Patrick heroes

Did you know that, in the history of Ireland’s Oldest Football Club, only 15 players called Patrick have officially represented Cliftonville?

With the assistance of Heritage Development Officer Paul Treanor, this St Patrick’s Day we’re casting an eye back over all the Patricks, Pats, Padraigs and Paddys who have donned the famous Red jersey throughout the last 143 years.

The first of these was Patrick Gavin, who made 35 appearances between 1918-1920, with Patrick Carroll (7 appearances) and Pat McKay (10 appearances) bridging the gap up until the 1950s.

Pat Hollywood scored 14 goals in 50 outings between 1952-1954, with Pat Kerr on target twice during his eight games in the 1957/58 season.

Pat Lynch clocked up a half-century of matches between 1968-1970, with Pat Burns playing 20 times during the same period, while almost two decades would pass until Cliftonville next gave game-time to a Patrick; midfielder McAllister going on to clock up 119 appearances.

Goalkeeper Pat Saunders played once in the 1991/92 campaign ahead of the only Padraig in Reds history – Dully – turning out six times during the 1994/95 term.

The following season, Pat Cavanagh netted once in half-a-dozen games, with Pat Wall registering 10 goals during his 63 appearances between 2000-2002 ahead of Paddy Bradley – brother of Coleraine striker Eoin – turning out four times during the 2004/05 season.

Patrick Pearse was next in line when he featured in four games between 2004-2007, with Celtic loanee Paddy McNally completing the set during Cliftonville’s Danske Bank Premiership title-winning term in 2013/14.

That, however, is not necessarily the definitive record, with Paul Treanor at pains to point out that, amid a raft of teamsheets from the archives, there have been no fewer than nine players with an as-yet-unidentified initial P in their names – while boss Paddy McLaughlin (the only Patrick to have ever managed the Reds, incidentally) could yet extend the list should he decide to come out of retirement!

Patricks Through History
1918-1920: Patrick Gavin (35 appearances, 0 goals)
1942-1944: Patrick Carroll (7 appearances, 2 goals)
1952-1953: Pat McKay (10 appearances, 0 goals)
1952-1954: Pat Hollywood (50 appearances, 14 goals)
1957-1958: Pat Kerr (8 appearances, 2 goals)
1968-1970: Pat Lynch (50 appearances, 15 goals)
1968-1969: Pat Burns (20 appearances, 0 goals)
1988-1996: Pat McAllister (119 appearances, 12 goals)
1991-1992: Pat Saunders (1 appearance, 0 goals)
1994-1995: Padraig Dully (6 appearances, 0 goals)
1995-1996: Pat Cavanagh (6 appearances, 1 goal)
2000-2002: Pat Wall (63 appearances, 10 goals)
2004-2005: Paddy Bradley (4 appearances, 0 goals)
2004-2007: Patrick Pearse (4 appearances, 0 goals)
2013-2014: Paddy McNally (12 appearances, 1 goal)