Jimmy "Paddy" Sheridan

Name: James Sheridan
Born: 15 May 1882, Downpatrick (some sources list birth date as April 1884)
Died: before 1960 (possibly in Glasgow)
Height: 5.07½ ft / 1.71 m
Weight: 11.0 st / 70 kg
Position: Inside-Forward

Representative Honours: Ireland: 6 Full Caps / 2 Goals (1903-1905).

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Cambuslang Hibernian	-	Aug-01	-	(Scotland)
Everton	02/03-03/04	May-02	-	20/4	-	-
Stoke	04/05	Sep-04	£300	12/1	-	-
New Brompton	05/06	Jun-05	-	(Southern League)
Colne	05/06	Feb-06	-	(Lancashire Combination)
Accrington Stanley	-	May-06	-	(Lancashire Combination)
Bo'ness	07/08	Aug-07	-	-	-	-
Shelbourne	08/09	Aug-08	-	-	-	-
Broxburn Athletic	09/10	Jun-09	-	-	-	-
Clyde	09/10	Oct-09	-	2/4	-	-
Alloa Athletic	-	Jan-10	-	-	-	-
Hamilton Academical	10/11	Jan-11	Trial	5/0	-	-
Port Glasgow Athletic	11/12	Aug-11	-	-	-	-
Newcastle City	11/12	Dec-11	-	(North Eastern League)
Ashington	-	May-12	-	(Northern Alliance)
TOTALS	-	£-		-	-	-

Biography:
A skilful inside-forward, "Paddy" Sheridan played Junior football in Scotland before signing for Everton in 1902. He made his Football League debut against Wolves in the opening weeks of the 1902/03 season and played 17 times that season, scoring twice, but thereafter fell from the firstteam reckoning.

Ireland got off to a poor start in the 1903 International Championship campaign, losing 4-0 to England on Sheridan's international debut. On the occasion of his second appearance a "superior" Irish side defeated Scotland for the first time, running out 2-0 winners at Parkhead thanks largely to "the effectiveness of the Irish forwards". Ireland secured a share of the title as Sheridan's late goal wrapped up a 2-0 win over Wales.

Capped five times while with the Toffees, Sheridan made his Stoke debut in a 2-1 home win over Sheffield United, though he struggled to settle and left for New Brompton at the end of the season. He won his sixth and final cap while with Stoke, but his poor form left the Athletic News to question his selection: "Why... Sheridan, of Stoke, should have been capped is beyond comprehension."

In the summer of 1906 it was reported that Sheridan had retired through injury, though he quickly returned to the field for a number of teams across the British Isles.

PlayUpLiverpool

Ireland Cap Details:
14-02-1903 England. A L 0-4 BC
21-03-1903 Scotland A W 2-0 BC
28-03-1903 Wales... H W 2-0 BC 1 Goal
12-03-1904 England. H L 1-3 BC
26-03-1904 Scotland H D 1-1 BC 1 Goal
25-02-1905 England. A D 1-1 BC

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

With thanks to Martin O'Connor for details of Sheridan's later career. Further details to be confirmed.

Hugh Meek

Name: Hugh Leonard Meek
Born: c.1899, Belfast
Died:
Height:
Weight:
Position: Inside-Left

Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1925); Irish FA: 1 Representative Appearance (1922); Irish League: 1 Cap (1921).
Club Honours: (with Glentoran) Irish League Champion 1920/21, 1924/25; Irish Cup Winner 1920/21, Runner-Up 1924/25; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1920/21, 1924/25; Charity Cup Winner 1924/25.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Broadway United	-	-	-	-	-	-
Cliftonville	-	-	Amateur	-	-	-
Glentoran	20/21-24/25	c/s-20	-	*149/81	-	-
Wolverhampton W.	25/26	Nov-25	-	6/ 1	2/0	-
Shelbourne	-	c/s-26	-	/10	/2	-
Distillery	-	Oct-27	-	-	-	-
Ards	-	-	-	-	-	-
Burradon	-	-	-	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£-		-	-	-

* all games.

Biography:
A free-scoring inside-left, Hugh Meek leapt from a struggling Cliftonville to a strong Glentoran with consummate ease in 1920. His first season at the Oval brought twelve goals in eight League games and 22 in all competitions as the Glens brought home a trophy treble – League, Cup and Co. Antrim Shield. He was honoured with selection for the Irish League’s match against the Scottish League at Ibrox in January 1921, and was joined by seven other Glens players in a 3-0 defeat.

Although Linfield claimed a clean-sweep in 1921/22, leaving Meek and Glentoran trophy-less, he scored the goal that condemned the Blues to their only competitive defeat of the season - a 1-0 Gold Cup defeat on 17 April. At the end of the season he was selected for the Irish FA’s tour of Norway and he played at outside-left in a 3-2 inter-association win over a Norwegian FA eleven in Kristiania (now Oslo).

It wasn’t until the 1924/25 campaign that Meek and Glentoran really hit their stride again. He scored 19 goals in 39 appearances, including the winner against Belfast Celtic in the Co. Antrim Shield Final, as the Glens won another “treble”, reclaiming the Irish League and also taking the Charity Cup from Celtic. It could so easily have a trophy quintet, but Distillery defeated the East-Belfastmen 2-1 in the Irish Cup Final and early the following season Queen’s Island claimed the held-over City Cup after three test matches.

Meek moved to England with Division Two Wolves in late-November 1925 and he made his debut on Christmas Day in a 2-1 win at Oldham. He lasted just six-months with the midland club, as they again failed in their long battle to regain top-flight status. There followed a season in the Free State League with Shelbourne, who narrowly missed out on the title, before he returned to Belfast to join Distillery. With the Whites Meek had the honour of scoring the first goal on the club’s return to Grosvenor, a penalty in a 2-0 win over Ards on 12 November 1927. It was one of eleven goals he scored in the 1927/28 campaign.

Ireland Cap Details:
18-04-1925 Wales... A D 0-0 BC

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

With thanks to Martin O'Connor.

Frank Rushe

Name: Francis Rushe
Born: 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

* all games

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.

Pat Robinson

Name: Patrick Robinson
Born: 1892, Belfast
Died: 
Height: 
Weight: Position: Outside-Right

Representative Honours: Ireland: 2 Full Caps (1920-1921); Irish League: 3 Caps (1919-1923).
Club Honours: (with Distillery) Gold Cup Winner 1919/20; Co. Antrim Shield 1919/20.

Club Careers:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Barn	-	-	-	-	-	-
Belfast Celtic	-	-	-	-	-	-
Cliftonville	-	-	Amateur	-	-	-
Distillery	19/20	Aug-19	-	-	-	-
Blackburn Rovers	20/21	Sep-20	-	18/2	-	-
Caerphilly	22/23	Aug-21	-	-	(Southern League)
Bridgend Town	-	Jan-22	-	-	(Southern League)
Aberaman Athletic	-	-	-	-	(Southern League)
Pontypridd	22/23	Jan-23	-	-	(Southern League)
Ebbw Vale	23/24	Aug-23	-	-	(Southern League)
Linfield	23/24	Feb-24	-	-	-	-
Newry Town	25/26	Aug-25	-	-	-	-
Brooklyn.Wanderers	25/26	-	-	9/2	(ASL)	1/0
Shelbourne	-	-	-	-	?/3	-
Derry City	-	Oct-29	-	-	-	-
TOTALS			-	27/4	?/3	-

Biography:
Pat Robinson came to prominence in the Irish League’s first post-Great War season. He was signed by Distillery from Cliftonville and made an immediate impact at Grosvenor Park from the right-wing or inside-right position. In an excellent season with the Whites he won the Gold Cup (scoring in the 3-1 final win over Shelbourne) and the Co. Antrim Shield. The club also finished as runners-up in the League, three points behind champions Belfast Celtic, and in the Charities Cup, where they again lost to Celtic.

In his only season with Distillery, Robinson also played for the Irish League, in a 2-2 draw against the Football League at Anfield, and won the first of two Ireland caps, in a 3-0 defeat by Scotland in Glasgow. Transferred to Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 1920, it was while at Ewood Park that Robinson won his second and final cap. Again it was a disappointing performance and result for the Irish as they lost out 2-1 to Wales in Swansea.

Later Robinson would play for Caerphilly in their aborted season in the Welsh Section of the Southern League. He later returned to the Irish League with Linfield and Newry before setting out to try his luck in the fledgling American Soccer League with Brooklyn Wanderers.

Ireland Cap Details:
13-03-1920 Scotland A L 0-3 BC
09-04-1921 Wales... A L 1-2 BC

Summary: 2/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 2.

With thanks to Martin O'Connor for expanding details of Robinson's club career.