Tommy Lowry

Name: Thomas Lowry
Born: c.1937, Ballymacarrett, Belfast

Died: September 2004, Lurgan
Height: 6.00 ft

Weight: 10.06 st
Position: Centre-Half

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 B Cap (1960), 4 Schoolboy Caps (1949).
Club Honours: (with Ballymena) Irish Cup Winner 1957/58, Runner-Up 1958/59.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Doncaster Rovers	-	-53	-	-	-	-	-
Distillery	53/54	-	-	-	-	-	-
Glentoran	54/55-55/56	-	-	*32/ 1	-	-	-
Larne	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ballymena United	57/58-59/60	-	-	*100/13	-	-	-
Falkirk	59/60-63/64	£4k	-	81/ 0	2/0	13/0	10/0
Glenavon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£-		-	-	-	-

* all games.

Biography:
Tommy Lowry was the most notable member of a famous east-Belfast footballing family, his brothers Sammy (Glentoran), Hugh (Ards) and John (Ards Reserves) all playing to a high standard.

As a teenager Tommy was scouted by Doncaster manager Peter Doherty, who offered Lowry a trial. During his time in England he lodged with Harry Gregg who took the youngster under his wing. It didn't work out for Lowry in England and he returned home for spells with Distillery, Glentoran, Larne and, most notably, Ballymena. He particularly enjoyed playing against Jackie Milburn, not giving the the ex-Newcastle forward an inch during his time at Linfield. It was while with the Braidmen that Lowry was first touted as a potential Ireland international, but he was never to win a cap.

Eventually Lowry was given another chance across the water when signed by Falkirk mid-way through the 1959/60 season. As his stature as one of the finest centre-backs in Scotland grew, Lowry was linked with moves to Newcastle, Sunderland and Rangers. He was the "Toast of Falkirk" until a bitter fall-out precipitated his exit from Brockville. Again he was linked with a host of clubs, Middlesbrough and Leyton Orient among them, but instead he returned "home".

Lowry settled in Lurgan and played for Glenavon. He was briefly caretaker manager at Mourneview, but refused a permanent position because he didn't want the hassle from colleagues at his job in a local creamery. He did later manage Distillery from February to September 1981.

Tommy Lowry remained outspoken in his views on local football up until his death in 2004.

More to follow.

NI Soccer Magazine (late 1980s) click to enlarge

Northern Ireland 'B' Cap Details:
16-03-1960 France A L 0-5

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

With thanks to John Meffen (Falkirk FC Historian)

Niall McGinn

Name: Niall McGinn
Born: 20 July 1987, Donaghmore
Height: 5.08 ft (1.73m)
Weight: 11.08 st (73kg)
Position: Winger

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Full, 1 B Cap (2009), 1 Under-23 Cap (2007).
Club Honours: (with Derry) Football League of Ireland Cup Winner 2008; (with Aberdeen) Scottish Cup Runner-Up 2016/17; League Cup Winner 2013/14, Runner-Up 2016/17.
Awards: PFAI Young Player of the Year 2008; SPL Player of the Month October 2012.

Club Career:
Teams......--Seasons-- Signed -Fee- --League-- -FACup- -FLCup- Europe Other
Dungannon Swifts ........ -03 Youth .64 (-)/ 4*
Derry City 2008 ...... Jan-08 ..... .50 (-)/10* ............... 1(-)/0
Celtic ....08/09-11/12 Dec-08 £200k .12(16)/ 4 .1(1)/1 .1(1)/1 .1(4)/0 

Brentford. 11/12 ..... Jul-11..Loan .27(10)/ 5 .1(1)/0 ............... 1(4)/0 
Aberdeen.. 12/13-16/17 Jun-12 .Free 165(14)/58 12(2)/4 12(1)/1 17(-)/5
Gwangju .. 2017 ...... Jul-17 .Free ..4 (3)/ 0 (K League)
Aberdeen.. 17/18- date Jan-18 .Free
* all games

Biography:
A highly-rated winger with Derry City, Niall McGinn was linked with a move across the water, with Chelsea, Celtic and Swansea City among the potential suiters. An all-round sportsman, he also played Gaelic football for Donaghmore and Tyrone Under-21s.

A product of the successful Dungannon Swifts youth set-up, McGinn signed his first professional contract in 2007 after helping the reserves to successes in the Bob Radcliffe Cup, George Wilson Cup and Reserve League during the 2005/06 season. In January 2008 he transferred to Derry City and in September he scored twice in a 6-1 rout of Wexford Youths in the League Cup Final. His season was rounded off with the PFAI Young Player of the Year award.

McGinn's continued good form, primarily on the right-wing, saw him included in the Northern Ireland squad for an international friendly against Hungary in November 2008. McGinn was thus the first Derry player to earn a call-up to the Northern Ireland squad since Liam Coyle in 1989. He impressed during his second-half appearance despite a disappointing 2-0 defeat.

On 16 December 2008 McGinn sealed a move to Celtic for a fee in the region of £200,000. He joined up with ex-Candystripes teammate Pat McCourt at Parkhead. A match-day regular at Celtic Park through the 2009/10 and first half of 2010/11, McGinn appeared to fall from the firstteam picture due to injury. He joined League One side Brentford on a season-long loan deal for 2011/12 and was released the following summer.

McGinn remained in Scotland, signing for Aberdeen. Dons' manager Craig Brown stated that he saw McGinn as a forward, and his faith was rewarded with a good early-season goal scoring run. That form also transferred to the international stage as he scored his first Northern Ireland goal in a famous 1-1 draw in Portugal. His performances through the 2012/13 season saw him shortlisted for the SPFA Player of the Year award. In 2013/14 he won his first major honour in Scotland as Aberdeen defeated Inverness on penalties in the League Cup Final at Celtic Park.

2016/17 brought Aberdeen runners-up spots in the Scottish League, Cup and League Cup as McGinn was heavily linked with a move away from Pittodrie. He made a surprise move to Korean side, Gwangju, becoming the first Irish footballer to play in the country. His time in South Korea was ultimately frustrating as he struggled to settle with a club who were doomed to relegation from the K League. In December he agreed a three-and-a-half year deal to return to Aberdeen.

Irish FA

(courtesy of Roy Cathcart)

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
19-11-2008 Hungary....... H L 0-2 FR. sub
06-06-2009 Italy......... A L 0-3 FR. sub
12-08-2009 Israel........ H D 1-1 FR. sub
09-09-2009 Slovakia...... H L 0-2 WCQ sub
14-10-2009 Czech Republic A D 0-0 WCQ
14-11-2009 Serbia........ H L 0-1 FR
03-03-2010 Albania....... A L 0-1 FR
08-10-2010 Italy......... H D 0-0 ECQ sub
12-10-2010 Faroe Islands. A D 1-1 ECQ
17-11-2010 Morocco....... H D 1-1 FR
09-02-2011 Scotland...... N L 0-3 CNC
24-05-2011 Rep of Ireland A L 0-5 CNC sub
27-05-2011 Wales......... N L 0-2 CNC
10-08-2011 Faroe Island.. H W 4-0 ECQ sub
02-09-2011 Serbia........ H L 0-1 ECQ sub
06-09-2011 Estonia....... A L 1-5 ECQ
11-10-2011 Italy......... A L 0-3 ECQ sub
02-06-2012 Netherlands... A L 0-6 FR. sub
16-10-2012 Portugal...... A D 1-1 WCQ 1 Goal
14-11-2012 Azerbaijan.... H D 1-1 WCQ
06-02-2013 Malta......... A D 0-0 FR
26-03-2013 Israel........ H L 0-2 WCQ
14-08-2013 Russia........ H W 1-0 WCQ
06-09-2013 Portugal...... H L 2-4 WCQ
10-09-2013 Luxembourg.... A L 2-3 WCQ
11-10-2013 Azerbaijan.... A L 0-2 WCQ sub
15-10-2013 Israel........ A D 1-1 WCQ
15-11-2013 Turkey........ A L 0-1 FR
05-03-2014 Cyprus........ A D 0-0 FR
30-05-2014 Uruguay....... A L 0-1 FR
04-06-2014 Chile......... A L 0-2 FR. sub
07-09-2014 Hungary....... A W 2-1 ECQ sub 1 Goal
Still active.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
06-05-2009 Scotland A L 0-3 FR

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
11-12-2007 Belgium A L 1-2 ICT

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Jonny Tuffey

Name: Jonathan Tuffey

Born: 20 January 1987, Banbridge

Height: 6.01 ft

Weight: 12.08 st

Position: Goalkeeper

..

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 8 Full (2008-2011), 13 Under-21 Caps (2006-2008), 11 Under-19 Caps, 8 Under-17 Caps, 10 Under-16 Schools Caps (2002-2003).
Club Honours: (with Inverness) North of Scotland Cup Winner 2011/12; (with Linfield) Co. Antrim Shield Winner 2013/14; (with Glenavon) Irish Cup Winner 2015/16; NIFL Charity Shield Winner 2016.
Awards: Scottish First Division Player of the Month March 2008; NIFWA Goalkeeper of the Year 2015/16.

..

Club Career:

Teams.......... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Europe Other

St Patrick's Boys Club

Lisburn Youth

Coventry City.............. Jul-05 Youth ..0(0)/0

Partick Thistle 06/07-09/10 Aug-06 .Free 109(1)/0 9(0)/0 7(0)/0 3(0)/0

Inverness C.T. .10/11-11/12 Jul-10 .Free ..8(0)/0 5(0)/0 3(0)/0 
St Johnstone .. 12/13 ..... Jun-12 .Free . 0(0)/0 ...... 1(0)/0 
Linfield ...... 13/14-14/15 Jun-13 .Free .59(0)/0 2(0)/0 3(0)/0 8(0)/0 5(0)/0
Glenavon ...... 15/16- date May-15 .Free

..

Biography:

A promising young 'keeper and former captain of Northern Ireland Under-21s, Jonny Tuffey was called into the Full squad for the first time for World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Czech Republic in September 2008 - he may have to serve a long apprenticeship as back-up for Maik Taylor and Alan Mannus.

..

A former trainee at Coventry, where he was a regular in the reserve side at 18, Tuffey decided to join Partick Thistle in 2006. He established himself as first choice at Partick through the 2007/08 season, taking the place of former Scotland 'B' international, Kevin Arthur. In 2008/09 he aided Partick to runners-up spot in the Scottish First Division, one place of promotion, earning fans' Player of the Year accolades.

..

Tuffey has already tasted some success for Northern Ireland at youth level. He featured in the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Finals in France and 2005 Under-19 Finals hosted by Northern Ireland. He also starred in the Northern Ireland Elite side that were defeated by the USA in the Final of the 2005 Milk Cup.

..

Tuffey made his full international debut as a half-time substitute in a friendly against Hungary in November 2008. He stood little chance for either of the goals he conceded in a 2-0 defeat. He made his first start for Northern Ireland in an end-of-season friendly against Italy, marking the occasion with a penalty save.

..

After turning down a new contract with Partick in the summer of 2010, Tuffey was linked to a number of clubs in Scotland, England and the USA. Eventually he joined SPL side Inverness Caledonian Thistle on a two-year deal, after the club agreed "development" compensation with Partick. To date Tuffey has been merely back-up for Caley, though he retained his place as Northern Ireland's second choice 'keeper and put in a particularly impressive performance against Morocco in November 2010 before being replaced by Alan Blayney at half-time.

Having played only cup matches for Caley, Tuffey was finally given a run in the final three league matches of the season, so becoming the first goalkeeper from Northern Ireland to feature in the SPL since it was founded in 1998. He shared international goalkeeping duties with Blayney in the end-of-season Carling Nations Cup matches. The arrival of Lee Camp on the international scene, the continued presence of the veteran Taylor and a squad re-call for Mannus saw Tuffey fall from the the Northern Ireland reckoning.

After another campaign as Inverness' back-up and cup 'keeper, Tuffey was released in the summer of 2012. He joined the Steve Lomas managed St Johnstone where he competed for a place with Mannus. Having been unable to oust his fellow country-man from the Perth club's number one spot, Tuffey was released at the close of the season. He returned to Northern Ireland, signing for Linfield for whom he made his debut in a 2-0 Europa League win at IF Fuglafjordur of the Faroe Islands in July. Tuffey spent two largely disappointing seasons at Linfield that yielded only a County Antrim Shield win. Inconsistent form saw him lose his place for a portion of the 2014/15 season and he was released that summer.

Tuffey moved to Glenavon for 2015/16 and re-found his form as the Lurgan club finished third in the Irish League and claimed the Irish Cup.

..

Irish FA

Partick Thistle

Wikipedia

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Northern Ireland Cap Details:

19-11-2008 Hungary. H L 0-2 FR sub

06-06-2009 Italy... A L 0-3 FR

12-08-2009 Israel.. H D 1-1 FR sub

14-11-2009 Serbia.. H L 0-1 FR sub

03-03-2010 Albania. A L 0-1 FR sub

17-11-2010 Morocco. H D 1-1 FR
09-02-2011 Scotland N L 0-3 CNC
27-05-2011 Wales... N L 0-2 CNC

Summary: 4(4)/0. Won 0, Drew 2, Lost 6. Goals conceded: 9.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
06-05-2009 Scotland A L 0-3 FR

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
14-11-2006 Germany... A L 1-2 FR 
06-02-2007 Wales..... H L 0-4 FR 
24-03-2007 Romania... A L 0-2 FR 
24-05-2007 Scotland.. A L 0-4 FR 
01-06-2007 Moldova... A W 1-0 ECQ 
21-08-2007 Finland... H W 2-1 FR 
07-09-2007 Germany... H L 0-3 ECQ 
12-09-2007 Luxembourg A W 2-1 ECQ 
17-10-2007 Israel.... H L 1-3 ECQ 
16-11-2007 Luxembourg H W 5-0 ECQ 
20-11-2007 Moldova... H W 3-0 ECQ 
06-02-2008 Israel.... A L 1-2 ECQ 
26-03-2008 Romania... H L 1-3 FR sub 

Summary: 12(1)/0. Won 5, Drew 0, Lost 8.

Picture by Roy Cathcart.

Joe Elwood

Name: Joseph Patrick Elwood
Born: 26 October 1939, Belfast
Position: Outside/Inside-Left

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 B Cap (1960), 1 Under-23 Cap (1962), Youth Caps; 3 Schoolboy Caps (1954).
Club Honours: (with Glenavon) Irish League Champion 1956/57; Irish Cup Winner 1956/57; (with Orient) Football League Division Two Runner-Up 1961/62.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Glenavon	54/55-57/58	Sep-54	-	-	-	-	-
Leyton Orient	58/59-65/66	Apr-58	-	101(2)/25	8(0)/4	16(0)/3	-
Ards	66/67-67/68	c/s-66	-	/12	/2	-	/10
Distillery	-	c/s-69	-	-	-	-	-
TOTALS		£-		/37	/6	16(0/3	/10

BIography:
Joe Elwood broke into Jimmy McAlinden's Glenavon side while still a teenager, featuring at outside-left in their 1957 "Double" winning side. At eighteen he moved to Division Two Leyton Orient, his free-scoring displays from the wing bringing ten goals in his first campaign in English football. After such startling early form his progress slowed somewhat, and in 1963, as Orient achieved promotion to the topflight for the only time, he played just ten times.

Still, Elwood remained in the thoughts of the Irish selectors, featuring at outside-left in 5-0 defeat by France in a 1960 B international and at inside-left in a 1962 Under-23 match, a scoreless draw against Wales. Although not a regular selection for the Os, he remained a regular goalscorer through to his return to the Irish League with Ards in 1966.

Elwood added much needed experience and guile to a young Ards side, aiding them to turn round their period of mediocrity in the mid-sixties to become challengers once again. He saved his best performances in red and blue for a run in the 1968 Irish Cup. He scored in a 4-1 win over Coleraine despite being given the unfamiliar task of man-marker Bertie Peacock. He scored again in the semi-final against Linfield, though Ards finished 2-1 losers.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:

16-03-1960 France A L 0-5 FR

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
07-02-1962 Wales H D 0-0 FR

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 0.

Danny Lennon

Name: Daniel Joseph Lennon
Born: 6 April 1970, Whitburn (Scotland)
Height: 5.07 ft
Weight: 10.10 st
Position: Midfielder

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 4 B Caps (1995-1998).
Club Honours: (with Raith) Scottish League Division One Champion 1994/95; (with Partick) Scottish League Division One Champion 2001/02; Scottish League Division Two Champion 2000/01.

Club Career:

Teams		Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Hutchison Vale B.C.			-	Youth	-	-	-	-
Hibernian	87/88-93/94		Aug-87	Youth	19(18)/ 2	3(0)/0	-	-
Raith Rovers	94/95-98/99		Mar-94	£30k	151 (8)/15	6(0)/1	3(0)/0	6(1)/5
Ayr United	99/00		Aug-99	Free	3 (4)/ 1	-	-	1(0)/0
Partick Thistle	99/00-02/03		Dec-99	Free	86(11)/12	13(0)/2	3(0)/2	2(0)/2
Gretna	03/04-04/05		Jul-03	Free	5 (5)/ 0	0(1)/0	-	2(0)/0
Workington	06/07		-	Free	1 (-)/ 0	-	-	-
Cowdenbeath	06/07-07/08		Nov-06	Free	2 (1)/ 0	-	-	-
TOTALS	-		£30k		259(45)/30	22(1)/3	6(0)/2	11(1)/7

Biography:
Scottish-born midfielder Danny Lennon came to the fore with Jimmy Nicholl’s successful Raith Rovers side of the mid-1990s. Eligible for Northern Ireland through his grandmother, Lennon started his career at Hibernian as a teenager in 1985, but found his chances at Easter Road limited. Nicholl stepped in to sign the then 23-year-old for a £30,000 fee late in the 1993/94 season as Raith unsuccessfully fought relegation from the Premier Division.

Lennon’s second season at Stark’s Park proved almost perfect. The First Division championship was claimed by single point ahead of Dunfermline to secure an immediate return to the Premier Division. The club also claimed the Coca-Cola Cup, defeating Celtic on penalties in the Final. Lennon played in all four games en-route, scoring in a quarter-final win over St Johnstone, but he missed the big day through injury. That same season Lennon was selected for Northern Ireland ‘B’ for a February friendly with his homeland.

Raith’s Cup success earned them a place in the UEFA Cup, where in the third round they faced Bayern Munich. Trailing 2-0 from the home leg, Lennon scored from a free-kick to give Rovers the lead at the Olympiastadion though the German giants eventually triumphed 4-1 on aggregate. Lennon’s league form was equally as scintillating. He scored ten times in all as Raith achieved mid-table security and his passing ability brought him many admirers and a second Northern Ireland ‘B’ cap against the Norway Olympic side.

Lennon’s continued good form over the following few seasons brought him two further ‘B’ caps, in wins over Portugal Under-21s in 1997 and the Republic of Ireland in 1998. However, when Raith were back in the Scottish First Division he became a target for fans frustration. In August 1999 Lennon transferred to Ayr United where he stayed only briefly before he moved to a Partick Thistle side wallowing in the Second Division. Lennon was club captain in their successful return to the Premier League in 2002.

The following few seasons saw Lennon suffer a range of injuries and in July 2003 he joined Gretna, ostensibly as Youth Development Officer. He did however make a few appearances in the club’s Third Division title winning side of 2005. He returned to the field of play with Workington in 2006 before joining Cowdenbeath as player/assistant-manager that November. Lennon stepped up to become manager following the clubs relegation to Division Three at the end of 2007/08 and led them to consecutive promotions in 2009 and 2010.

In June 2010 Lennon was appointed manager at SPL St. Mirren and in March 2013 he led them to a League Cup final win over Hearts, their first major trophy in 26 years. He was not offered a new contract at the end of the 2013/14 season. The Scottish FA announced his appointment as temporary national Under-21 manager in February 2015 and he returned to full-time management with Alloa in April.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
21-02-1995 Scotland......... A L 0-3 FR
26-03-1996 Norway Olympic XI H W 3-0 FR
28-03-1997 Portugal Under-21 H W 2-0 FR
11-02-1998 Rep. of Ireland.. A W 1-0 FR

Summary: 4/0. Won 3, Drew 0, Lost 1.