Patrick McCourt
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| Patrick McCourt | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Patrick McCourt | |
| Date of birth | December 16, 1983 (age 23) | |
| Place of birth | Derry, Northern Ireland | |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) | |
| Playing position | Right/Left winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Derry City | |
| Number | 23 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1998–2000 2000–2001 |
Foyle Harps Rochdale |
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| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2001–2005 2005–2005 2005–present |
Rochdale Shamrock Rovers Derry City |
73 (8) 17 (7) 37 (3) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2001–2002 2002–2002 |
Northern Ireland U21 Northern Ireland |
9 (0) 1 (0) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Patrick McCourt (born 16 December 1983, Derry, Northern Ireland), commonly known as Pat McCourt or Paddy McCourt, is a Northern Irish footballer who currently plays as a winger with League of Ireland club Derry City.
McCourt, known to local fans as "Paddy", is noted as one of the most talented players in the League of Ireland and with his dazzling array of skills, he can break down even the strongest of defences. He is the brother of former Derry City F.C. striker Harry McCourt.
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[edit] Career
[edit] Rochdale A.F.C.
McCourt, educated at Steelstown Primary School in Derry, began his career with an early move from Foyle Harps Y.F.C. to Rochdale on a youth team contract and was billed as a promising winger with a big future. His potential quickly persuaded the Spotland club to sign him on a 3 and a half year contract in December 2001, shortly after making his début against Kidderminster Harriers. His first season ended with 23 appearances and 4 goals. This was complemented by the 9 caps he received at Under 21 level for Northern Ireland. In June 2002, he seemed to have the world at his feet when the then Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy handed him his senior international debut against the might of Spain at Windsor Park[1]. This came at the peak of McCourt's career[2], and he attracted the attention of several English Premiership clubs during 2002-03, including Blackburn Rovers. A formal bid of £1.5m was made by Manchester City F.C., however, this was rejected by Rochdale A.F.C. and the deal fell through.
In the 2003-04 season, McCourt managed just a handful of starts for the club and had two spells away on trial with English First Division sides Norwich City[3] and Crewe Alexandra, though neither club followed up their initial interest in him. Despite scoring some spectacular goals during his spell at Spotland Stadium, a combination of injuries and loss of form hastened his departure from Rochdale in February 2005.
[edit] Shamrock Rovers
After Rochdale manager Steve Parkin had informed him that he was to be released, McCourt headed for another trial, this time with Scottish Premier League outfit Motherwell F.C. Again a move failed to materialise after a two-week stay at Fir Park, but shortly afterwards his career was thrown a life-line when he was signed by Roddy Collins, manager of League of Ireland full-timers Shamrock Rovers.
A rejuvenated McCourt wasted no time in becoming a firm favourite with the Rovers' fans when he scored three goals in his first six appearances for the Dublin club and topping the goalscoring table by May 2005. As the club ran into financial difficulty, mainly due to the costs surrounding the building of Tallaght Stadium, the club were forced to place all their players on the transfer list for free, however, this excluded McCourt who they felt was an indispensable asset of the club. However, after 7 goals in 17 appearances (3 of which were goal of the season contenders) and following interest from Bristol City F.C. and Queen's Park Rangers, Shamrock Rovers, in need of funds, decided to let McCourt go. The player was signed by his home-town club, Derry City F.C., for a fee thought to be around £60,000.
[edit] Derry City
McCourt has helped Derry City to a runners-up finishes in both the 2005 and 2006 League of Ireland seasons. His promising performances helped him win the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland award of 'Young Player of the Year'. There can be no question about McCourt's ability, although his consistency is sometimes brought into question. Described by Rochdale fans as "unbelievably brilliant, or frustratingly under-achieving", Derry fans will be hoping his great form can bring a League Title in 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ "Patrick McCourt - Player Profile", Irish Football Association, 18 August 2005.
- ^ "Hard work still to be done for Patrick", Jonathan Greaney, Rochdale Observer, 11 March 2003.
- ^ "Patrick McCourt - Biography", Flown From the Nest, 10 September 2005.
[edit] External links
| Derry City F.C. - Current Squad |
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1 Tidman | 2 McCallion | 3 Hargan | 4 Hutton | 5 Rogers | 6 Kelly | 7 Higgins | 8 Martyn | 9 Beckett | 10 McHugh | 11 Brennan | 12 Oman | 14 McGlynn | 15 Deery | 16 Jennings | 17 Molloy | 18 Farren | 19 Bermingham | 20 McCafferty | 21 Moran | 22 O'Halloran | 23 McCourt | 24 Hynes | 25 Moore | 30 Ferry | Manager: Fenlon |
