ℹ️ Laiith Fairnie
Name: Laiith Fairnie
Date of birth: 21/04/2005
Place of birth: Jersey
Nationality: Jersey / Scottish
Language: English
Club: Greenock Morton FC
Favourite position: Center Back
Favourite foot: Left
⚽️ Club History:
Hartpury College | Youth/College
Birmingham City FC | Youth-2025
Rushall Olympic FC | 2024-2025 (on loan)
Eastbourne Borough FC | 2025-2026
Greenock Morton FC | 2026-…
🎙️ Interview:
Introduce yourself…
My name is Laiith Fairnie and I play for Greenock Morton.
Let’s go right back to the beginning, what first made you fall in love with football growing up in Jersey?
My Dad was the one who got me into football and I was watching and playing ever since I remember. I just loved playing at a young age and grew to play the game more and more at a higher level.
You moved from Jersey to Hartpury as a teenager. Was the decision primarily about football, education, or a combination of the two? and how difficult was it to leave Jersey at that age and move to England?
Yeah it was a big step at first but that’s all what grows you as a person and a player. It was the best thing I could do if I wanted to pursue a career in football. My main thought was only for football and I wanted to play at a higher level the education was just a bonus and something to fall back on in case football didn’t go as planned. The hardest part was leaving a life that I was comfortable with to try push myself out into something that could help me.
Birmingham had given you opportunities to showcase yourself in trials before offering you a contract. What do you remember about those trials?
Birmingham was the first and only team I took a trial up with. I done a few separate weeks and played a few games. For me it was a great experience and a great opportunity. I played a game against Crewe and Sheffield Wednesday one for the 18s and one for the 21s. I kind of knew after Sheffield Wednesday I was going to get an offer because I done everything I can so they couldn’t ignore me.
Going from Hartpury to a professional club like Birmingham City must have been a huge change. What was the biggest adjustment?
The biggest adjustment was the style of football for me. Living in a different area I thought was exciting and enjoyable to experience. But definitely the style of football it was a lot sharper and you had to be more tidy on the ball. The slower you think the less time you have and the picture changes all the time. Everything was done 10x quicker, the press, the passing, the movement, the quality of the attackers.
Your loan to Rushall Olympic was a major step because it meant playing senior football regularly. What did you want to get out of that loan?
I really enjoyed my time as Rushall it developed me as a player and a person. Gave me a real experience and taste of men’s football and what it was like to battle every week. It helped me learn nothing ever came easy in that league. A lot of the experienced players helped me out as well and taught me things on and off the pitch. It helped set me up more for moving into men’s football after I had finished my career at Birmingham.
Eventually you left Birmingham and joined Eastbourne Borough in September 2025. How difficult was it to accept that your time at Birmingham had come to an end?
Football is football at the end of the day it’s a tough business to go into and it’s cut throat so these things happen. I have no grudge against it at the time I simply was not good enough to step to the next level. But that rejection helped me come out the other side knowing everything isn’t a straight path and was a good thing for me in the long run.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during your season at Eastbourne? And was there anything about playing in the National League South that surprised you?
My time at Eastbourne was one I have not experienced before. I enjoyed playing and was tough we had a few change of managers so I struggled to really stay consistent with all these different styles of play. I thought it would be a lot more technically inclined at NLS which is was slightly and a lot less physical NLN. I had a really good team around me and enjoyed my time at the club. Met a few people who have really helped me in all aspects of the game and learnt me loads.
This year you moved to Greenock Morton FC. What was it about Morton that convinced you this was the right next step in your career?
I was interested when Morton said they wanted to sign me I know a bit about Scottish football and supported Hibernian and Scotland all my life. I knew less on the Scottish Championship but knew it was a well watched and well regarded league. So I knew if I done well in Scotland it would put me in the shop window for people to watch me.
And finally, do you have a particular target for appearances, performances or achievements this season?
I want to play as many games as possible throughout my career as every player does. I want to play at the highest standard in every game I play. I would be happy to get a few goals and assists it would be another good thing to add to my game this season. As a defender I hope for as many clean sheets as possible.
