Derek Anthony "Swanny" Swan (born 24 October 1966) is an Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 former footballer. As of June 2009, he is joint 22nd in the all time list of League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 goalscorers, with 118 league goals.

Playing career

Swan began his career with ex–League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 side Home Farm

Home Farm F.C.

Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...

 in 1985–86, making his debut against Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock Rovers F.C.

Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

 in November 1985. The following season he secured a switch to Bohemians

Bohemian F.C.

Bohemian F.C. , more commonly referred to as Bohemians, is a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history, having won the League of Ireland title 11...

, where he averaged ten league goals a year in four years with the club. In June 1987 he guested for Shamrock Rovers in a tournament in South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

.

He moved to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 with Port Vale

Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

 in May 1990, Vale handing Bohemians £15,000. Three months later he was sent out to the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 on a one month loan with Wageningen

FC Wageningen

FC Wageningen was a Dutch football club which was founded on August 27, 1911. The club played its matches in the Wageningse Berg stadium ....

. He never made the first team at Vale Park

Vale Park

Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....

 and was sold on to Shamrock Rovers for £12,500 in November 1990. He scored twice on his Rovers league debut in December 1990. During his three years at the club he scored 25 goals in 75 league appearances and was top club goalscorer in 1991–92 and 1992–93.

In December 1994 he returned to Bohs for £2,000 and spent the next six years at Dalymount, scoring in the UEFA Intertoto Cup

UEFA Intertoto Cup

The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...

 in 1995. In 2000 he signed for University College Dublin

University College Dublin A.F.C.

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. The club, founded in 1895 was elected to the league in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have...

, where his goals helped UCD to avoid relegation

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 as they secured their top flight status with one point to spare.

International career

Swan was capped

Cap (sport)

In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 at schoolboy, youth, under-21 and under-23 levels for Ireland and the League of Ireland Representative teams. He played at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship

1985 FIFA World Youth Championship

The 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, the ninth edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in the Soviet Union from August 24 to September 7, 1985. The tournament took place in eight venues — Baku, Yerevan, Leningrad, Minsk, Moscow, Hoktemberyan, Tbilissi and Sumqayit — where a total...

 http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=193015/index.html.

Sporting family

Swan comes from a sporting family; his father Tony played for Bohemians during the 1960s, while his uncle Maurice

Maurice Swan

Maurice Michael George Swan is a former Irish 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...

 played for Dundalk

Dundalk F.C.

Dundalk Football Club is a professional Irish football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The...

 and Cardiff City amongst others. His son (also called Derek) had spells in Bohemians' and Shelbourne's

Shelbourne F.C.

Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....

reserve team.