Shay Gibbons
Encyclopedia
Shay Gibbons is a former Irish
international footballer
who was regarded as one of the top players in the League of Ireland
in the 1950s. He is still the holder of match, season and all time scoring records with St Patrick's Athletic.
. He was selected for the Dublin
senior squad aged 17 but Gibbons first love was soccer and when the GAA ban on foreign games made him choose, he gave up football. As a schoolboy football with Home Farm
, Gibbons would win every honour in the Dublin schoolboy leagues. Despite offers from several League of Ireland
sides, Gibbons chose to play with local junior side Whitehall Rangers. He earned his first international cap when called up to the Irish
amateur side in a game against Scotland
in Hampden Park
in 1948. It was on this trip he struck a friendship with St Patrick's Athletic defender Jimmy Cummins. Cummins tried to persuade Gibbons to sign for St. Pats, who at that time were the top non league side in the country. Gibbons signed for St. Pats in March 1951 and the team would go on to win the Leinster Senior League. In the summer of 1951, St. Patrick’s Athletic were elected to the League of Ireland
.
in Cologne
against Germany
. In 1952/53 Gibbons was again the League's top scorer with 22 goals in 22 games, including five in one game against Raich Carter
's Cork Athletic. The 1953/54 season was a disappointing season for Gibbons as he struggled with only 9 goals. He did however win his 2nd full international cap in a World Cup
qualifier against Luxembourg http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/matchdetails.php?id=59.
He was controversially dropped for the 1954 FAI Cup
final and St. Pats lost to Drumcondra. In 1954/55 Gibbons scored 28 goals as St. Pats won the league for the second time. The following season he again topped the league scoring charts with 21 goals as St. Pats won an amazing 3rd league title in their first five years http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/iertops.html. He earned the last two of his four international caps in the autumn of 1955 in games with Yugoslavia http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/matchdetails.php?id=66 and Spain http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/matchdetails.php?id=67. Throughout his St Pats career Gibbons played many times for the League of Ireland selection at a time when they were seen as equal to full international games. Gibbons only played a handful of games for St. Pats in 1956/57 season but still managed to score 2 goals to bring his St. Pats tally to 108 goals in little over 5 seasons.
and scored 11 goals. He retired from professional football at the relatively young age of 30 in 1959. From 1960 until his death in 2006, Gibbons led a very quiet life. He was a regular visitor to St. Pats home ground of Richmond Park
where he was treated as an idol. Following his death (by natural causes) St. Pats fans have pushed for a permanent memorial to one of their greatest ever players to be produced.
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,...
international footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who was regarded as one of the top players in the 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...
in the 1950s. He is still the holder of match, season and all time scoring records with St Patrick's Athletic.
Early career
As a youth Gibbons played both soccer and Gaelic footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
. He was selected for the Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
senior squad aged 17 but Gibbons first love was soccer and when the GAA ban on foreign games made him choose, he gave up football. As a schoolboy football with 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...
, Gibbons would win every honour in the Dublin schoolboy leagues. Despite offers from several 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...
sides, Gibbons chose to play with local junior side Whitehall Rangers. He earned his first international cap when called up to the Irish
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....
amateur side in a game against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
in 1948. It was on this trip he struck a friendship with St Patrick's Athletic defender Jimmy Cummins. Cummins tried to persuade Gibbons to sign for St. Pats, who at that time were the top non league side in the country. Gibbons signed for St. Pats in March 1951 and the team would go on to win the Leinster Senior League. In the summer of 1951, St. Patrick’s Athletic were elected to the 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...
.
Glorious Fifties
The 1951/52 season would see Gibbons and St Pats stun Irish football by winning the league championship in their first season. Gibbons was the top scorer in the league with 26 goals in 22 games. In May 1952, only 15 months after playing non league football, Gibbons made his debut for the Republic of Ireland senior teamRepublic 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....
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. In 1952/53 Gibbons was again the League's top scorer with 22 goals in 22 games, including five in one game against Raich Carter
Raich Carter
Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter was one of the greatest English footballers of the pre-war era...
's Cork Athletic. The 1953/54 season was a disappointing season for Gibbons as he struggled with only 9 goals. He did however win his 2nd full international cap in a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifier against Luxembourg http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/matchdetails.php?id=59.
He was controversially dropped for the 1954 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 and St. Pats lost to Drumcondra. In 1954/55 Gibbons scored 28 goals as St. Pats won the league for the second time. The following season he again topped the league scoring charts with 21 goals as St. Pats won an amazing 3rd league title in their first five years http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/iertops.html. He earned the last two of his four international caps in the autumn of 1955 in games with Yugoslavia http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/matchdetails.php?id=66 and Spain http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/matchdetails.php?id=67. Throughout his St Pats career Gibbons played many times for the League of Ireland selection at a time when they were seen as equal to full international games. Gibbons only played a handful of games for St. Pats in 1956/57 season but still managed to score 2 goals to bring his St. Pats tally to 108 goals in little over 5 seasons.
After St. Patrick's Athletic
Gibbons had a short spell with Holyhead in the Welsh League in 1956 but returned to the league to play for Cork Hibernians at the end of the 1956/57 season, scoring one goal. The following season he joined DundalkDundalk 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 scored 11 goals. He retired from professional football at the relatively young age of 30 in 1959. From 1960 until his death in 2006, Gibbons led a very quiet life. He was a regular visitor to St. Pats home ground of Richmond Park
Richmond Park (football ground)
Richmond Park is a football stadium in Dublin, Ireland. It is the home ground for Irish football team St. Patricks Athletic of the League of Ireland. It is situated in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore...
where he was treated as an idol. Following his death (by natural causes) St. Pats fans have pushed for a permanent memorial to one of their greatest ever players to be produced.
Honours
- League of IrelandLeague of IrelandThe 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...
; 1951/52, 1954/55, 1955/56 - Dublin City CupDublin City CupThe Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides . It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In season 1975/76 it was revived and played for by sides who did not reach the League of Ireland Cup quarter finals...
winner; 1953/54, 1955/56 - LFA President's Cup winner; 1952/53, 1953/54, 1955/56
- League of Ireland top scorer; 1951/52, 1952/53, 1955/56
- Republic of Ireland Full International caps; 4
St. Patrick's Athletic Records
- All time highest scorer; 108 goals
- Most goals in a single season; 28 in 1954/55
- Most goals in one game; 5 v Cork Athletic in 1952/53
- Most international caps for Ireland; 4
External links
- It gives up deep sorrow to announce the death of a Saint legend, Shay Gibbons from stptasfc.com 10 June 2006