Rory Donnelly

Name: Ruaridhri Donnelly

Born: 18 February 1992, Belfast

Height: 6.02ft (1.88m)

Weight:

Position: Forward

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Under-21 Cap (2013).
Club Honours: (with Cliftonville) Co. Antrim Shield Winner 2011/12.
Awards: League Two Player of the Month Jan-15.

Club Career:

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

Clift'ville 10/11-11/12 .......Youth 49 (-)/20 ...... 5(-)/2 2(-)/0

Swansea C. .11/12-14/15 Jan-12 Undis .0 (0)/ 0 ...... 0(1)/0 1(0)/0 
Coventry C. 13/14 ..... Jan-14..Loan .0 (0)/ 0
Tranmere R. 14/15 ..... Jan-15..Loan 15 (5)/ 5
Gillingham. 15/16-16/17 Jun-15 .Free 35(31)/12 1(2)/0 1(1)/0 3(1)/0
Clift'ville 17/18- date Aug-17 .Free

Biography:

Rory Donnelly's stunning early season form in 2011/12 saw him earn a move from Irish League Cliftonville to Premier League Swansea, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton also reportedly interested. 

Included in both Northern Ireland Under-21 and senior squads, he was capped for the first time in an Under-21 friendly against Denmark in August 2013.

Donnelly's debut in full-time football came as a substitute against Crawley in the League Cup in September 2012. It was nearly a year until his second Swans appearance as he started a Europa League match at Petrolul Ploiesti. In January 2014 he was sent to Coventry on loan but stayed just a few days before returning to the Liberty Stadium having not played a game. Having also been plagued by injuries, he was again sent out on loan mid-way through the 2014/15 season, joining Tranmere. He scored his first senior goals since leaving Cliftonville against Accrington Stanley in his first start. Three goals in as many starts brought him the January League Two Player of the Month award.

Donnelly was released by Swansea at the conclusion of his loan spell at Tranmere. He then signed for Gillingham on a two-year contract.

More to follow.

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
14-08-2013 Denmark H L 1-4 FR

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

James McPake

Name: James McPake
Born: 24 June 1984, Bellshill (Scotland)
Height: 6.02ft (1.88m)
Weight: 13.03st (84kg)
Position: Centre-Back

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Full Cap (2012)
Club Honours: (with Hibs) Scottish Cup Runner-Up 2011/12.

Club Career:
Teams .... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Others
Livingston 03/04-08/09 Aug-00 Youth 82(18)/6 9(0)/0 7(0)/0 3(0)/0
G'k Morton 05/06 ..... Jan-06 .Loan .3 (7)/2
Coventry C 08/09-11/12 Jan-09 ..... 34 (4)/1 3(0)/0 1(1)/0
Hibernian .11/12 ..... Jan-12 .Loan 11 (0)/0 4(0)/1 
Hibernian .12/13-13/14 Jun-12 .Free 30 (2)/2 3(0)/0 1(0)/0 2(0)/0
Dundee ... 13/14-17/18 May-14 .Free 50 (0)/4 2(0)/0 3(0)/0

Biography:
Qualified for Northern Ireland through a Coleraine-born grandparent, James McPake was first called into the Northern Ireland squad at the end of the 2011/12 season, and put in an admirable rearguard performance on his début despite a 6-0 defeat by the Netherlands. Although he has been included in several more squads, he has yet to add to his cap collection, and seems unlikely to do so in the near future.

In January 2018 McPake announced his retirement due to a knee injury. It had been two years since he last played, having suffered the injury while playing in the Dundee-derby on 2nd January 2016. He took up a coaching position with the Dundee Academy.

More to follow.

Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
02-06-2012 Netherlands A L 0-6 FR

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

Adam Barton

Name: Adam James Barton
Born: 7 January 1991, Blackburn (ENG)
Height: 5.11 ft
Weight: 12.12 st
Position: Midfielder

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Full Cap (2010); Republic of Ireland: 5 Under-21 Caps (2011-2012).

Club Career:
Teams............ --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other
Blackburn Rovers.................... Youth .0 (0)/0
Preston North End 08/09-11/12 Jan-09 Youth 37(13)/1 1(0)/0 4(1)/1 2(0)/1
Crawley Town..... 09/10 ..... Sep-09 .Loan .1 (1)/0 (Football Conference)
Coventry City ... 12/13-14/15 Aug-12 Undis 43(20)/3 3(2)/0 2(0)/0 3(0)/0
Fleetwood Town .. 13/14 ..... Apr-14 .Loan .0 (0)/0
Portsmouth ...... 15/16-16/17 Jun-15 .Free 13 (6)/0 2(0)/0 1(0)/0 4(0)/0
Partick Thistle . 16/17- date Aug-16 Undis

Biography:
A skilful, rangy midfielder, Blackburn-born Adam Barton qualified for Northern Ireland through the parent rule.

Formerly a youth team player with Blackburn Rovers, Barton was released at 16 due to a serious back injury. Preston North End then took a chance and offered him a scholarship then a professional deal, on a two-and-a-half year contract, just prior to his eighteenth birthday. He was first included in Preston's senior squad in March 2009 when he was an unused substitute against Charlton. It was while on loan with Crawley that Barton made his firstteam debut, coming on as a substitute against Luton Town in a 3-0 Blue Square Premier defeat on 1st September 2009. He made his Preston debut, starting against Scunthorpe, on 10th April 2010 but was substituted at half-time following a head injury. Since the start of the 2010/11 season Barton has been a regular at Deepdale and he scored his first goal in a 4-3 defeat by local rivals Burnley on 11th Sptember 2010. Impressive early season form has already seen him linked to a number of Premier League sides.

Barton, who has previously been included in Northern Ireland Under-19 and Under-21 squads, earned his first senior call-up for the double header against Italy and the Faroe Islands in September 2010. A day later he withdrew from the squad hoping to keep his international options open. Two months later he was again called-up by Nigel Worthington as a late inclusion in the squad for a match against Morocco. As this was a friendly, his appearance had not permanently tied his future to Northern Ireland.

In March 2011, despite struggling for form and having been dropped from the Preston firstteam, Barton was called into the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad, making a further mockery of his earlier claims that he wished to retain the option of playing for England.

Barton joined Coventry for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2012. He was released when his contract expired in 2015 and joined Portsmouth.

PNE Profile
Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
17-11-2010 Morocco H D 1-1 FR

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

Josh McQuoid

bbc

Name: Joshua Joseph Brian McQuoid
Born: 15 December 1989, Southampton (England)
Height: 5.10 ft
Weight: 10.10 st
Position: Midfielder/Forward

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Full (2010-date), 1 B Cap (2009), 8 Under-21 Caps / 2 Goals (2008-2009), 4 Under-19 Caps.
Club Honours: (with Bournemouth) Football League One Runner-Up 2012/13 (promoted); (with Peterborough) Football League Trophy Winner 2013/14.

Club Career:
Teams....... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- --League- FA Cup FL Cup Other 
Brockenhurst College

Bournemouth. 06/07-10/11 ...... Youth 31(38)/10 2(5)/3 0(2)/0 1(4)/0
Millwall ... 10/11-11/12 Nov-10 £600k .8 (8)/ 1 0(2)/0 1(0)/0 
Burnley .... 11/12...... Jan-12 .Loan .9 (8)/ 1
Bournemouth. 12/13-14/15 May-12 Exch. 22(13)/ 3 3(1)/2 ...... 1(0)/0
Peterborough 13/14 ..... Feb-14 .Loan .8 (6)/ 1 ............. 1(1)/1
Coventry C. .14/15 ..... Aug-14 .Loan 12 (2)/ 3 0(1)/0 1(0)/0 3(0)/2
Luton Town . 15/16-17/18 Jun-15 .Free 21(11)/ 3 3(0)/2 1(1)/0 5(3)/3
Stevenage .. 16/17 ..... Jan-17 .Loan 10 (6)/ 1
Torquay Utd. 17/18 ..... Sep-17 .Loan 13 (1)/ 2
Aldershot T. 17/18 ..... Jan-18 .Free 13 (3)/ 1
Weymouth ... 18/19- date

Biography:
Josh McQuoid's most impressive performance in a green shirt to date was a two goal salvo in an Under-21 international against Scotland.

A hattrick for Bournemouth against Tranmere in the FA Cup saw McQuoid called into the Northern Ireland squad as a late inclusion for a November 2010 friendly against Morocco. A week later he scored another hattrick as Bournemouth defeated Walsall 3-0. He then made his international debut as a half-time substitute against the Africans, and it was a foul on him that earned Northern Ireland a late penalty from which they equalised.

On 25th November 2010 McQuoid joined Millwall on an initial loan which became a permanent move valued at around £600,000 when the transfer window opened the following January. He failed to impress at the New Den and joined Burnley mid-way through the following season as striking cover. He was then allowed to return to Bournemouth on a three year deal in exchange for Scott Malone.

McQuoid made a rapid return to the Championship as Bournemouth were promoted as League One runners-up. Having struggled to make the Cherries side at the higher level, mainly due to injury, McQuoid joined Peterborough on loan and scored the opener as the Posh defeated Chesterfield in the 2014 Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at Wembley.

Prior to the start of the 2014/15 season McQuoid joined Coventry on a loan deal through to January.

More to follow.

Irish FA
Wikipedia
Soccerbase

Northern Ireland Cap Details:

17-11-2010 Morocco....... H D 1-1 FR. sub
29-03-2011 Slovenia...... H D 0-0 ECQ sub
24-05-2011 Rep of Ireland A L 0-5 CNC
02-09-2011 Serbia........ H L 0-1 ECQ sub
06-09-2011 Estonia....... A L 1-4 ECQ sub
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-21 Cap Details:

19-08-2008 Poland........ N L 0-1 MT. sub

20-08-2008 Ukraine....... A L 1-4 MT. sub

18-11-2008 Scotland...... A W 3-1 FR. 2 goals

31-03-2009 Ukraine....... H D 1-1 FR

04-09-2009 Czech Republic A L 0-2 ECQ

08-09-2009 Iceland....... H L 2-6 ECQ

13-10-2009 Iceland....... A L 1-2 ECQ

17-11-2009 Czech Republic H L 1-2 ECQ sub

Summary: 5(3)/2. Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 6. 

Oliver Norwood

Name: Oliver James Norwood Born: 12 April 1991, Burnley (England) Height: 5.11 ft Weight: 12.00 st Position: Midfielder Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Full (2010-date), 1 B Cap (2009), Under-21 (2009-date), Youth; England: Youth. Club Honours: (with Brighton) EFL Championship Runner-up 2016/17 (promoted); (with Fulham) EFL Championship Play-Off Winner (promoted) 2017/18.

Club Career:
Teams.........--Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other
Manchester U. ............. 2007 Youth .0(0)/ 0
Carlisle U... 10/11 ..... Sep-10 .Loan .4(2)/ 0 ............. 1(0)/0

Scunthorpe U. 11/12 ..... Aug-11 .Loan 14(1)/ 1 0(1)/0 1(0)/0 1(0)/0
Coventry City 11/12 ..... Jan-12 .Loan 17(1)/ 2
Huddersfield. 12/13-13/14 Jun-12 ..... 75(5)/ 8 4(2)/1 4(0)/0
Reading ..... 14/15-15/16 Aug-14 £1.2m 75(6)/ 4 8(1)/1 2(0)/0
Brighton & HA 16/17- date Aug-16 Undis 16(17)/0 1(0)/0 3(0)/0 
Fulham ...... 17/18 ..... Jul-17 .Loan 22(14)/5 1(0)/0 1(0)/0 0(3)/0
Sheffield U.. 18/19 ..... Aug-18 .Loan

Biography:
A product of the same Manchester United youth set-up that has produced the likes of the Evans brothers and Craig Cathcart in recent seasons, Ollie Norwood signed his first professional contract in July 2009.

Already capped at Youth level by England, Norwood switched allegiances to Northern Ireland. He initially played for Northern Ireland in friendlies and minor tournaments, including an Elite success in the 2009 Milk Cup, while awaiting clearance. He made his competitive début in a 1-1 UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifier against Germany in November 2009, scoring the equaliser with a stoppage time free kick. In May 2010 he starred for Northern Ireland in the Elite Round of the UEFA Under-19 Championship, scoring twice (including another free-kick) in a 2-2 draw with Russia and a penalty to give the Irish a 1-0 lead against Italy prior to an eventual 3-2 defeat.

Norwood received his first senior call-up for the August 2010 friendly against Montenegro. He made his debut as a 64th minute substitute for Sammy Clingan, though by then Northern Ireland were already trailing 2-0 which turned out to be the final score.

Yet to make his United début, Norwood had a loan spell at Carlisle cut short by injury early in the 2010/11 season. In August 2011 he joined Scunthorpe on loan through to the following January. It was during his time at the Iron that Norwood scored his first senior goal, a trademark "belter" in a 2-2 draw with Huddersfield. Another loan spell that season with Coventry saw him play alongside Sammy Clingan but suffer relegation from the Championship.

In the summer of 2012 Norwood announced that he would be seeking a move away from Manchester United, despite the offer of a new contract, as he sought regular firstteam football. He drew interest from several clubs before eventually signing for Huddersfield.

In 2014 he moved to Reading in a reported £1.2 million deal.

More to follow.

ManU Profile

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
11-08-2010 Montenegro.... A L 0-1 FR. sub

09-02-2011 Scotland...... N L 0-3 CNC sub

24-05-2011 Rep. Ireland.. A L 0-5 CNC sub

27-05-2011 Wales......... N L 0-2 CNC
still active

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

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

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
12-08-2009 Portugal...... A L 1-2 FR. sub
13-11-2009 Germany....... H D 1-1 ECQ 1 goal
17-11-2009 Czech Republic H L 1-2 ECQ 1 goal
02-03-2010 San Marino.... A W 3-0 ECQ 2 goals
03-09-2010 San Marino.... H W 4-0 ECQ
07-09-2010 Germany....... A L 0-3 ECQ

31-05-2011 Faroe Islands. A D 0-0 ECQ

10-08-2011 Faroe Islands. H W 4-0 ECQ
still active

Pictures kindly supplied by Roy Cathcart.

Jonny Tuffey

Name: Jonathan Tuffey

Born: 20 January 1987, Banbridge

Height: 6.01 ft

Weight: 12.08 st

Position: Goalkeeper

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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.

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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.

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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.

Reg "Paddy" Ryan

Name: Reginald Alphonso Ryan
Born: 30 October 1925, Dublin
Died: 13 February 1997, Sheldon, Birmingham
Height: 5.08 ft
Weight: 11.09 st
Position: Left-Half

Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1950); Eire: 16 Full Caps / 3 Goals (1949-1955); Football League Division Three North representative (1955).
Club Honours: (with West Brom) Football League Division One Runner-Up 1953/54; Football League Division Two Runner-Up (promoted) 1948/49; FA Cup Winner 1953/54; FA Charity Shield Shared 1954; (with Derby) Football League Division Three (North) Champion 1956/57; (with Coventry) Football League Division Four Runners-Up (promoted) 1958/59.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Blackpool Boys	-	-	Youth	-	-	-	-
Claremont Juniors	-	-	Youth	-	-	-	-
Sunbeam Cars	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sheffield United	-	-41	Trial	0/ 0	-	-	-
Jaguar Cars	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Nuneaton Borough	-	-	Guest	-	-	-	-
Nottingham Forest	-	-42	Trial	-	-	-	-
Coventry City	-	Apr-43	Amateur	-	-	-	-
West Bromwich Albion	46/47-54/55	Apr-45	£750	234/28	20/2	-	18/1
Derby County	55/56-58/59	Jul-55	£3,000	133/30	6/1	-	-
Coventry City	58/59-60/61	Sep-58	-	65/ 9	3/0	1/0	1/0
TOTALS	-	£3,750		432/67	29/3	1/0	19/1

Biography:
Dual international wing-half Paddy Ryan remains one of the most revered names in the history of West Bromwich Albion. Having played Gaelic football for the Marino School in Dublin whilst growing up, Ryan took to soccer after moving to Blackpool in the early years of the Second World War. He played with Claremount School before earning selection for Blackpool Boys and earned trials with Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest. After playing works-football and War-Time non-League with Nuneaton Borough, Ryan was offered amateur terms by Coventry City in April 1943, signing professional in August 1944.

In April 1945 Ryan arrived at the Hawthorns to sign for West Brom. He made his Baggies debut in the transitional Football League South against Millwall in November 1945. Described as stocky but mobile, it took time for him to make his mark (he didn't make his League-proper debut until April 1947) but when given regular run-outs he put in remarkably consistent and impressive performances from either wing-half position or at inside-forward.

A bit-part player in West Brom’s 1948/49 promotion campaign, Ryan came to relish First Division football. By the end of his first topflight campaign he had been awarded caps by both the FAI and the IFA. His debut for Eire came in a 3-1 World Cup Qualification defeat by Sweden at Dalymount Park and his debut for the Belfast-based association came as left-half against Wales in March 1950 on the last occasion on which southern-born players were selected (he was joined on the field by fellow southerners Con Martin, Davy Walsh and Bud Aherne). Ryan remained a regular for Eire for six seasons, his versatility used to great effect.

On the domestic front Ryan was the hub of West Brom’s engine room as the club went close to a League and Cup Double. Although they had to make do with just the FA Cup, defeating Preston 3-2 in the Wembley final, as they finished four points behind local-rivals Wolves in the race for the League title. Still, the following season opened with an exhilarating Charity Shield clash with Wolves which ended in a 4-4 draw with Ryan on the scoresheet.

Nicknamed “Rubberneck” due to his prodigious heading ability, Ryan was not much of a goal-getter, but more of a goal creator. When employed as a forward he played in, what would now be described as, “the hole” behind the main strikers, linking defence to attack. When he did score they were often spectacular, rasping drives against Manchester United and Blackpool among his best.

In 1955 Ryan left West Brom for Derby County in a £3,000 deal. He was seen as the man to instill some spirit into the Rams who had reached the lowest point in their history. They just missed out on promotion to Division Two in 1956 but in 1957 Ryan captained them to the Division Three (North) title. With Derby Ryan also found a rich vein of goalscoring form, finishing as the club’s topscorer in their return to Division Two in 1957/58. During his time with Derby Ryan also represented Division Three (North) against their southern counterparts.

Ryan finished his long career back at Coventry, then a club in despair. Immediately appointed captain, he led the team from the bottom half when he joined to promotion from Division Four in 1959. His experience, ability and attitude rubbed off on those around him as City maintained their Division Three status. He retired from playing in November 1960, but remained with the club as pools organiser until 1961. He then took a similar position back at West Brom where he later became chief scout from September 1962 to October 1976. He remained an active scout for Aston Villa, Derby, Hereford United and Leeds United until 1994, just three years before his death.

Ireland Cap Details:

08-03-1950 Wales....... A D 0-0 BC/WCQ

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

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Eire Cap Details:

13-11-1949 Sweden...... H L 1-3 WCQ

10-05-1950 Belgium..... A L 1-5 FR

26-11-1950 Norway...... H D 2-2 FR

13-05-1951 Argentina... H L 0-1 FR

30-05-1951 Norway...... A W 3-2 FR

17-10-1951 West Germany H W 3-2 FR

04-05-1952 West Germany A L 0-3 FR

07-05-1952 Austria..... A L 0-6 FR

01-06-1952 Spain....... A L 0-6 FR

16-11-1952 France...... H D 1-1 FR

25-03-1953 Austria..... H W 4-0 FR

04-10-1953 France...... H L 3-5 WCQ 1 Goal

28-10-1953 Luxembourg.. H W 4-0 WCQ 1 Goal

25-11-1953 France...... A L 0-1 WCQ

07-11-1954 Norway...... H W 2-1 FR. 1 Goal

27-11-1955 Spain....... H D 2-2 FR

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Summary: 16/3. Won 5, Drew 3, Lost 8.

Jim Hagan

Name: James Hagan

Born: 10 August 1956, Monkstown

Height: 5.11 ft

Weight: 11.09 st

Position: Defender

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Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 6 Under-18 Caps; Irish FA Representative.

Club Honours: (with Seiko) Hong Kong League Champion 1980/81; (with Birmingham) Football League Division Two Runner-Up 1984/85 (promoted).

Awards: Ulster Young Footballer of the Year 1976; Spanish League - Foreign Player of the Year 1988.

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Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA.Cup	FL.Cup	Other
Larne	74/75-77/78	1974	Youth	-	-	-	-
Coventry City	77/78-81/82	Nov-77	£25,000	12 (1)/0	3(0)/0	-	-
Torquay United	79/80	Sep-79	Loan	7 (0)/0	-	-	-
Detroit Express	1980	Mar-80	Loan	30 (-)/0	(NASL)	-	-
Seiko	80/81	Oct-80	Loan	-	(Hong Kong)
Birmingham City	82/83-86/87	May-82	Free	124(13)/0	5(1)/0	20(1)/0	-
RC.Celta.de.Vigo	86/87-88/89	Jan-87	-	*59 (-)/0	(Spain)
Larne	89/90	Aug-89	Free	3 (-)/0	-	-	9(0)/0
Colchester.Utd	89/90	Nov-89	Free	2 (0)/0	-	-	-
Larne	89/90	Jan-90	Free	5 (0)/0	1(0)/0	-	-
IK Oddevold	1990 - 1991	May-90	-	-	(Sweden)
Ballymena Utd	91/92-93/94	May-91	-	39 (2)/0	2(1)/0	4(0)/0	23(0)/0
Carrick Rangers	93/94	Oct-93	-	10 (0)/0	1(0)/0	-	1(0)/0
Larne	93/94-94/95	Jan-94	-	16 (0)/0	-	1(0)/0	7(0)/0
Crusaders	94/95	Jan-95	-	1 (2)/0	1(0)/0	2(0)/0	-
Coleraine	95/96	c/s-95	-	2 (0)/0	-	-	0(1)/0
TOTALS	-	£-		310(18)/0	13(2)/0	27(1)/0	40(1)/0

* Primera Liga games only.

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Biography:

Although Jim Hagan was never capped, he was a member of Danny Blanchflower's Northern Ireland squad of the late 1970s, and appeared for the "senior" team against Glentoran in Bobby McGregor's testimonial in May 1977. At the time he was making waves in the Irish League with Larne, and the previous season had been voted Ulster Young Player of the Year. In November 1977 he made a £25,000 move to the English First Division with Coventry City, leaving behind his job as a booking-clerk for the Larne-Stranraer ferries.

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Hagan served a long apprenticeship at Highfield Road, but was unable to make a sustained impact on the first eleven. He spent spells out on loan with Torquay United (in September 1979), Detroit Express (in March 1980) and Seiko (in October 1980, where he helped the club to a clean-sweep of Hong Kong League, Cup and Senior Cup during an extended stay). Included by Billy Bingham in Northern Ireland's provisional forty man squad for the 1982 World Cup Finals, that was as close to international selection as he came during the 1980s, a mention as a "possible" in the 1986 World Cup brochure aside.

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Finally released by Coventry in the summer of 1982, Hagan was snapped-up by another First Division side, Birmingham City. He walked straight into the starting eleven and remained a regular in the team for the next five seasons as the bounced between the top two Divisions. Capable anywhere across the back-four, it was as a bone-crunching centre-back that he will be best remembered.

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In 1987 Hagan joined Spanish club, Celta Vigo. He spent two-and-a-half successful season in Spain, helping the club to promotion and top-half finishes in the Primera Liga, and being awarded as the Overseas Player of the Year in 1988, despite competition from the likes of Gary Lineker. Hagan returned to Larne in August 1989, and also spent a brief spell with Colchester United on a non-contract basis before spending a year in Sweden with IK Oddevold from May 1990 to May 1991.

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Appointed player-manager by Ballymena United on returning from Sweden, Hagan continued to pull on his boots in the Irish League regularly up to his fortieth year, including during a disastrous spell in charge of cash-strapped Larne in 1994. Hagan made his final Irish League appearance for Coleraine in December 1995.

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At the turn of the millennium Hagan was working in Sunderlands youth set-up before becoming Larne's Irish FA appointed Youth Development Officer. He was appointed Larne's assistant-manager to Kenny Shiels in October 2005. With Shiel's appointment as an IFA County Coach, Hagan became Larne manager again. Second time around the position proved as unsuccessful as his first attempt, and Hagan was sacked in November following a poor run of results. He continued to work as a coach in youth and women's football, briefly scouted for Norwich, and was appointed manager of Wellington Rec in February 2009.