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Glens Dream Teams: The Internationals

Mon, 22/06/2020 - 01:54

Glentoran Gazette contributor and former editor, John Grayden, first saw the Glens play in May, 1959. In this series he picks imaginary sides from throughout the years in a random selection of categories. A few are factual while most are subjective and by no means definitive. While he has seen most of the players in action, a few from earlier eras are included due to their contribution to the club’s history.

 

Cap that: Northern Ireland internationals who started life at the Oval.

Goalkeeper: JOSH  MAGENNIS

Believe it or not the current Hull City and Northern Ireland international striker played in goal at under-age level at the Glens before a move to Cardiff City where he was converted into a left back before his move to Aberdeen where he emerged as a striker!

Right back: BERTIE PEACOCK

Celtic legend who played 318 times for the Glasgow club, many of them as captain after moving from the Glens in 1949. The Coleraine man not only won 32 Northern Ireland caps over a 12-year period but went on to manage the national side for three years.

Centre back: VICTOR MORELAND

Beersbridge Road boy who has made a life for himself in the United States after breaking into professional football. A loan move from the Glens to Tulsa Roughnecks in 1978 preceded a permanent move to Derby County later that year. Two seasons and 42 games later he moved back to Tulsa and a Stateside career which saw him featuring in the outdoor and indoor versions of the game there before moving into management for several seasons. He founded the Tulsa Nationals Soccer Academy in 1995.

Centre back: BILLY CASKEY

Billy’s career was joined at the hip with Victor’s for several seasons. The loan move to Tulsa in 1978, the Derby transfer and the move back to Tulsa two years later were completed in tandem with his teammate before his return to Glentoran in 1984. Although both players would be considered midfielders first and foremost, their adaptability sees them at the back in this formation. At their peak both men would have carried out the roles with aplomb.

Left back: ALEX ELDER

The Lisburn teenager blessed with great timing in the tackle and excellent distribution of the ball played only 11 games for the Glens before moving to Burnley where he was thrown into a Lancashire derby against Preston and told to mark the great Sir Tom Finney. He acquitted himself so well he went on to play more than 270 games for the Turf Moor club, more than 80 games for Stoke City as well as playing for Northern Ireland on 40 occasions.

Right midfield: BILLY BINGHAM 

The boy from Bloomfield who is arguably Northern Ireland’s greatest manager, notched up 60 games over two seasons at the Oval before a transfer to Sunderland in 1950. In eight years on Wearside he played around 230 games before moves to Luton and Everton added around 200 more games to his professional CV. His 40 games over two seasons at Port Vale, where his playing career ended with a bad leg break, preceded his management career. He carried the shrewdness and hard work he had displayed during his playing career into management with his second spell in charge of the national team seeing Northern Ireland qualify for successive World Cup finals in the 1980s.  

Centre midfield: DANNY BLANCHFLOWER 

Glentoran’s very own football intellectual. After leaving the Oval in 1949 for Barnsley who then sold him to Aston Villa the boy from Ravenscroft Avenue became the lynchpin of Billy Nicholson’s famous Spurs side of the late 1950s and early 1960s. His strength and subtlety, all-round vision and tactical ability set him aside from his contemporaries, allowing him to run games from the midfield. Somewhat of a maverick, he was very much his own man, a trait that probably cost him the chance of managing Spurs after his playing days. He often castigated what he saw as the ills of the game in his Sunday Express column and even walked away from Eamonn Andrews live on air as he attempted to surprise the Belfast man on an episode of This is Your Life, leaving the programme producers embarrassed.

Centre midfield: JIMMY McILROY

The slightly-built Lambeg teenager was exhsuting himself serving his time as a bricklayer and trying to break into the Glens first team when his father advised him to quit the trade to try and make a career from the game. He joined what was effectively a full-time cohort at the Oval under Noel McCarthy and never looked back. After only 18 games for the Glens he moved to Burnley in 1950 where he is still regarded as their finest player. His ability to unlock defences with his precision passing saw him play almost 500 games for the Lancashire side before moves to Stoke and Oldham. A brief management career saw him take charge of Oldham and then Bolton.

Left midfield: PETER DOHERTY

Another elegant, much sought after midfielder from the Glentoran stable. Peter moved to Blackpool in 1933 before a big money move to Manchester City in 1936 where he scored a goal every other game before serving in the RAF during the Second World War. After 1945 he played for Derby County, Huddersfield Town and Doncaster Rovers where he became player manager, honing the skills that would allow him to guide his Northern Ireland squad to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

Striker: ANDY KIRK

A speedy attacker who won 11 caps for Northern Ireland over a ten year period after his move to Hearts in 1999. His professional career encompassed 114 games for Hearts before moves to Boston United, Northampton Town, Yeovil Town, Dunfermline Athletic and Alloa Athletic. He scored almost 130 goals in the process. He is currently reserve team coach at Hearts.

Striker: STUART ELLIOTT

The local boy born just outside the Oval left the Glens in 2000 for Motherwell and played almost 80 games for them before Hull City paid the Scottish slub £230,000 for his services. Stuart played around 200 games on Humberside and won 39 caps for Northern Ireland over a seven year period, scoring four goals.

Substitutes:

PETER KENNEDY

The Lurgan-born midfielder or defender started his career in the youth system at the Oval. Although he didn’t play for the first team he later made the move into professional football with Notts County in 1996 before a move to Watford the following year saw him make more than 100 appearances for the club, helping them into the English Premiership in the process. He won 20 caps for Northern Ireland in a career that also saw him play for Wigan and Peterborough.

BILLY HUMPHRIES

The small but tough right winger or inside forward played only a handful of games for Glentoran between 1952 and 1955 before a move to Ards led to a pro career with Leeds United in 1958. Despite returning to Castlereagh Park for a further three seasons in 1959, he went back to England where he played for Coventry City and Swansea Town. He came back to Ards in 1968 and played on for a further eight years. Billy won 14 caps for Northern Ireland.

TOMMY CASSIDY

After bursting onto the Irish League scene in 1969 in a flurry of goals, Tommy moved to Newcastle United for £15,000 after only 14 appearances for the Glens. His pro career saw him play 180 games for Newcastle, 72 for Burnley and 44 for Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia as well as winning 24 caps for Northern Ireland. His managerial career has taken in spells at Apoel, the Glens, Ards and Sligo Rovers.

TOMMY JACKSON

Midfielder Jacko came through the ranks at Glentoran and was a key member of John Colrain's legendary team, before earning a move to Everton where he won a League Championship medal. While in England he also played for Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. Tommy was also Glens manager from 1987-93, leading the club to 17 trophies. 37 caps for Northern Ireland.

ROY COYLE

Another legendary Glentoran Manager and another Bloomfield lad, tough midfielder Roy won a league title with the Glens before transferring to Sheffield Wednesday in 1972. Coyler won his international caps atv Wednesday and with Grimsby Town before returning home to a multi-trophy winning managerial career at Linfield, Ards and Derry City before returning to the Oval in 1997. Northern Irelnd's most successful club manager with a record unlikely to ever be matched.