Darren McKnight

Name: Darren McKnight
Born: 27 August 1995
Height:
Weight:
Position: Midfielder

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Under-21, Under-19, Under-17.

Club Career:
Teams ....... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- League

Glenavon ....................... Youth
Barnsley .... 14/15 ........ -12 Youth 0(0)/0
Shrewsbury T. 15/16 ..... Jun-15 .Free 0(0)/0
Morecambe ... 15/16 ..... Mar-16 .Free
Stalybridge C 16/17-17/18 Sep-16 .Free
Glossop N.E.. 18/19- date Aug-18

Biography:
A central midfielder, also capable of playing at right-back, Darren McKnight spent three seasons playing with Barnsley's youth sides, but never made it into the first team. During his time at Oakwell he was a regular for Northern Ireland at Under-17 and Under-19 level. It was shortly after transferring to Shrewsbury that he stepped-up to the Northern Ireland Under-21 side, making his debut in a 1-1 draw in Iceland.

McKnight was released by Shrewsbury in January 2016 without having made a firstteam appearance. Shortly thereafter he began training with Morecambe, and signed a short-term deal in March.

IrishFA
UEFA
Soccerbase

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
08-09-2015 Iceland ..... A D 1-1 ECQ
13-10-2015 FYR Macedonia H L 1-2 ECQ
still active

Luke Conlan

Name: Luke Conlan
Born: 31 October 1994, Portaferry
Height:
Weight:
Position: Defender / Midfielder

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Under-21, Under-19, Under-17, 5 Schoolboy Caps (2010).

Club Career:
Teams.... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League Other
Grosvenor Youth
Burnley.............  Jul-11 Youth .0(0)/0 
St Mirren 15/16 ..... Jul-15 .Loan .3(0)/0 1(0)/0
Morecambe 15/16 ..... Jan-16 .Loan 14(2)/0
Morecambe 16/17- date Jun-16 .Free 

Biography:
A left-sided defender or midfielder, Luke Conlan has represented Northern Ireland at every level up to and including Under-21. Capped as a schoolboy while at St. Columba's in Portaferry, he impressed in the Victory Shield before joining Burnley in the summer of 2011. He was part of the Clarets side that reached the 2012 FA Youth Cup semi-final, leading him to sign his first professional deal that April.

In the summer of 2012 Conlan was part of the Northern Ireland squad that competed at the Milk Cup, despite being only 17 at the time. He was still a few weeks short of his nineteenth birthday when awarded his first Under-21 cap as a late substitute in a Euro qualifier against Serbia in October 2013.

 In April 2014, with Conlan suffering from knee problems, it was announced the he would not be retained by Burnley for the following season. However, come September he had recovered sufficiently to be offered a new contract. In July 2015 he joined St Mirren on loan. In January he moved on another loan deal, this time to Morecambe, a deal that was made permanent at the end of the season.

More to follow.

IrishFA
UEFA
BurnleyFC
Soccerbase

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
15-10-2013 Serbia.. A L 1-3 ECQ sub
19-11-2013 Cyprus.. H W 1-0 ECQ
05-03-2014 Italy... H L 0-2 ECQ
09-09-2014 Serbia.. H L 1-4 ECQ
05-09-2015 Scotland H L 1-2 ECQ
still active

Ryan McGivern

Name: Ryan McGivern
Born: 8 January 1990, Damolly, Newry
Height: 6.00 ft
Weight: 13.02 st
Position: Left-Back

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Full Caps (2008-), 6 Under-21 Caps / 1 Goal (2009-2012), Under-19, 7 Under-17 Caps / 2 Goals (2006).
Club Honours: (with Man. City) FA Youth Cup Winner 2007/08; (with Hibs) Scottish Cup Runner-Up 2012/13.

Club Career:
Teams.......... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup -Other-
Christian Eneavour ............... Youth (Carnbane League)
Drumcashlone ..................... Youth (Carnbane League)
Manchester City 08/09-12/13....... Youth .0 (1)/0
Morecambe ..... 08/09...... Oct-08 .Loan .5 (0)/1 ............. 1(0)/0
Leicester City. 09/10 ..... Aug-09 .Loan .9 (3)/0 2(0)/0
Walsall ....... 10/11 ..... Jul-10 .Loan 15 (0)/0 1(0)/0

Crystal Palace. 11/12 ..... Aug-11 .Loan .5 (0)/0 

Bristol City .. 11/12 ..... Aug-11 .Loan 26 (5)/0 1(0)/0
Hibernian ..... 12/13 ..... Aug-12 .Loan 25 (2)/1 5(0)/0
Hibernian ..... 13/14 ..... May-13 .Free 31 (2)/0 1(0)/0 1(1)/0 2(0)/0
Port Vale ..... 14/15-15/16 Jun-14 .Free 44 (4)/0 4(0)/0 2(0)/0 1(0)/0
Shrewsbury Town 16/17-17/18 Jun-16 .Free 14 (1)/0 1(0)/0 2(0)/0
Northampton T.. 17/18 ..... Nov-17 .Free .0 (1)/0 1(0)/0 ...... 1(0)/0 
Swindon Town .. 17/18 ..... Mar-18 .Free 
Linfield ...... 18/19- date

Biography:
A star of the Northern Ireland youth set-up, Ryan McGivern was part of the Under-19 side that defeated Chile in the 2008 Milk Cup Final. Just two weeks later he was called into the Northern Ireland squad for a match against Scotland by Nigel Worthington as cover for the injured George McCartney.

Although McGivern has yet to play a senior game for Manchester City he was a member of their 2008 FA Youth Cup winning squad and had just received his first call-up to the Under-21 squad. After the Milk Cup Worthington had said of McGivern: “I was very impressed with (him). I watched him closely — he is a good young professional with the right attitude and he is a very good player."

A surprise starter when he made his Northern Ireland debut against Scotland, McGivern's nerves showed as he received two bookings for clumsy challenges and was sent-off - the first ever Northern Ireland player to receive his marching orders on his debut. Worthington did not lose faith in the youngster and has retained him in the squad thereafter.

In October 2008 McGivern was farmed out on a month loan to Sammy McIlroy's Morecambe in order to gain firstteam experience. He made his League debut in a 2-1 defeat at Port Vale on 25 October and on 1 November he scored in a 2-0 win over Aldershot. McIlroy was disappointed when he was unable to extend McGivern's stay with The Shrimps beyond a month.

Although Manchester City manager Mark Hughes assured McGivern that he would be in his firstteam plans for the 2009/10 season, continued big-spending saw the youngster loaned out to Leicester City prior to the close of the August transfer window. The loan deal, initially set to expire in January, was extended to the end of the season and during his time with the Foxes he appeared at centre-back as well as left-back.

McGivern joined League One Walsall on a seasons loan in July 2010, however the loan deal was cut short in January as he was no longer guaranteed first team football. On 3rd February 2011 he made his Manchester City début as a second-half substitute in a convincing home win over Sunderland.

In August 2011 McGivern joined Crystal Palace on a 28 day loan. At the end of the month he joined Bristol City on loan for the remainder of the season. More impressive was a seasons loan at Hibernian, which culminated with a Scottish Cup final appearance and a permanent two-year deal. However, the following season Hibs suffered a serious mid-season collapse in form that saw them relegated from the Premiership via the play-offs, and McGivern was among those allowed to leave and he joined League One side, Port Vale.

Under Michael O'Neill's management, McGivern's international chances have been limited as initially Daniel Lafferty then Chris Brunt have been preferred for the left-back role. He appeared just twice during the successful Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, and was often not even included in squads. He also struggled for a a regular place at Port Vale and was released in the summer of 2016.

McGivern wasn't without a club for long as he signed for Shrewsbury Town in June 2016. Good early season form saw him re-called to the Northern Ireland squad, but subsequent injuries and a change of manager saw him on the periphery of the Shrews team. At the start of the 2017/18 season he was not awarded a squad number and before the close of the summer transfer window his contract was terminated by mutual consent. McGivern was without a club until agreeing a short-term deal with Northampton in November, however his contract was not extended beyond January.

Soccerbase


Northern Ireland Cap Details:
.1. 20-08-2008 Scotland...... A D 0-0 FR. sent-off 57
.2. 11-10-2008 Slovenia...... A L 0-2 WCQ sub
.3. 15-10-2008 San Marino.... H W 4-0 WCQ sub
.4. 19-11-2008 Hungary....... H L 0-2 FR
.5. 01-04-2009 Slovenia...... H W 1-0 WCQ sub
.6. 06-06-2009 Italy......... A L 0-3 FR
.7. 12-08-2009 Israel........ H D 1-1 FR. sub
.8. 14-10-2009 Czech Republic A D 0-0 WCQ
.9. 03-03-2010 Albania....... A L 0-1 FR
10. 26-05-2010 Turkey........ N L 0-2 FR
11. 30-05-2010 Chile......... A L 0-1 FR
12. 11-08-2010 Montenegro.... A L 0-2 FR
13. 17-11-2010 Morocco....... H D 1-1 FR
14. 11-10-2011 Italy......... A L 0-3 WCQ
15. 29-02-2012 Norway........ H L 0-3 FR
16. 02-06-2012 Netherlands... A L 0-6 FR. sub
17. 11-09-2012 Luxembourg.... H D 1-1 ECQ
18. 16-10-2012 Portugal...... A D 1-1 ECQ
19. 15-11-2013 Turkey........ A L 0-1 FR. sub
20. 05-03-2014 Cyprus........ A D 0-0 FR
21. 14-10-2014 Greece........ A W 2-0 ECQ sub
22. 14-11-2014 Romania....... A L 0-2 ECQ
23. 15-11-2016 Croatia....... H L 0-3 FR. sub
still active

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
.1. 13-11-2009 Germany....... H D 1-1 ECQ
.2. 17-11-2009 Czech Republic H L 1-2 ECQ
.3. 03-09-2010 San Marino.... H W 4-0 ECQ 1 goal (pen)
.4. 07-09-2010 Germany....... A L 0-3 ECQ
.5. 09-02-2011 Wales......... A L 0-2 FR
.6. 10-05-2012 FYRo Macedonia A L 0-1 ECQ

Summary: 6/0. Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 4.

Picture by Roy Cathcart.

Andy McCluggage

Name: Andrew McCluggage
Born: 1 September 1900, Larne
Died: 14 October 1954, Burnley (England)
Height:
Weight:
Position: Right-Back

Representative Honours: Ireland: 13 Full Caps / 2 Goals (1922-1931).
Club Honours: (with Bradford) Football League Division Three (North) Runner-Up 1922/23 (not promoted); (with Dundalk) President’s Cup Winner 1930/31.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Invervale	-	-	-	(Irish Junior Alliance)
Cliftonville	-	-	Amateur	-	-	-
Bradford Park Avenue	22/23-24/25	May-22	-	85/ 2	9/0	-
Burnley	25/26-30/31	May-25	-	204/22	9/2	-
Dundalk	30/31-31/32	May-31	-	13/ 2	-	5/0
Preston North End	31/32	Dec-31	-	3/ 0	-	-
Morecambe	-	-	-	(Lancashire Combination)
Larne	-	Mar-33	-	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	-		305/26	18/2	5/0

Biography:

A star defender in a mediocre Cliftonville side of the early 1920s, Andy McCluggage’s efforts earned him selection for the Irish League side to face the Welsh League in 1922. In the end the match was postponed, and later abandoned altogether, meaning he was never to earn inter-league recognition. The reason he was never given a chance was his transfer to Bradford Park Avenue, then of Division Three (North) in 1922. In his first season with Park Avenue, who had only just been relegated from Division Two, McCluggage helped them to finish as runners-up, though at that time only the champions were rewarded with promotion.

Still playing in the third tier of English football, McCluggage was awarded an international cap in October 1923 as Ireland attained a famous win over England. It was second appearance at international level having played in the in-experienced Ireland side that traveled to Norway in 1922. In May 1925 he moved on to Burnley, where he got of to the worst of starts. On his debut, on the opening day of the 1925/26 season, Burnley suffered their worst ever defeat, 10-0 at Aston Villa. Despite the inglorious opening to his time at Turf Moor, McCluggage established himself as a virtually ever-present right-back for six seasons. He also proved versatile, slotting in at left-back when required, and showed all the attributes one could want from a defender – fast, he was seldom outpaced, with “swift powers of recovery”, he also knew the value of clearing the danger zone as quickly as possible. An adept penalty-taker, McCluggage’s goal ratio would also be the envy of many a more attacking player.

After over three years outside the international scene, McCluggage was recalled to the Ireland line-up in February 1927. He was first choice at right-back for the following four seasons, scoring twice in his twelve appearances. He was the 'other' goalscorer in the famous 1930 7-0 win over Wales at Celtic Park (Joe Bambrick claiming a double hattrick) and scored a penalty in a 2-2 draw against the same opposition the previous year.

McCluggage left Burnley via the ‘back-door’, signing with Free State League side Dundalk in May 1931. He made his debut in the President’s Cup final clash with Shamrock Rovers on 23 May, with the replay held over to the next season. When the replay was held on 9 September Dundalk ran out 7-3 winners, so claiming their first ever trophy. Although he left the Athletic Grounds in December 1931, after just six months and seventeen appearances, McCluggage’s contribution to Dundalk’s first trophy success was recognised with selection in the club’s “All-Time XI” selected in 1956.

Keen to return to the Football League, McCluggage secured his release from Dundalk in order to join Preston North End. The financial package arranged between the two clubs proved highly lucrative to the Railwaymen, covering all McCluggage’s wages “and left a little over’. He made his Preston debut, in a 2-2 draw at Burnley, on Christmas Day 1931. That proved to be one of just three appearances for the Deepdale club.

After leaving Preston in 1932, McCluggage played with Morecambe before returning briefly to his native Larne. Described as “bright and breezy with a friendly disposition”, he later settled in Burnley where he worked as a maintenance engineer at Huncoat Pit up to his death in 1954.

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
22-05-1922 Norway.. A L 1-2 FR
20-10-1923 England. H W 2-1 BC
26-02-1927 Scotland H L 0-2 BC
09-04-1927 Wales... A D 2-2 BC
22-10-1927 England. H W 2-0 BC
04-02-1928 Wales... H L 1-2 BC
25-02-1928 Scotland A W 1-0 BC
22-10-1928 England. A L 1-2 BC
02-02-1929 Wales... A D 2-2 BC 1 Goal
23-02-1929 Scotland H L 3-7 BC
01-02-1930 Wales... H W 7-0 BC 1 Goal
20-10-1930 England. A L 1-5 BC
22-04-1931 Wales... A L 2-3 BC

Summary: 12/2. Won 3, Drew 2, Lost 6.

With thanks to Jim Murphy and Martin O'Connor for their substantial inputs.