Curtis Lee Main (born 20 June 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premiership club Dundee.

Curtis Main
Main training with Dundee in 2024
Personal information
Full name Curtis Lee Main[1]
Date of birth (1992-06-20) 20 June 1992 (age 32)[1]
Place of birth South Shields, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2][3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Dundee
Number 9
Youth career
?–2005 Sunderland
2005–2007 Darlington
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2011 Darlington 61 (5)
2011–2014 Middlesbrough 48 (6)
2013Shrewsbury Town (loan) 5 (0)
2014–2016 Doncaster Rovers 48 (9)
2016Oldham Athletic (loan) 18 (4)
2016–2018 Portsmouth 17 (2)
2018–2019 Motherwell 47 (8)
2019–2021 Aberdeen 32 (6)
2021 Shrewsbury Town 20 (2)
2021–2023 St Mirren 68 (11)
2023–2024 Bengaluru 8 (2)
2024– Dundee 25 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:38, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Main previously played in the Football League and the Football Conference for Darlington, and spent three seasons with Middlesbrough, from where he had a loan spell at Shrewsbury Town in 2013. He then joined Doncaster Rovers, and after a loan spell at Oldham Athletic in 2016, he signed for Portsmouth, whom he helped gain promotion to League One. He joined Motherwell in January 2018.

Career

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Darlington

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Main was born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear.[4] He attended St Mary's Church of England school in Tyne Dock, South Shields.[citation needed] He began his football career as a youngster at Sunderland before being released to League Two club Darlington, for whom he made his senior debut as a substitute in the last seven minutes of the game against Peterborough United on 3 May 2008. At 15 years 318 days, he became the youngest player to play for Darlington.[5][6] In February 2009, he scored his first goal, the 86th-minute winner in a match against Grimsby Town, only two minutes after entering the game as a substitute.[7] In May 2009, Main spent a week on trial with Premier League club Fulham, but the club preferred to monitor the player's progress rather than make an offer. Other clubs reported to be interested included Middlesbrough and Newcastle United.[4][8] In September 2009, Main scored an 81st-minute equaliser against Grimsby Town, in a match that ended 1–1 and saw Darlington manager Colin Todd leave his post shortly after the final whistle.[9]

In the early part of the 2010–11 season, Main had trials with Bury.[10] In April 2011, after his contract was paid up by Darlington and he left the club, he joined Hartlepool United on trial.[11]

Middlesbrough

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After a trial with Middlesbrough, Main joined the Championship club on 12 May 2011, signing a one-year contract with an option for a second year. Manager Tony Mowbray described him as "a powerful lad", and said they intended to "mould him into a first-team player over the next couple of years".[12] He made his debut on 4 February 2012, replacing Marvin Emnes in the 50th minute of a 0–0 draw with Crystal Palace,[13] and his first start four days later, in a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[14] He scored his first goal for the club on 21 February, coming off the bench to score in a 3–1 win away to Millwall.[15] On 14 April, he scored a late goal in a 1–0 win against Derby County.[16] On 9 February 2013, he scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season on his third appearance, in a 3–2 loss to Barnsley.[17] Three days later, he scored in the 81st minute of a 1–0 win over Leeds United, but within minutes was sent off after receiving two yellow cards for kicking the ball away and deliberate handball.[18]

According to Mowbray, Main "came here on trial and trained with the youth team and you could see the power and speed he's got. His finishing with both feet is breathtaking at times. Whether the ball drops to his right foot or left foot, he doesn't hesitate. ... Physicality isn't going to be an issue for Curtis throughout his career. He's a boy who spends a lot of time looking after his physique and he's very, very strong."[19]

Loan to Shrewsbury Town

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On 30 August 2013, Main joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on loan for an initial month.[20] He made his Shrewsbury debut the following day as a substitute against Coventry City and provided the assist for Tom Bradshaw in a 1–1 draw.[21] His loan period was not extended, and he returned to Middlesbrough on 3 October having made six appearances for Shrewsbury in all competitions.[22]

Doncaster Rovers

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On 30 July 2014, Main signed a three-year contract with League One club Doncaster Rovers. The transfer was part of the deal by which James Husband joined Middlesbrough from Doncaster for an undisclosed fee.[23]

Loan to Oldham

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Main joined Oldham Athletic of League One on 15 February 2016 on loan until the end of the season.[24] In March, Doncaster attempted to recall Main, but all parties had to agree on his return, and Main refused.[25] With Oldham and Doncaster both trying to avoid relegation to League Two, Doncaster manager Darren Ferguson considered Main's decision "unfortunate".[26] After Main helped Oldham stay up while his parent club did not, he was transfer-listed at the end of the season.[27]

Portsmouth

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On 4 July 2016, Main signed a two-year contract with League Two club Portsmouth. The fee was undisclosed.[28] He scored his first goal for Portsmouth on his debut, in a 3–2 EFL Cup loss against Coventry City on 9 August,[29] and continued as a regular member of the matchday squad, scoring 5 goals from 14 appearances,[30] before back and hamstring problems put paid to his season.[31] After Portsmouth gained promotion to League One as League Two champions,[32] Main played little, unable to dislodge Brett Pitman and Ollie Hawkins from the starting eleven, and in January 2018 he was allowed to leave by mutual consent.[33]

Motherwell

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Main joined Scottish Premiership club Motherwell on 3 January 2018 on an 18-month deal.[34] He made his debut for Motherwell on 20 January, in a 2–0 win against Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Cup.[35] His first goal for the club came in a 2–0 win at home to Ross County.[36] He followed this up with goals in his next two matches, away to Heart of Midlothian[37] and Hibernian.[38] On 14 April 2018, Main scored twice in a Scottish Cup semi-final as Motherwell beat Aberdeen 3–0 to reach their second cup final of the season.[39]

Aberdeen

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On 5 June 2019, Main joined fellow Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen on a two-year deal.[40]

Shrewsbury Town

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Main joined English League One club Shrewsbury Town on 1 February 2021 until the end of the season.[41] He scored his first goal on 23 February in a 4–2 win over MK Dons, and scored twice from 20 league matches before leaving the club following the expiry of his contract.[42][43]

St Mirren

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Main returned to Scotland and signed a two-year deal with Scottish Premiership club St Mirren on 7 June 2021.[44]

Bengaluru

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On 18 July 2023, Main signed for Indian Super League club Bengaluru on a one-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year.[45]

Dundee

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On 17 January 2024, after agreeing to mutually part ways with Bengaluru, Main returned to Scotland with Scottish Premiership club Dundee on an 18-month deal.[46] He made his debut on 20 January, as a substitute in a Scottish Cup game away to Kilmarnock.[47]

Main opened his scoring account with Dundee on 13 July 2024 in style, scoring a hat-trick in a 1–7 away victory over Bonnyrigg Rose in the Scottish League Cup group stage.[48] Main scored his first league goal for the Dee on 31 August against former club St Mirren.[49]

Career statistics

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As of match played 23 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Darlington 2007–08[50] League Two 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2008–09[51] League Two 18 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 19 2
2009–10[52] League Two 26 3 1 0 1 0 1[c] 0 29 3
2010–11[53] Conference Premier 16 0 1 0 3[d] 2 20 2
Total 61 5 2 0 2 0 4 2 69 7
Middlesbrough 2011–12[54] Championship 12 2 1 0 0 0 13 2
2012–13[55] Championship 13 3 1 0 0 0 14 3
2013–14[56] Championship 23 1 1 0 1 0 25 1
Total 48 6 3 0 1 0 0 0 52 6
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2013–14[56] League One 5 0 1[c] 0 6 0
Doncaster Rovers 2014–15[57] League One 38 8 4 2 1 0 1[c] 0 44 10
2015–16[58] League One 10 1 1 0 2 0 1[c] 0 14 1
Total 48 9 5 2 3 0 2 0 58 11
Oldham Athletic (loan) 2015–16[58] League One 18 4 18 4
Portsmouth 2016–17[30] League Two 12 2 0 0 1 1 1[e] 2 14 5
2017–18[59] League One 5 0 0 0 0 0 4[e] 1 9 1
Total 17 2 0 0 1 1 5 3 23 6
Motherwell 2017–18[59] Scottish Premiership 16 5 5 3 21 8
2018–19[60] Scottish Premiership 31 3 1 0 5 3 37 6
Total 47 8 6 3 5 3 0 0 58 14
Aberdeen 2019–20[53] Scottish Premiership 18 4 4 0 0 0 3[f] 0 25 4
2020–21[53] Scottish Premiership 14 2 0 0 1 0 2[f] 1 17 3
Total 32 6 4 0 1 0 5 1 42 7
Shrewsbury Town 2020–21[42] League One 20 2 20 2
St Mirren 2021–22[61] Scottish Premiership 31 2 0 0 4 2 35 4
2022–23[62] Scottish Premiership 37 9 2 0 0 0 39 9
Total 68 11 2 0 4 2 0 0 74 13
Bengaluru 2023–24[53] Indian Super League 8 2 8 2
Dundee 2023–24[63] Scottish Premiership 14 0 1 0 0 0 15 0
2024–25[64] Scottish Premiership 11 2 0 0 6 4 0 0 17 6
Total 25 2 1 0 6 4 0 0 32 6
Career total 397 57 23 5 23 10 17 6 460 78
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League Cup/EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in Football League Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in FA Trophy
  5. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
  6. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

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Portsmouth

References

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  1. ^ a b "Curtis Main". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Curtis Main". Aberdeen F.C. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Curtis Main – Forward". Shrewsbury Town F.C. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Curtis Main remaining with Quakers". Darlington F.C. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Peterborough 0–2 Darlington". BBC Sport. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  6. ^ Rollin, Glenda & Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. Headline. pp. 166–67. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.
  7. ^ Stoddart, Craig (21 February 2009). "Curtis the Main man". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Cottagers consider Main". Sky Sports. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Mariners denied by Main man". Sky Sports. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Hatch back for Quakers". The Northern Echo. 4 September 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  11. ^ Loughlin, Nick (19 April 2009). "Striker Main on trial at Pools". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  12. ^ "Middlesbrough sign teenage striker Curtis Main". BBC Sport. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Middlesbrough 0–0 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  14. ^ "Middlesbrough 1–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  15. ^ "Millwall 1–3 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  16. ^ "Derby 0–1 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  17. ^ "Middlesbrough 2–3 Barnsley". BBC Sport. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  18. ^ Taylor, Louise (12 February 2013). "Middlesbrough take Main chance to get back on track against Leeds". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  19. ^ Tallentire, Philip (14 February 2013). "Main and Carayol put new life into Boro campaign". The Gazette. Middlesbrough. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  20. ^ "Middlesbrough's Curtis Main loaned to Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  21. ^ "Shrewsbury 1–1 Coventry". BBC Sport. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  22. ^ "Shrewsbury Town: Loans ended for Curtis Main and Graham Burke". BBC Sport. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  23. ^ "Middlesbrough: James Husband signs as Main moves to Doncaster". BBC Sport. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Signing: Main joins from Doncaster Rovers on loan". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  25. ^ Hoden, Liam (17 March 2016). "Doncaster Rovers: Curtis Main to decide on return from Oldham Athletic". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  26. ^ Chambers, Matthew (21 March 2016). "Striker pins his colours to Latics' mast". Oldham Chronicle. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  27. ^ Wobschall, Leon (5 July 2016). "Curtis Main heads south from Doncaster Rovers to Portsmouth". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  28. ^ "Curtis Main: Portsmouth sign Doncaster striker on two-year deal". BBC Sport. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  29. ^ Marshman, Jeff (10 August 2016). "Pompey first-team spot is Main target for Curtis". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  30. ^ a b c "Games played by Curtis Main in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  31. ^ Allen, Neil (3 January 2018). "Main completes Pompey exit". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  32. ^ a b "League Two: 2016/17: Latest table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  33. ^ "Main departs Pompey". Portsmouth F.C. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  34. ^ "Curtis Main makes Motherwell move". Motherwell F.C. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  35. ^ "Motherwell 2–0 Hamilton". BBC Sport. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  36. ^ Barnes, John (24 January 2018). "Motherwell 2–0 Ross County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  37. ^ Barnes, John (27 January 2018). "Hearts 1–1 Motherwell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  38. ^ McLauchlin, Brian (31 January 2018). "Hibernian 2–1 Motherwell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  39. ^ Dowden, Martin (14 April 2018). "Motherwell 3–0 Aberdeen". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  40. ^ "Curtis Main: Aberdeen sign striker after Motherwell departure". BBC Sport. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  41. ^ "Curtis Main joins Town from Aberdeen". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  42. ^ a b "Games played by Curtis Main in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  43. ^ "Released and retained list". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Scott Tanser, Greg Kiltie & Curtis Main join St Mirren". BBC Sport. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  45. ^ "ISL 2023–24: Bengaluru FC signs English striker Curtis Main for upcoming Indian Super League season". The Hindu. 18 July 2023.
  46. ^ "Main joins the Dark Blues". Dundee Football Club - Official Website. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Kilmarnock v Dundee". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  48. ^ "Bonnyrigg Rose vs. Dundee - 13 July 2024 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  49. ^ "Dundee 2-2 St Mirren: Scottish Premiership". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  50. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  51. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  52. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  53. ^ a b c d "C. Main". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  54. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  55. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  56. ^ a b "Games played by Curtis Main in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  57. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  58. ^ a b "Games played by Curtis Main in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  59. ^ a b "Games played by Curtis Main in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  60. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  61. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  62. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  63. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  64. ^ "Games played by Curtis Main in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
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