Vale. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-16 level.

Paton, a talented dancer, spent his youth with Shelbourne, St Kevin's Boys and Belvedere, before he left Ireland to join the development squad at Scottish club Hibernian. He spent time on loan at Gala Fairydean Rovers, before joining East Kilbride in July 2019 after being released from Hibernian. His goal record in the Lowland League earned him a move to Stranraer in Scottish League Two. He was signed by Queen of the South in July 2021 and played on the losing side in the 2022 final of the Scottish Challenge Cup. He was named to the PFA Scotland Team of the Year following 22 Scottish League One goals in the 2022–23 season. He was sold to Queen's Park in June 2023 and was again named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year after scoring 17 Scottish Championship goals in the 2023–24 campaign. He was signed by English club Port Vale for an undisclosed fee in July 2024.

Early life
Ruari Paton was born in Dublin on 9 August 2000. He grew up in Carpenterstown. He was a talented dancer in his youth. He gained a Higher in PE and a Sports Leadership Award from Ross High School.

Early career
Paton played for Belvedere in Dublin before signing for Hibernian as a sixteen-year-old on a pro-youth contract. On 19 September 2018, he joined Gala Fairydean Rovers of the Lowland League on loan. On 22 September, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Lossiemouth in a Scottish Cup qualification match at Netherdale. He scored 13 league goals in the 2018–19 season. He did not play a first-team game at Easter Road and was one of 17 players released from Hibernian in May 2019. He later said "I went there thinking I was the man and had it all sorted out and would go to the first team. It did not work out that way and life comes around and hits you in the face."

Paton failed a trial with Airdrieonians as manager Ian Murray felt he was not good enough for professional football. On 3 July 2019, he signed with Lowland League champions East Kilbride. Paton said that "Stuart Malcolm [East Kilbride manager] gave me a chance there when no one else would". He supplemented his income playing for East Kilbride by working as a labourer on a building site. He later said that "I was eating Pot Noodles every day for dinner" due to lack of finances, but that he refused to accept returning to Ireland without having made a success of his footballing career in Scotland. He scored 12 goals by November, helping the Lowland League side to reach the third round of the Scottish Cup. He scored 12 league goals in the 2019–20 season.

Stranraer
Paton agreed a two-year contract with Stranraer. He had caught the eye of manager Stephen Farrell with his goalscoring record the previous season, which had been cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. He was signed to compete with Thomas Orr for a place alongside veteran forward Darryl Duffy. The three players ended up playing as an attacking trio. The Blues qualified for the Scottish League Two play-offs at the end of the 2020–21 season, losing to Dumbarton at the semi-final stage. Paton scored nine goals in 30 matches at Stair Park.

Queen of the South
On 2 July 2021, Paton signed a two-year contract with Queen of the South in Dumfries, following an undisclosed transfer fee. Manager Allan Johnston said he was "a great young prospect that we all have high hopes for". Paton scored his first goals for the Palmerston Park club later that month in his first two games versus Annan Athletic and Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup. He scored the winning goal in the Scottish Challenge Cup quarter-finals. Queen of the South reached the final of the Challenge Cup at Excelsior Stadium, where they were beaten 3–1 by Raith Rovers. Paton ended the 2021–22 campaign with eight goals in 45 games, with three goals coming in the league. Queens were relegated from the Scottish Championship in last place.

Paton finished the 2022–23 season with 25 goals for the Doonhamers. Paton finished as joint-top scorer in Scottish League One, alongside Calum Gallagher of Airdrieonians, and was also named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. Speaking in March, manager Marvin Bartley told his players to be less reliant on Paton's goalscoring ability to win games for them. The team finished in fifth place, missing out on the play-offs by three points.

Queen's Park
On 22 June 2023, Paton returned to the Scottish Championship after signing a three-year contract with Queen's Park. On 25 July, Paton scored four goals in a 5–0 win over Elgin City in the Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park, his first professional hat-trick and four-goal haul in his career. He was named Scottish Championship Player of the Month after scoring three league goals to send Robin Veldman's Spiders top of the table in August. Paton scored 25 goals in the 2023–24 season and was named on the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, and was also nominated for the Player of the Year award. In the expectation that Paton would leave the club, manager Callum Davidson signed Zak Rudden as his replacement in July 2024.

Port Vale
On 15 July 2024, Paton signed a three-year deal with English League Two club Port Vale for an undisclosed "six-figure" transfer fee.

Style of play
Paton is a hard-working striker with an excellent goalscoring record. He often celebrates goals by dancing.

Honours
Individual
 * PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2022–23 (Scottish League One), 2023–24 (Scottish Championship)
 * Scottish Championship Player of the Month: August 2023

Queen of the South
 * Scottish Challenge Cup runner-up: 2022