Nejc Pečnik

Nejc Pečnik
Pečnik with Slovenia in 2009
Personal information
Full name Nejc Pečnik[1]
Date of birth (1986-01-03) 3 January 1986
Place of birth Dravograd, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Dravograd
Youth career
0000–2002 Dravograd
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2009 Celje 119 (21)
2008–2009 → Sparta Prague (loan) 4 (0)
2009–2012 Nacional 37 (2)
2011 → Krylia Sovetov (loan) 21 (1)
2012–2013 Sheffield Wednesday 10 (0)
2013–2014 Red Star Belgrade 44 (9)
2015 JEF United Chiba 39 (14)
2016–2017 Omiya Ardija 27 (1)
2017–2018 Tochigi SC 34 (8)
2018– Dravograd 0 (0)
National team
2001 Slovenia U15 5 (0)
2006–2007 Slovenia U20 3 (1)
2005–2008 Slovenia U21 20 (2)
2009–2015 Slovenia 32 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 August 2018

Nejc Pečnik (born 3 January 1986) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays for Dravograd as an attacking midfielder.

He represented Slovenia at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Prior to that, he had been directly responsible for Slovenia's successful qualification to the tournament as he scored an away goal against Russia in the 2010 World Cup qualification playoffs.

Pečnik's older brother, Andrej, is also a professional footballer.

Club career

Celje

Born in Dravograd, Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Pečnik started his career at hometown club NK Dravograd. After showing promise in its youth teams he was signed by NK Celje, making his first division debut on 24 April 2004 against FC Ljubljana.[2]

The following year Pečnik played in only seven league matches, adding a few Cup appearances including the final against FC Koper.[3] In the 2005–06 season he managed to gain a regular place in the first team, eventually establishing himself as a key offensive player.

In 2007–08, Pečnik was Celje's top scorer with 14 league goals.[4] After five seasons he was loaned out in June 2008 to Sparta Prague,[5] but appeared rarely with the Czech first division outfit during his six-month stay, spending most of his time with the reserve squad.[6]

Nacional

After a further 15 league games with Celje, Pečnik signed with C.D. Nacional of Portugal.[7][8] On 16 July 2012, after three seasons of irregular playing time, also being loaned to Russian club FC Krylia Sovetov Samara for five months,[9] he signed a two-year deal with Sheffield Wednesday in the Football League Championship.[10]

Sheffield Wednesday

In his official debut with the Owls, on 12 August 2012, Pečnik missed a penalty and was booked before half-time, as his team trailed at Oldham Athletic 0–2. He played the full 90 minutes in an eventual 4–2 win for the season's Football League Cup.[11]

Pečnik was released by Wednesday at the end of his only campaign.

Red Star Belgrade

Pečnik agreed to a two-year contract with Red Star Belgrade from Serbia, on 1 July 2013.[12] He scored his first goal for Red Star against ÍBV in the second qualifying round of the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League.

International career

Pečnik made his debut for the Slovenian national team on 1 April 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland.[13]

He scored his first goal for Slovenia on 10 October 2009, in the same competition, a 2–0 win Slovakia. On 14 November, he scored a decisive goal in the play-offs' first leg, as the national side lost 1–2 with Russia at the Luzhniki Stadium,[14] only to win 1–0 in the second leg, taking the tie on the away goals rule and qualifying for a World Cup for the second time in the nation's history; in the final stages, he appeared twice as a late substitute, having to be however stretchered off in the match against United States.[15]

Career statistics

Club

Updated to 11 August 2018.[16][17]

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
2003–04CeljeSPL20????20
2004–0570????70
2005–062914020351
2006–0731243—355
2007–08351420—3714
2008–09Sparta PragueGL40002060
2008–09Sparta BCZ2D92——92
2008–09CeljeSPL15300—153
2009–10NacionalPrimeira Liga2423080352
2010–119010—100
2011–124010—50
2011–12Krylia SovetovRPL21110—221
2012–13Sheffield WednesdayChampionship10040—140
2013–14Red Star BelgradeSerbian SuperLiga2973141369
2014–1515210—162
2015JEF United ChibaJ2 League391400—3914
2016Omiya ArdijaJ1 League2114262315
2017602041121
Tochigi SCJ3 League126––126
2018J2 League22200–222
Career total 3445730626440067

International goals

Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
110 October 2009Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia Slovakia2–02–02010 World Cup qualification
214 November 2009Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia Russia1–21–22010 World Cup qualification – Playoffs
314 November 2012Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia Macedonia1–22–3Friendly
414 November 2012Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia Macedonia2–32–3Friendly
514 June 2015Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia England2–22–3UEFA Euro 2016 Qualification
612 October 2015San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino San Marino2–02–0UEFA Euro 2016 Qualification

Honours

Celje
Red Star

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 27. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Zapisnik 26. kroga" (in Slovenian). PrvaLiga. 24 April 2004. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Publikum dočakal prvo lovoriko" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenia. 17 May 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "Statistika sezone 2007/08 (Season statistics 2007/08)" (in Slovenian). PrvaLiga. May 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  5. ↑ "Nogometaš Nejc Pečnik se iz Celja seli v praško Sparto" (in Slovenian). Dnevnik. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  6. ↑ "Nejc Pečnik" (in Czech). iDNES. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Pečnik nasledil Cristiana Ronalda" (in Slovenian). NK Celje. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  8. ↑ "Seduzido pela hipótese de jogar na Liga Europa" [Seduced with the chance of playing in Europa League] (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  9. ↑ "Pecnik rescindiu" [Pecnik has rescinded] (in Portuguese). Record. 11 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Sheffield Wednesday sign Slovenian Nejc Pecnik". BBC Sport. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Oldham 2 – Sheff Wed 4". BBC Sport. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  12. ↑ FK Crvena Zvezda: Печник у Звезди наредне две године; Red Star's official website, 1 July 2013 (in Serbian)
  13. ↑ "Severni Irci spodrezali slovenska krila" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenia. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  14. ↑ "World Cup play-offs round-up". BBC Sport. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  15. ↑ "World Cup 2010: Slovenian Nejc Pecnik breaks ankle". BBC Sport. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  16. ↑ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)", 8 February 2017, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411420 (p. 41 out of 289)
  17. ↑ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 2015 (NSK MOOK)", 14 February 2015, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411246 (p. 168 out of 298)
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