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

Rhys Sharpe

Name: Rhys Sharpe
Born: 17 October 1994
Height:
Weight:
Position: Full-Back / Midfielder

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

Club Career:
Teams ...... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- League Other
Derby County 13/14-14/15 Apr-13 Youth 0(0)/0

Shrewsbury T 14/15 ..... Mar-15 .Loan 2(1)/0
Notts County 15/16 ..... Jun-15 .Free 0(5)/0
Swindon Town 16/17 ..... Dec-16 .Free 0(0)/0 1(0)/0
Matlock Town 16/17-17/18 Mar-17 .Free (Northern Premier League)
Tamworth ... 17/18- date Jan-18

Biography:
To follow.

UEFA
Soccerbase
Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
14-08-2013 Denmark H L 1-4 FR sub
09-09-2013 Belgium A L 0-1 ECQ
11-10-2013 Belgium H L 0-1 ECQ
15-10-2013 Sebia.. A L 1-3 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.

Jim McLaughlin

Name: James Christopher McLaughlin
Born: 22 December 1940, Londonderry
Height: 5.10 ft
Weight: 11.04 st
Position: Winger

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 12 Full Caps / 6 Goals (1961-1966), 2 Under-23 Caps / 2 Goals (1963-1964), Youth; Irish FA Representative.
Club Honours: (with Swansea) Welsh Cup Winner 1965/66; (with Dundalk) League of Ireland Champion 1975/76; FAI Cup Winner 1976/77.
Awards: FAI Special Merit Award 2002; SWAI Personality of the Year 1979, 1984, 1989; SWAI Special Merit Awards 2010.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Europe	Other
Derry City	57/58	-	Youth	* / 16	-	-	-	-
Birmingham C.	58/59-59/60	Jun-58	£4,000	0 (0)/  0	-	-	-	-
Shrewsbury T.	60/61-63/64	Jul-60	£2,500	129 (0)/ 56	-	-	-	-
Swansea Town	63/64-66/67	May-63	£16,000	120 (3)/ 45	-	-	2(0)/0	-
Peterborough U.	66/67	Mar-67	-	8 (0)/  2	-	-	-	-
Shrewsbury T.	67/68-72/73	Sep-67	£7,000	159(14)/ 21	-	-	-	-
Swansea City	72/73-73/74	Nov-72	-	20 (8)/  2	-	-	-	-
Dundalk	74/75-78/79	Nov-74	-	113*(-)/  4	-	-	4(0)/0	-
TOTALS	-	£29,000		549(25)/146	-	-	6(0)/0	-

* All domestic games.

Coaching Career:
Swansea City (coach) 1972/73-1973/74
Dundalk (manager) 1974/75-1982/83
League of Ireland Champions 1975/76, 1978/79, 1981/82
FAI Cup Winners 1976/77, 1978/79, 1980/81
League Cup Winners 1977/78, 1980/81
Shamrock Rovers (manager) 1983/84-1985/86
League of Ireland Champions 1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86
FAI Cup Winners 1984/85, 1985/86
Derry City (general manager) 1986/87-1987/88; (manager) 1987/88-1990/91
League of Ireland Champions 1988/89
FAI Cup Winners 1988/89
League Cup Winners 1988/89, 1990/91
Shelbourne (assistant-manager)
Drogheda United (manager) 1993/94-1995/96
League of Ireland Division One Runners-Up 1994/95 (promoted)
Dundalk (joint-manager) 1997/98-1998/99

Biography:
Left-winger Jimmy McLaughlin burst on to the Irish League scene as a sixteen year-old in 1957/58, scoring on his début against Crusaders and top-scoring for Derry City with sixteen goals in his first campaign, marking himself as “star material”. In the summer of 1958 he signed apprentice forms with Birmingham City, netting Derry a “satisfactory” £4,000 fee in the process. It wasn’t until a move to Shrewsbury Town two years later that McLaughlin was given his League debut. His adaptability within the forward line meant he slotted in comfortably at centre-forward and inside-forward, as well as his preferred role on the wing.

A return of twenty-plus goals in each of his first two seasons with the Shrews brought McLaughlin to the attentions of Northern Ireland boss, Peter Doherty, who installed him as replacement for another goalscoring outside-left, Peter McParland. He scored on his international debut against Scotland in October 1961, but no doubt any elation was tempered by the 1-6 defeat. A brace on his second international appearance against Greece was the first of two international ‘doubles’. The second, against England in 1964, was during a remarkable match in which the English romped into a 4-0 half-time lead thanks to a Jimmy Greaves hattrick. In the second-half the Irish rallied, giving England a real fright by taking the scoreline to 4-3, McLaughlin’s two-goal haul all the more impressive due to a severe shoulder injury.

In May 1963 Division Two Swansea splashed a club-record £16,000 on McLaughlin’s signature. His first campaign at the Vetch Field was so close to both a dream and a nightmare. In the FA Cup Swansea defeated Stoke and Liverpool on the way to the semi-final, where they met Preston North End at Villa Park. McLaughlin scored and hit the wood-work three times, but Preston won through to Wembley courtesy of a controversial penalty and a freak goal by centre-half Tony Singleton, scored from the half-way line. In the League the Swans finished just a point above relegation to Division Three.

McLaughlin’s time with Swansea continued in an up-and-down fashion. In 1965 Swansea succumbed to relegation, but in the following year he won his first senior honour, Chester defeated 2-1 in the Welsh Cup Final. That season he also scored twenty League goals and won his twelfth and final Northern Ireland cap in a 4-1 win over Wales. In addition he was capped as a Youth and twice at Under-23 level, scoring on each of his appearances against Wales.

A short stay at Peterborough in 1967 preceded McLaughlin’s return to Shrewsbury. In his first campaign back at Gay Meadow the Shrews just missed out on promotion from Division Three, finishing third. Thereafter the club wallowed in the bottom half of Division Three, without really flirting too closely with relegation. He returned to a cash-strapped Swansea (by then renamed ‘Swansea City’) in November 1972. Managed by ex-international colleague Harry Gregg, McLaughlin was appointed player-coach. His experience could not help save the Swans from relegation to Division Four, and that was where he played his 461st and final League game, in a 3-1 defeat by Doncaster on 3 November 1973.

McLaughlin remained at the Vetch Field, also filling the role of club secretary, until his appointment as Dundalk player-manager in November 1974. There began a twenty-five year management career in which he became the most successful boss in League of Ireland history. With Dundalk (twice), Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Drogheda United he won seven League titles, six FAI Cups, four League Cups and a promotion from Division One, plus Leinster Cups, Presidents Cups and North-West Cups. He also took charge of the League of Ireland representative team and the Irish Olympic side, before retiring in May 1999.

McLaughlin is helped off by trainer Jimmy
McCune and his England counterpart Harold
Shepherdson after breaking two fingers of his
left hand. He returned to score two goals in a
dramatic second half at Windsor Park where
England won 4-3 in October 1964.

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
07-10-1961 Scotland... H L 1-6 BC 1 goal
17-10-1961 Greece..... H W 2-0 WCQ 2 goals
22-11-1961 England.... A D 1-1 BC
11-04-1962 Wales...... A L 0-4 BC
03-04-1963 Wales...... H L 1-4 BC
15-04-1964 Wales...... A W 3-2 BC 1 goal
29-04-1964 Uruguay.... H W 3-0 FR
03-10-1964 England.... H L 3-4 BC 2 goals
14-10-1964 Switzerland H W 1-0 WCQ
14-11-1964 Switzerland A L 1-2 WCQ
31-03-1965 Wales...... H L 0-5 FR
30-03-1966 Wales...... A W 4-1 FR

Summary: 12/6. Won 5, Drew 1, Lost 6.

Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
27-02-1963 Wales...... A L 1-5 FR 1 goal
05-02-1964 Wales...... H D 3-3 FR 1 goal

Summary: 2/2. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 1.