Alan Kirby

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Alan Kirby
Personal information
Date of birth (1977-09-08) 8 September 1977 (age 46)[1]
Place of birth Waterford, Ireland
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
0000–1994 Johnville F.C.
1994–1996 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Aston Villa 0 (0)
1999–2001
Waterford United
 81 (16)
2001–2006 Longford Town 183 (17)
2007–2008 St Patrick's Athletic 56 (6)
2009–2010 Sporting Fingal 60 (12)
2011 Sligo Rovers 31 (6)
2012 Longford Town 28 (5)
Total 439 (62)
International career
1998
Republic of Ireland U21
 1 (0)
2010 League of Ireland XI 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alan Kirby (born 8 September 1977) is an Irish former footballer. He played as a midfielder, most often on the right wing.

As a 16-year-old, Kirby went to England to join

Waterford United in 1999, and two-and-a-half years later moved on to Longford Town. During his six seasons with Longford, Kirby won two FAI Cups, in 2003 and 2004, and the 2004 League of Ireland Cup, and was nominated for the 2003 PFAI Players' Player of the Year
award.

Two League runners-up medals in two years with

UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League, six each for Longford Town and St Patrick's Athletic, and two each for Sporting Fingal and Sligo Rovers.[4]

Kirby was capped for Ireland at levels from

Manchester United in a match to mark the opening of the Aviva Stadium
in 2010.

Personal life

Kirby was born in Waterford, the son of former

Waterford United player and assistant manager Dave Kirby and his wife Angela.[5] He married Caitriona Norton, and as of May 2018, the couple had two daughters, Leah and Lauren.[6][7]

Kirby started a degree in business studies at Dublin City University in 2007, alongside his football career.[8] After completing his studies, he began a career in tax consultancy in Dublin.[6][7]

Club career

Early career

As a youngster, Kirby played for Johnville in the Waterford Schoolboys League.

Aston Villa. He was a regular in the youth team for two seasons, made his debut for the reserves in the 1995–96 season, and played not infrequently at that level for a further two years.[10]

Waterford United

Kirby returned to Ireland, signed for Waterford United in 1998,

Bray Wanderers a few days later and made a significant contribution to Waterford retaining their Premier Division status.[13]

Available on a free transfer at the end of the season,

Kilkenny City for a place in the next season's Premier Division. Waterford lost the first leg 1–0, and their ill-fortune in front of goal continued in the second. Kirby shot against the post in the first half, and missed a chance in the second, and Derek McGrath missed a late penalty, to leave Waterford in the First Division with only three contracted players, of which Kirby himself was one.[16]

Kirby helped Waterford reach the semi-final of the

Cobh Ramblers defender, and he converted the resulting penalty to give Waterford a 1–0 win.[17] The semi-final, against Longford Town, went to a replay. Kirby came close to scoring, and was named man of the match as he had been in the quarter-final, but the tie was settled by a penalty kick in favour of Longford.[18] He was named in the PFAI First Division Team of the Year for 2001, and shortlisted for the First Division Player of the Year award.[19]

When Kirby and teammate

Stephen Kenny when the clubs met in the FAI Cup semifinal earlier in the year.[20]

Longford Town

Kirby made his debut in the

Finn Harps to retain their top-flight status. The scores were level after two legs, and Longford won 6–5 on penalties.[21]

Kirby was ever-present during the 2002–03 season, scoring three times as Longford finished fifth.

St Patrick's Athletic goalkeeper Chris Adamson made "the save of the night" from Kirby towards the end of the final, which Longford lost by a single goal when Barry Ferguson missed a penalty with the last kick of the game.[25] They went one better against the same opponents in the FAI Cup Final. Playing at Lansdowne Road, on a bigger pitch that allowed the wingers more space, Kirby fed Sean Francis to open the scoring, as Longford went on to beat St Pat's 2–0 to win the first senior trophy in their history.[26] His performance over the season earned him a nomination for the PFAI Player of the Year award, but he lost out to Shelbourne's Jason Byrne.[27]

Kirby made more appearances than any other Longford player

Drogheda United, who reportedly offered to triple his wages, to sign a new two-year contract on improved terms with Longford.[32]

In 2004, Longford had given

Carmarthen Town; the second goal was scored by Ferguson from Kirby's cross.[34] In the second leg, Carmarthen's opener was equalised from the penalty spot, but they then scored four times in the second half to eliminate Longford and give Kirby what he describes as "the lowest moment of my career".[35] He is one of three men to have played in all six, as of 2015, of Longford's appearances in UEFA competition.[36]

Kirby was the only ever-present for Longford in 2006, and was also their leading goalscorer, but with just six goals.

St Patrick's Athletic in December 2006;[39] the season preview in the Irish Independent saw "the capture of Alan Kirby [as] a particular coup."[40]

St Patrick's Athletic

While at Longford, Kirby had worked full-time for the club's sponsors as assistant to the site engineer on a building site, but was allowed to leave early on training evenings. At St Pat's, he was a full-time footballer.

Joseph Ndo in a central three in midfield; their "interchanging of passing and movement is excellent", according to Bohemians' manager Sean Connor.[43] But an injury to Ndo, combined with Kirby's absences through injury and suspension, meant a switch to a 4–4–2 formation, with more workmanlike players in the centre and the flair and creativity of Fahey and Kirby pushed out to the wings; this coincided with a mid-season slump.[44] Kirby was rested for the first leg of the UEFA Cup tie against Odense, a goalless draw; he was brought back for the second leg, in which St Pat's were outclassed 5–0.[45] Both player and club revived; Kirby scored four goals from 28 league appearances,[46]
as his club finished in second place.

St Pat's beat Latvian club

Sporting Fingal for their second season in the league.[52]

Sporting Fingal

The Fingal Independent labelled him a "big name signing" who was "regarded as a consummate professional by commentators in the game".

Sligo Rovers with two late goals.[60]

Kirby signed another one-year contract for the 2010 season.

Manchester United in a match to mark the official opening of the Aviva Stadium. United captain John O'Shea said afterwards he "was glad to see Kirbs getting a game as he's such a dedicated player, for the league and for Ireland".[62]

Later career

Kirby was one of many players to volunteer for the PFAI team to take part in the

Sligo Rovers.[65] He scored six times in 31 league appearances[46] as Sligo finished second in the Premier Division, and collected his fourth FAI Cup-winners' medal, again as an unused substitute, as Sligo beat Shelbourne on penalties at the Aviva Stadium.[3][66]

When no new contract was forthcoming at Sligo, and recognising he was approaching the end of the career, Kirby was happy to return to Longford Town for the 2012 season.

playoff against Waterford United. Replacing Gillespie towards the end of the playoff second leg, with Waterford 3–0 ahead on aggregate, Kirby scored his last goal in senior football in his home town against his first senior club.[68] He had announced his retirement from football before the game.[6] In his two spells with Longford, he scored 29 goals from 264 appearances in all competitions.[38]

International career

Kirby was capped for

Ireland's opening fixture, against Ghana, but played in their remaining matches as they became the first and, as of 2017, only Irish side to win a medal at a FIFA World Cup at any age agroup.[1][73] Played in by Robbie Ryan early in the match, Kirby's failure to score was, according to the Irish Times, "the product of good goalkeeping rather than poor finishing", and Colin Hawkins headed wide from his cross with only a few minutes left, as Ireland lost 1–0 to Argentina in the semifinal.[74] He was a first-half substitute as Ireland defeated Ghana in the third-place match to win the bronze medal.[1] Those two matches were televised live in Ireland, and the players became well known as their progress was followed by RTÉ's magazine programme The Soccer Show.[75]

Kirby made his only appearance at under-21 level as a substitute in a 3–0 defeat against the Czech Republic in March 1998.[76]

Style of play

According to Kirby's profile on the St Patrick's Athletic website, he "can play anywhere across the midfield and chips in with his fair share of goals."

man-marking role.[79]

In 2001, the Galway Advertiser wrote that his "blistering pace is an invaluable asset when his side is on the break."[80] He combined creativity with industry. An RTÉ match report in 2008 claimed that "the workrate and creativity of Pat's centre midfield pairing of Alan Kirby and Keith Fahey can't be underestimated".[81] And the Sligo Champion's preview of a 2011 FAI Cup quarter-final summed him up as "a tireless worker with an eye for a defence splitting pass and an ability to ghost into dangerous attacking positions".[82]

Honours

Republic of Ireland

  • FIFA World Youth Championship: bronze medal 1997[1]

Longford Town

St Patrick's Athletic[46]

  • League of Ireland: runners-up
    2008

Sporting Fingal

Sligo Rovers

  • FAI Cup: 2011
  • League of Ireland: runners-up
    2011[3]

References

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