Maurice Swan

Last updated

Maurice Swan
Personal information
Full name Maurice Michael George Swan
Date of birth (1938-09-27) 27 September 1938 (age 84)
Place of birth North Dublin, Ireland
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1953–1960 Drumcondra 49 (0)
1960–1963 Cardiff City 18 (0)
1963–1968 Hull City 117 (0)
1968–1971 Dundalk 48 (0)
1971–1972 Drumcondra 29 (0)
1972 Finn Harps 10 (0)
International career
1960 Republic of Ireland 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Maurice Michael George Swan (born 27 September 1938) is an Irish former professional footballer. He was born in Dublin.

Swan was a goalkeeper who first played with Drumcondra F.C. in his native city before moving to Cardiff City in 1960. Maurice was the youngest player to ever play in the League of Ireland for many years, and at the time of writing, is still the youngest goalkeeper to debut in the League of Ireland, at the age of 15, saving a penalty on his debut.

After Cardiff City, where he played in the old Division 1, he moved to Hull City in 1963 for a fee of £5,000 and had a successful spell there with the highlight being the 1965–66 season as City won the Third Division championship and reached the FA Cup quarter-final. Hull City were defeated by Chelsea after a second-round replay.

After leaving Hull after playing 103 games for them, Swan went back to Ireland to play for Dundalk F.C. in 1968.

He won his only international cap for the Republic of Ireland national football team on 18 May 1960 when he replaced Noel Dwyer at half time in a 4–1 defeat to Sweden in Malmö.

Swan also went on to play for Finn Harps before retiring in the early 1970s. His well-known football-playing nephews are Tony McDonnell and Derek Swan - and Ryan Swan who played for Bohemians. His brother Tony Swan also played in goal in the League of Ireland for Bohemians, Drogheda and Athlone during the same time as Maurice.

After his professional playing career ended, Swan started a career in the Irish film industry as an electrician, eventually becoming one of Ireland's most successful head electricians, or gaffer, on many TV productions, commercials, music videos, films, and documentaries. [1]

All three of his children, Jeannette, Sean and Niall, played in Tolka Park, the legendary home of Drumcondra FC, in cup finals for the Drumcondra amateur and junior sides of the 1980s and 1990s. His Son Niall started a football company in the U.S. In 2002. Maurice is an avid golfer and a West Ham United fan.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bonetti</span> English footballer (1941–2020)

Peter Philip Bonetti was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. He was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes and his graceful style, for which he was given the nickname "The Cat". He was one of several goalkeepers who specialised in a one-armed throw which could achieve a similar distance to a drop kick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelbourne F.C.</span> Football club

Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin, who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University College Dublin A.F.C.</span> Football club

University College Dublin Association Football Club, known commonly as UCD, is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Founded in 1895, the club was elected to the League of Ireland in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have played at the UCD Bowl, also home to the college's rugby team. 'The Students' play in bright sky blue and navy. Their reserve and freshers teams play in the Leinster Senior League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Cudicini</span> Italian footballer (born 1973)

Carlo Cudicini is a retired Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the son of the former Milan goalkeeper Fabio Cudicini, and the grandson of Ponziana defender Guglielmo Cudicini. Cudicini is currently a club ambassador and loan player technical coach at Chelsea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayes F.C.</span> Football club

Hayes Football Club was an English association football club based in Hayes, Middlesex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolka Park</span> Football stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Tolka Park is an Irish football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne. The stadium formerly held 9,680 people, but this has been scaled down in recent times due to health and safety regulations in the venue, mainly concerning the 'New' and Ballybough stands. Tolka Park has hosted national cup finals along with international matches, Champions League qualifiers, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup ties and was a venue for the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship and 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Long</span> Irish footballer (born 1987)

Shane Patrick Long is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Republic of Ireland national team. He also played hurling for the Tipperary county team in his early life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kirwan</span> Irish football player and coach

John Henry Kirwan was an Irish football player and coach. As a player, he was described as an out and out winger with good pace and skills, playing as an outside-left for, among others, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Ireland. He had previously played Gaelic football for Dublin. As a football coach he became the first professional manager of Dutch side Ajax. He was the last survivor of the Tottenham team that won the 1901 FA Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927 FA Cup final</span> English football championship

The 1927 FA Cup final was an association football match between Cardiff City and Arsenal on 23 April 1927 at the Empire Stadium. The final was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, organised by the Football Association. Cardiff, one of the few Welsh teams taking part, won the match 1–0. Their victory remains the only occasion the trophy, which was previously known as the "English Cup", has been won by a team based outside England.

Tony Sheridan is an Irish retired footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Farquharson</span> Irish footballer (1899–1970)

Thomas Gerard Farquharson was an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Dublin, he played youth football for local sides. In his teens, he became a member of the Irish Republican Army and was arrested by the British Army for removing wanted posters and held in Mountjoy Prison. He was released on the basis that he would leave Ireland, which he did, choosing to settle in South Wales.

Alan James Alexander Kelly was an Irish coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Bray Wanderers and Drumcondra in his home country, and most notably for Preston North End in England. He was capped 47 times for the Republic of Ireland. He was the father of Gary Kelly and Alan Kelly Jr., who also became goalkeepers.

Anthony Pennock is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently manager of Cymru Premier side Haverfordwest County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Flynn</span> Irish footballer (1919–2002)

Eddie Flynn was an Irish professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper in the League of Ireland during the 1930s and 1940s. Flynn played for St James's Gate F.C., Bohemian F.C., Cliftonville F.C. and Drumcondra F.C., among others, during his career in the League of Ireland and the Irish League.

Jeffrey Andrew Wealands is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League, and over 200 more in the Conference. He played in the Altrincham team which knocked his former club, Birmingham City of the First Division, out of the FA Cup in 1986, only the second time a non-league club has eliminated a top-flight club on their own ground.

The history of the FA Cup in association football dates back to 1871–72. Aside from suspensions during the First and Second World Wars, the competition has been played every year since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Baxter (footballer)</span> English association football player

Nathan Joseph Baxter is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers.

The 1920–21 season was the 20th year of competitive football played by Cardiff City F.C. and the team's first in the Football League. In a ballot by members of their new league, Cardiff were voted into the Second Division and won their first match 5–2 against Stockport County. Cardiff finished the season tied on points with first-placed Birmingham, with 58 of a possible 84 points. The winner was therefore decided via goal average, with Cardiff placing second by a margin of 0.235. The two sides were both promoted to the First Division.Cardiff also reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, becoming the first Welsh side to do so and keeping six consecutive clean sheets in the process. The team caused two upsets by defeating First Division sides Sunderland and Chelsea in the first and fourth rounds respectively. They were eliminated from the competition by fellow Second Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers, losing 3–1 in a replay at Old Trafford. In the Welsh Cup, Cardiff were the holders entering the competition but were eliminated in the third round by Pontypridd after a fixture clash with a league match against Bristol City forced them to field a reserve side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966–67 Dundalk F.C. season</span> Dundalk 1966–67 football season

Dundalk entered the 1966–67 season on the back of a disappointing eighth-place finish in the League and a sixth-place finish in the Shield the previous season. 1966–67 was Alan Fox's first season as player-coach, having been appointed by the club's new board of directors in August. It was Dundalk's 41st consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.

Dundalk entered the 1932–33 season on the back of a fourth-place finish in the League and a fifth-place finish in the Shield the previous season. 1932–33 was manager Steve Wright's third season at the club, and was Dundalk's 7th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football. Home matches were played at the Dundalk Athletic Grounds.

References