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“He changed people’s lives”

Cliftonville Chairman Gerard Lawlor says Tommy Breslin changed people’s lives during his iconic managerial reign at the Club.

Everyone at Solitude was devastated to learn of Tommy’s sudden and untimely death at the age of 58 yesterday and, in paying tribute to the man who delivered two Danske Bank Premiership titles, three League Cups, two County Shields and the Reds’ first ever home win in European competition during a golden four-and-a-half-year spell between 2011-2015, Mr Lawlor says Cliftonville has lost one of its greatest sons.

“Tommy was a totally unique human being,” said the Chairman.

“With his infectious smile and warm personality, he could change the atmosphere in a room by merely entering it.

“Bressie was one in a million, I genuinely have never heard a bad word said about him and I have yet to meet a more humble person.

“To his Partner Valerie, his beloved sisters and the entire Breslin family circle, I offer my own and Cliftonville Football Club’s condolences and deep heartfelt sorrow at this very painful time.

“Our Club has lost one of its greatest sons – if not the greatest. He is a legend in the highest definition of the word. Tommy Breslin may be gone but he’ll never be forgotten by anyone at Cliftonville. He changed people’s lives, he made men believe and he delivered people’s dreams.”

A gifted midfield talent, Breslin made the first of 288 Reds appearances in a Gold Cup clash with Crusaders on October 12, 1985 and ended his playing days at the Club when Cliftonville faced Ballymena United on April 24, 1993.

The first of his 16 goals came when he bagged a brace against Newry Town on St Patrick’s Day, 1986, while a League Cup encounter with Queen’s University on January 27, 1993 saw him find the net for the final time.

After returning to Solitude in a coaching capacity, Breslin was appointed Assistant Manager to Eddie Patterson before assuming the reins himself – initially on a temporary basis – in April 2011.

His permanent appointment would herald the most successful era in the history of Ireland’s Oldest Football Club, with the November 2011 victory over the Glens in the County Antrim Shield Final delivering the first silverware of his tenure.

The following summer saw Cliftonville secure their first ever European win at Solitude when Kalmar were beaten 1-0 in the Europa League and, though the Swedes would claim aggregate success when the teams renewed rivalries a week later, the signs were already in place that a season to remember could be on the cards.

Fast forward two years and, with the Premiership title and League Cup having both been claimed and successfully defended during a period that yielded never-to-be-forgotten Champions League nights against Celtic as well as close-fought continental encounters with Debrecen, Breslin’s third full season at the helm also delivered further Shield success and yet another League Cup honour, along with the somewhat less vaunted Charity Shield.

Though his legendary contribution to Cliftonville FC is cemented in iconic status, the measure of the man could never be quantified simply by a trophy count. On and off the pitch, in and outside of football, Tommy – who returned to the Solitude dugout in a brief interim capacity for the final two games of the 2016/17 season – remains revered and respected for his gentle demeanour, kindness, quick wit and a warmth of character that endeared him to so many.

The tributes that have poured in from Cliftonville fans, as well as supporters of other teams, our fellow Irish League Clubs and a wide range of representatives and figures from throughout the footballing fraternity speak volumes for the esteem in which Tommy was held.

He turned Cliftonville dreams into reality and led his Club to unprecedented heights, leaving an astonishing legacy that, in hand with the most affable and engaging of personalities, guarantees his legendary status in perpetuity.

You were the greatest, Tommy. Rest in peace.