Name: Francis RusheBorn: 23 October 1900, Bessbrook
Died: 29 March 1984, Warrenpoint
Height:
Weight:
Position: Centre-Forward
Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap / 1 Goal (1924); Irish League: 2 Caps (1924).
Club Honours: (with Glenavon) Irish Cup Runner-Up 1921/22; (with Distillery) Irish Cup Winner 1924/25; Gold Cup Winner 1924/25; (with Shelbourne) Irish Free State League Runner-Up 1923/24.
Club Career:
Teams
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
FL Cup
|
Other
|
Bessbrook
Athletic
|
-
|
-
|
(Portadown & District/Newry &
District Leagues)
|
||||
Glenavon
|
21/22
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Dublin
United
|
22/23
|
Oct-22
|
-
|
/ 9
|
4/4
|
-
|
-
|
Shelbourne
|
23/24
|
-
|
-
|
15/12
|
1/0
|
-
|
-
|
Distillery
|
24/25-25/26
|
-
|
-
|
* 39/17
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
GNR
Dundalk
|
26/27
|
Aug-26
|
-
|
15/ 3
|
1/1
|
3/0
|
1/0
|
Glenavon
|
27/28-28/29
|
-
|
-
|
* /20
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Newry
Town
|
28/29-30/31
|
Jan-29
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
TOTALS
|
-
|
£-
|
/61
|
6/5
|
3/0
|
1/0
|
|
Biography:
Frank Rushe began his career with his hometown club, Bessbrook Athletic. He joined Glenavon where he made an immediate impact in the reserve side, scoring six times in his first couple of outings. Promotion to the Irish League side was rapid, and he played at centre-forward in the Lurgan side’s 1922 Irish Cup Final defeat by Linfield.
October 1922 onwards was spent by Rushe plying his trade in the Free State League with Dublin United. He scored nine times that season, finishing as the club’s topscorer, and also managed four goals in four FAI Cup matches, but they were not re-elected after just two years as a League club. The following season he was Shelbourne’s leading scorer as they finished runners-up to Bohemians in the League.
An end-of-season friendly between Shels and Distillery prompted Rushe’s move back north. While the Whites had a poor season in the Irish League the cups brought better luck. They claimed the Irish Cup with a 2-1 Final win over Belfast Celtic. A month later came a 2-0 Gold Cup Final replay defeat of Queen’s Island, with Rushe scoring the second goal. Once again he finished as his team’s top goalscorer.
While with Distillery Rushe was honoured in the Ireland side that faced South Africa in September 1924. His goal gave the Irish a half-time 1-0 lead before the South Africans ran-out 2-1 winners. That season he also played twice for the Irish League in 5-0 and 3-0 defeats by the Football League and Scottish League respectively. Still at Distillery for the 1925/26 season he completed a barren season.
After a season-long return to Glenavon, Rushe moved to Dundalk for their first campaign in the Free State League. He missed the opening match of the season at Fordsons (in Cork) due to a registration hitch and had to wait for the trip to Athlone the following week for his debut. As one of the few experienced players in the Dundalk squad he was employed in a variety of roles, eventually making his favoured centre-forward position his own. While it proved an inauspicious first senior campaign for Dundalk, Rushe did have the honour of scoring their first FAI Cup goal in a 6-1 defeat by Bohemians.
A return to Glenavon in 1927/28 proved Rushe still had the goalscoring touch before he signed for Newry Town in January 1929, remaining there until May 1931.
Rushe remained a regular and popular visitor to Dundalk games at the Athletic Grounds and later Oriel Park and he became a well-respected greengrocer in his native Bessbrook.
Dundalk Who's Who
Ireland Cap Details:
24-09-1924 South Africa H L 1-2 FR 1 Goal
Summary: 1/1. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.
This article is largely based on information supplied by Jim Murphy with additional details by George Glass.
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