One Cap Wonders and the nearly men

[Superhoops]

I thought Mike Walsh (Everton) got one cap in the 80's against Iceland? Not Mickey Walsh but a Mike Walsh. The 2 away games against France in the 70's both daylight robbery. I was at the one in 79 and again against Belgium in 81. Both sickeners. The sickest of the lot though is still the away game against Bulgaria in 77. The most blatant, biased, payed off refeering I have ever seen. That game still gives me nightmares.

Mike Walsh was a centre-half who played for Everton, joining them from Bolton. He actually won 4 caps in 1982, the first three on the South American tour against Chile, Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago. His final game was at home to Iceland.

[Dodge]

Has Alan Mahon not just got one cap also ? One of the worst performances I've ever seen - every ball he passed went to the opposition (literally).

2 caps actually...

[soccerc]

What about Billy Newman?

Billy Who?

Billy, then with Shelbourne, tells a great story about Eamon Dunphy in his (Billys) one and only international call-up in a 2-0 away defeat to Denmark in 1969, only played for the first 55 minutes replaced by Frank O'Neill

[OwlsFan]

He was one a number of 'character' GK's around the LOI at the time, John Heavey (Shels), Eamonn Darcy ](Drumcondra) Kevin Fitzpatrick (Limerick) who also won 1 cap.

Darcy may have played for Drums but I remember Darcy as a goalie for Rovers playing in luminous colour jerseys with the crowd chanting "He's wearing Sunbeam knitwear" - the jingle of an add on TV or radio at the time.

[sadloserkid]

I believe Johnny Walshe's cap actually came in a 2-1 defeat against Trinidad & Tobago...

John Goodman won something like 4 caps...

[NY Hoop]

Jimmy Dunne was a centre-half who went from Shelbourne to Millwall, then Torquay, then Fulham, where he was a regular for 3 or 4 years. Got his cap in 1971 against Austria.
Dinny Lowry was a GK with St.Pats starting in the mid 50's and played with them up to 1969, when he became one of the first professionals to sign for Bohs. He was one a number of 'character' GK's around the LOI at the time, John Heavey (Shels), Eamonn Darcy (Drumcondra) Kevin Fitzpatrick (Limerick) who also won 1 cap, Kevin Blount (Cork Celtic), Mick Smyth (Rovers) another 1 'capper', and Peter Thomas (Waterford) who won 2 caps. Dinny won his cap when he came on as a sub for the injured Alan Kelly in 1962 against Austria.
Jerome Clarke and Cathal Muckian both played for Drogheda when they got their one and only caps agianst Poland in 1978.
Peter Eccles was a centre half with Shamrock Rovers and got his only cap in 1986 against Uruguay when he came on after 80 minutes for Ray Houghton in Jack Charlton's second game. Probably holds the record for the shortest Ireland career, challenged only by Eamonn Fagan another Rovers defender, who came on as a sub. for Ray Treacy after 79 minutes in an away game in Norway. In that game against Uruguay Barry Murphy a centre half form Bohs, got his only cap, playing alongside Mick McCarthy. Needless to say Jack Charlton did not know who he was, Barry having been drafted in on the recommendation of Mick Byrne.
Bobby Gilbert yet another Rovers player, got his only cap in 1966 against West Germany in Dublin. Lining out at centre forward Bobby hardly got a kick against a team which included a promising young German called Franz Beckenbauer. This game also saw John Keogh from Rovers get his only cap at full back when he came on as a sub. for Theo Foley.
Mick Kearin another Rovers player, got his only cap playing at left half in a 6-0 defeat away against Austria in 1971. This team, managed by Liam Touhy, had 10 LOI players (only Paddy Mulligan who was with Chelsea was not LOI) and had seven players making their Ireland debuts. These were Paddy Roche (Shels), Mick Gannon (Shels), Tommy McConville (Dundalk), John Herrick (Cork Hibs), Mick Kearin (Rovers), Mick Martin (Bohs) and Damian Richardson (Rovers) who came on for Kearin.
Two more 'one cappers' in the 80's were Kelham O'Hanlon a GK from Rotterham United, got his cap in a 5-0 win against Israel in 1987 and Johnny Walsh from Limerick who played in a 1-0 win away to Trinidad and Tobago in 1982.

Happy Days.

Dinny Lowry was for many years Rovers physio. Also Jason Byrne holds the record for the shortest international career given that he was only on the field for about 10 seconds in Poland. "All the way to Poland and you never touched the ball" Farcical.

We lost to T&T 2-1

KOH

[Superhoops]

Dinny Lowry was for many years Rovers physio. Also Jason Byrne holds the record for the shortest international career given that he was only on the field for about 10 seconds in Poland. "All the way to Poland and you never touched the ball" Farcical.

We lost to T&T 2-1
KOH

Thanks for correction re T&T. Forgot about all Jason Byrne. Was at that truly forgetable match in Bydgoszcz as well! Maybe Jason will get a recall, his international career may not be over

[Superhoops]

I believe Johnny Walshe's cap actually came in a 2-1 defeat against Trinidad & Tobago...

He is listed as starting that game amd was not listed among the substitued players.

[geysir]

It might appear that the FAI team selection committee had a rotation policy of voting for a LOI player according to the selectors possible club affiliation, not neccessarily on the players merit. Of the one cap goalkeepers in the '60's Mick Smith a good goalie but imo would have been behind Blount, Fitzpatrick, Swan and Thomas on merit. Maybe the cap was seen as some award for services rendered.

[Dodge]

Could#ve bben down to availibilty. All these lads worked and at a time an international match might've been too much hassle...

[geysir]

Could#ve bben down to availibilty. All these lads worked and at a time an international match might've been too much hassle...

A call to duty, to guard the posts for your country's team, the highest honour in the land, I think work would have waited.The caps were distributed around the top LOI goalies. My guess is that it was done that way on purpose and no bad thing. I think Dean Kiely would have liked a few more rotated his way.

[Superhoops]

A call to duty, to guard the posts for your country's team, the highest honour in the land, I think work would have waited.The caps were distributed around the top LOI goalies. My guess is that it was done that way on purpose and no bad thing. I think Dean Kiely would have liked a few more rotated his way.

Two more keepers of that era that got capped were:
Pat Dunne younger brother of Tony Dunne, Pat played for Rovers, after unsuccessful spells as a youth with MU and Everton. Went back to MU after winning FAI Cup medal with Rovers 1964? and was first capped while at MU.
Paddy Roche got his first cap while playing for Shels and his next 3 years later by which time he was with MU. and of course Alan Kelly won his first two caps in 1956 and 1957 while playing with Drumcondra. His third cap did not come until 1962 when he was with Preston North End.

I think Peter Thomas of Waterford was the last LOI keeper to be capped.

[OwlsFan]

It might appear that the FAI team selection committee had a rotation policy of voting for a LOI player according to the selectors possible club affiliation, not neccessarily on the players merit. Of the one cap goalkeepers in the '60's Mick Smith a good goalie but imo would have been behind Blount, Fitzpatrick, Swan and Thomas on merit. Maybe the cap was seen as some award for services rendered.

But Peter Thomas was English as I remember the Rovers fans reminding him, Bryant and Matthews of Waterford on many an occasion in no uncertain terms.

[geysir]

But Peter Thomas was English as I remember the Rovers fans reminding him, Bryant and Matthews of Waterford on many an occasion in no uncertain terms.

They must have had a real booing fest when Sligo came to Milltown with 10 or 11 English players
Thomas was signed from Coventry, grew up in England. I guess he was born in Ireland. He got 2 caps, first in '73 against, yes Poland of course, had to come off injured. The second against Brazil in the Maracana. He was the outstanding goalkeeper in the LOI. He made the panel for 4/5 years Giles ignored him and even he and Man U preferred Paddy Roche who was an inferior keeper but a bit taller.

[Stuttgart88]

Ron Healy? Played for a Welsh club (Cardiff?). Came on as sub goalie in a match against England at Wembley around 1980, was chipped by Keegan & I don't think he ever played again.

[Tenderloins]

Ron Healy won two caps. I always remember how bad he was in that game in Wembley. At the time I think Mick Kearns and Seamus McDonagh were the top two Irish Keepers.

[Risteard]

Did Glen Crowe get a second cap so?

And some poor fecker is going around now with a cold head.

[Mayo Red]

Did Glen Crowe get a second cap so?

And some poor fecker is going around now with a cold head.

Yep, he came on as a late second half substitute in the 1-0 friendly win over Norway at Landsdowne Road in 2003. I think it actually was Brian Kerr's first game in charge at home.

[Superhoops]

Ron Healy won two caps. I always remember how bad he was in that game in Wembley. At the time I think Mick Kearns and Seamus McDonagh were the top two Irish Keepers.

Ron Healy was first capped in 1977 against (yes you guessed it!) Poland.

Mick Kearns was the 'regular' keeper at the time. Gerry Peyton, who was playing for Fulham, was the other keeper around that time and it he who was replaced by Ron Healy after 60 minutes at Wembley in February 1980. Apart from being caught off his line for Keegan's chipped goal, he had very little to do.

After the Wembley game, Peyton played in the next seven games until February 1981, when he was replaced by Seamus McDonagh who was playing for Everton, in a 1-3 home defeat by Wales. McDonagh was capped 25 times between that game and playing his final game in November 1985 in a 1-4 home defeat by Denmark. During that time McDonagh played for Everton, Bolton, Notts. County, Birmingham, Notts. County (again), Gillingham, Sunderland, Notts.County (AGAIN!) and Wichita Wings.

[Dodge]

And McDonagh was player manager for Galway for a while (circa 1988)