Tony Folan
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Folan | ||
| Date of birth | 18 September 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Lewisham, England | ||
| Height | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Galway Hibernians | |||
| 1994–1997 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–1998 | Crystal Palace | 1 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Brentford | 68 | (9) |
| 2001–2002 | Bohemians | ||
| 2002–2004 | Galway United | ||
| National team | |||
| 1996–1997 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 6 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Anthony "Tony" Folan (born 18 September 1978 in Lewisham) was an Irish footballer during the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Republic of Ireland at every level up to U21.
Club career
Crystal Palace
Growing up in Galway, Tony was a classmate of Colin Hawkins at St. Joseph's Patrician College and played youth football at Galway Hibernians.[1] At the age of 14, he signed schoolboy terms at Crystal Palace. He made steady progress through the ranks at the club, appearing in the 1997 FA Youth Cup final against Leeds United. With Palace's relegation from the Premiership already confirmed, Folan made his first team debut in the last game of the 1997/98 season against Sheffield Wednesday, when he replaced Saša Ćurčić after 75 minutes. Early in the 1998/99 season he appeared in the first leg of Palace's Intertoto Cup third round match against Samsunspor, but was replaced by Simon Rodger after 63 minutes.[2] Folan injured his groin and was out for six weeks after an operation. He turned down the offer of a contract extension from new manager Terry Venables.
Brentford
Folan dropped down two divisions to sign for Division 3 side Brentford for £110000 on September 22 1998, following former Palace chairman Ron Noades, coach Ray Lewington and players Hermann Hreiðarsson, Danny Boxall and Rob Quinn to Griffin Park. He enjoyed a solid first campaign, making 35 appearances, scoring 6 goals and picking up a Division 3 winner's medal as Brentford dramatically beat Cambridge United on the last day of the 1998/99 season. A broken foot kept Folan out for six months of the 1999/00 season and he only managed 12 appearances. He managed 23 appearances and 2 goals during the 2000/01 season, but missed four months of the season after being forced to undergo a cartilage operation in December 2000.[3] Folan was an unused substitute as Brentford lost 2-1 to Port Vale in the 2001 Football League Trophy final.[4]
Bohemians
In October 2001, he returned to Ireland and signed for League of Ireland Premier Division side Bohemians. He made his debut for Bohemians in a televised Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers but he ended up on the losing side as Rovers won 1-0. Within weeks, manager Pete Mahon was sacked and Folan found appearances limited. He scored in a 4-1 rout of Longford Town in the second round of the League of Ireland Cup, as Bohemians progressed to the semi-finals before being knocked out by Derry City.[5]
Return to Galway
He joined hometown club Galway United in the summer of 2002 and helped the club into the League of Ireland First Division playoff final in the 2002/03 season, which ended in defeat to Premier Division side Drogheda United. In August 2004, Folan departed the club to join Galway & District League Premier League side Galway Hibernians, where he began his career. He won the title with he club during the 2005/06 season.
International career
Folan appeared for the Republic Of Ireland at the 1997 UEFA European U18 Championship in Iceland, eventually losing the third place playoff to Spain. He won six U21 caps as Republic Of Ireland failed to qualify for the 2000 UEFA European U21 Championship.
Honours
Brentford
- Football League Division 3 winner: 1998/99
- Football League Trophy runner-up: 2001
Galway Hibernians
- Galway & District League Premier League winner: 2005/06
External links
References
- ↑ http://galwayindependent.com/20130515/news/galway-hibernians-afc-1942-S17903.html
- ↑ http://www.footballdatabase.eu/football.coupe.crystal-palace.samsunspor.15188.en.html
- ↑ http://www.11v11.com/players/tony-folan-4318/search.html/?s=11v11&q=oalfur+gottskalksson
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/brentford/1638757.stm
- ↑ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football%3A+PATHS+TO+THE+SEMI-FINALS%3B+BOHEMIANS.-a083638934