Patrick Joseph Christopher "Paddy" Roche (born 4 January 1951) was 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,...

 football goalkeeper.

Born in Dublin, Roche started his career with Shelbourne

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....

 with whom he won the first of his eight full international caps. During his time with Shels he made 100 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...

 appearances and scored one league goal. He was on the losing side in the 1973 FAI Cup

FAI Cup

The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...

 Final as Shels lost to Cork Hibernians

Cork Hibernians F.C.

Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971, they were League of Ireland champions.-History:...

 in a replay. He transferred to Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 in 1973 for a fee of £15,000.

Roche made 46 league appearances for United, largely playing second-fiddle to Alex Stepney

Alex Stepney

Alexander Cyril "Alex" Stepney is a former English football player who was Manchester United's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup.-London beginnings:...

 and then Gary Bailey

Gary Bailey

Gary Richard Bailey is a former footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. He was capped twice for England....

. In 1982, he transferred to Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

, before joining Halifax Town two years later. He moved on in 1989 after 184 Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 appearances for the Shaymen, briefly spending time with Chester City

Chester City F.C.

Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...

 as cover for Billy Stewart. However, he left after failing to make any first-team appearances for the Cheshire side. Once retired, he returned to Halifax to take on a role coaching youngsters for their Football in the Community scheme.

Roche's brother Willie played for St. Patrick's Athletic and his nephew Paul played 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...

.

Roche played 8 games for the Republic of Ireland national football team

Republic of Ireland national football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

, keeping three clean sheets.

Roache's son Eamon played 5-a-side for WEMS International, scoring on his debut. After an illustrious start to his 5-a-side career Eamon suffered a catastrophic groin injury and has not played since.

External links

• Paddy Roche, Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database