Name: Thomas Roderick Keane
Born: 31 August 1922, Limerick
Died: 13 February 2004, Swansea
Height: 5.09 ft
Weight: 11.10 st
Position: Left-Back
Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1948); Eire: 4 Full Caps (1948-1949).
Club Honours: (with Swansea Town) Football League Division Three (South) Champions 1948/49 (promoted); Welsh Cup Winner 1949/50, Runner-Up 1948/49.
Club Career:
Teams
|
Seasons
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Signed
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Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
Other
|
Limerick
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Swansea
Town
|
47/48-54/55
|
Jun-47
|
-
|
164/0
|
-
|
-
|
Llanelly
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(Southern League)
|
||
Haverfordwest
County
|
-
|
-
|
(Welsh League)
|
|||
TOTALS
|
-
|
£-
|
164/0
|
-
|
-
|
|
Biography:
Rory Keane was with home-town club, Limerick when signed by Swansea Town in June 1947. The Swans had just been relegated to Division Three (South), and were seeking a new backline to help them regain their previous status. After a near-miss in 1948, they played to massive crowds through a run of 17 home wins as they claimed the title and reached the Welsh Cup Final.
The 1948/49 season brought Keane his first major representative honours; he was capped by the Irish FA in a 3-2 Home Nations defeat by Scotland in November, and in a 1-0 defeat in Switzerland for Eire. By the end of that season Keane had four FAI caps, against Portugal, Sweden and Spain, and a Welsh Cup winner’s medal following a 4-1 win over Wrexham. Capable at right or left-back, he vied for a place in both Irish teams with fellow Limerick-man, ‘Bud’ Aherne.A run of bad luck, including two broken legs, brought Keane’s international ambitions to a halt, though he stayed with Swansea through to the mid-1950s. Later he played with Llanelly and Haverfordwest before hanging up his boots for good following a third leg-break.
Keane settled in south Wales, and his grandson, Jamie Harris followed him into the Swansea team. He died aged 82 after a battle with Parkinsons' and Alzheimers.
Ireland Cap Details:
17-11-1948 Scotland A L 2-3 BC
Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.
Eire Cap Details:
05-12-1948 Switzerland H L 0-1 FR
22-05-1949 Portugal... H W 1-0 FR
02-06-1949 Sweden..... A L 1-3 WCQ
12-06-1949 Spain...... H L 1-4 FR
Summary: 4/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 3.
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