Marc Peter Tierney (born 23 August 1985) is an English former professional footballer. Predominantly a left-back, Tierney could play in other positions, such as centre-back. His brother Paul is also a retired professional footballer.
A graduate of the Oldham Athletic Academy where he made his debut in 2003, he also played for Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town, Colchester United, Norwich City, and Bolton Wanderers.
Club career Born in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, Tierney rose through the youth ranks at Oldham Athletic, making his professional debut for Oldham in a League Cup match in August of the 2003–04 season, against Scunthorpe United. In December 2004 he went to Carlisle United on loan for a three-month spell under Paul Simpson.
In January 2007, Tierney was signed by Shrewsbury Town in a two-and-a-half-year deal. He was a regular in the Shrewsbury side during the closing months of the 2006–07 season, as Town reached the League Two playoff final at Wembley. Notably, Tierney was sent off in the dying minutes of that game, making him only the second player to suffer this fate at the new stadium, and meaning he would miss the first game of the 2007–08 season.
In spite of Shrewsbury's disappointing 2007–08 season, Tierney enjoyed excellent personal form. His consistently dependable performances earned him both the fans' and players' player of the year awards.
Colchester United On 27 November 2008, Tierney joined Colchester United on an initial five-week loan. The move was made permanent in the January transfer window. Tierney received his 1st red card against former employers Oldham.
Norwich City On 12 January 2011, Tierney signed for Championship side Norwich City and was handed the number 32 shirt. The move came despite Tierney saying he would not move to Norwich "in a million years". He made his debut for The Canaries against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park as a substitute for Adam Drury in a 0–0 draw, and made his first start in the 2–1 win over Millwall at Carrow Road. Once Norwich had completed promotion he joined in with the mass celebrations by doing numerous cartwheels on the pitch. He repeated a similar celebration during a pre-season friendly against Real Zaragoza when two of the floodlights failed after a lightning strike to "entertain the fans". Tierney was given squad number 23 ahead of the 2011–12 Premier League season and started on the opening day of the season. He was the only player to start the first 6 games of the season, establishing himself as first choice left back. He is affectionately known as "Mad Marc" by the Norwich fans. Tierney continued his run in the team, starting all of the games up to Christmas until a serious injury ruled him out for the rest of the season of what was an impressive season for the team. At the end of the 2012–13 season, it was announced Tierney was not to be given a new contract, allowing him to look for other clubs on a free transfer.
Bolton Wanderers Following his release from Norwich City, Bolton Wanderers announced that Tierney would be joining the club when his contract with Norwich expired on 30 June 2013. He made his debut for Bolton in their 1–1 draw with Lancashire rivals Burnley on 3 August 2013. Tierney established himself as Bolton's first choice left-back before suffering an ankle injury in the club's 1–1 draw with Yeovil Town at the Reebok Stadium meaning a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Retirement On 23 April 2015, Tierney announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29 after failing to recover from his ankle injury.
During 2024-25 season, he became Director of Football at Altrincham FC.
In May 2025, he was appointed Head Of Football Operations at Carlisle United.
International career Aside from England, Tierney is also eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland national team. His brother Paul has previously represented Republic of Ireland at U21 level. Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli were reported to have been keeping an eye on him ahead of Ireland's participation in UEFA Euro 2012.
Personal life Marc is the brother of former Livingston player Paul Tierney.
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsOldham Athletic2002–03Division Two00000000002003–0420001000302004–05League One1100000001102005–06903010002302006–075010100070Total370403000440Carlisle United (loan)2004–05Conference National100000000100Shrewsbury Town2006–07League Two1800000001802007–084311020004612008–09180101000200Total791203000841Colchester United (loan)2008–09League One6000000060Colchester United2008–09League One2010000002012009–104103000004402010–11130101000150Total741401000791Norwich City2010–11Championship1600000001602011–12Premier League1700000001702012–131020100040Total330000000330Bolton Wanderers2013–14Championship8000100090Career total240210070002512
Does not include Football League Trophy appearances.
Honours Norwich City Football League Championship runners-up: 2010–11
References
External links