Angus Beith (born 22 February 1996) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Beith played as a midfielder for Heart of Midlothian, Stirling Albion, Stenhousemuir, Stranraer and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Due to a hip injury, Beith was forced to retire aged 23.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2014 | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | Heart of Midlothian | 2 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Stirling Albion (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2016 | → Stenhousemuir (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Stirling Albion (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Stranraer (loan) | 14 | (8) |
| 2018–2019 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 49 | (9) | |
| National team | |||
| 2012 | Scotland U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | Scotland U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Scotland U19 | 7 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:21, 5 April 2019 (UTC) | |||
Beith joined Heart of Midlothian aged 9.[1] He was first included in a matchday squad on 31 August 2013, remaining an unused substitute for their 2–0 defeat away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premiership.[2] He featured on the substitutes' bench in 12 more games that season, without entering the field,[3] in a campaign which ended in relegation from the top flight.[4] He made his Hearts debut on 20 August 2014, in the second round of the Scottish Challenge Cup away to Livingston, playing 85 minutes of a 4–1 loss before being replaced by fellow debutant Sean McKirdy.[5]
On 27 November 2014, he was loaned to Scottish League One team Stirling Albion on an emergency loan into early January.[6] The next day, he made his debut for them, playing the entirety of their 0–2 home loss to Raith Rovers in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.[7] On 6 December, he played his first game in the Scottish Professional Football League, a 2–3 loss to Peterhead at the Forthbank Stadium.[8] The first senior goal of his career came on 27 December, Stirling's third as they went from 3–1 up to lose 3–4 at home to Greenock Morton.[9] His loan was extended, by request to Hearts manager Robbie Neilson, until the conclusion of the season.[10] Beith made 18 league appearances on his loan, with one goal,[11] as the team were relegated to the Scottish League Two.[12]
On 25 March 2016, Beith joined Scottish League One club Stenhousemuir on a 28-day emergency loan,[13] and played five full matches during his month at Ochilview Park.[3] He returned to Stirling on 28 October 2016 on a month's loan,[14] extended to January 2017,[15] and totalled 10 games, all starts. He was sent off on 24 December at the end of a 2–2 draw at Montrose for foul and abusive language.[16]
After returning to Hearts, Beith made his Scottish Premiership debut on 29 January 2017 in a 4–0 loss at league leaders Celtic, replacing Perry Kitchen for the last nine minutes.[17]
Beith was loaned to Stranraer in November 2017.[18] He won the League One player of the month award for January 2018, having scored goals in wins against Raith Rovers, Albion Rovers and Airdrie.[19]
In April 2018, Beith agreed to sign a three-year contract with Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[20] The deal was completed in May 2018, with Beith moving in exchange for Jake Mulraney.[21]
However, he was forced to retire in early April without playing a game for the club due to a hip injury similar to the one that tennis player Andy Murray had. Beith stated:
"I would like to thank John Robertson and Inverness Caledonian Thistle for the opportunity they gave me when I signed last year. I have done everything possible to recover from injury and to get back playing but, reluctantly I have had to accept that it is just not possible for me to play football any longer I wish the club every success this season and in the future"
A benefit game on his behalf was agreed on between Hearts and Inverness.[22] The game finished in a 1–1 draw, with Beith being given a guard of honour before kick-off. He later continued a degree course via the Open University and did youth coaching work at Hearts.[23]
Beith represented Scotland at under-19 level.[6]
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2014–15[25] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015–16[26] | Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[27] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18[28] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Stirling Albion (loan) | 2014–15[25] | League One | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Stenhousemuir (loan) | 2015–16[26] | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Stirling Albion (loan) | 2016–17[27] | League Two | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Stranraer (loan) | 2017–18[28] | League One | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 8 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 2018–19 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 49 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 9 | ||
Beith grew up in Buckstone, Edinburgh[1] and attended Boroughmuir High School.[29]