Tommy Gaynor (born 29 January 1963 in Limerick) was an Irish soccer player during the 1980s and 1990s.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Gaynor | ||
| Date of birth | 29 January 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Limerick, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1982 | Limerick United | 25 | (7) |
| 1982–1983 | Shamrock Rovers | 22 | (7) |
| 1983–1984 | Dundalk | 22 | (4) |
| 1984–1986 | Limerick City | 58 | (35) |
| 1986–1987 | Doncaster Rovers | 33 | (7) |
| 1987–1992 | Nottingham Forest | 57 | (10) |
| 1990–1991 | → Newcastle United (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 1992–1993 | Millwall | 3 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Derry City | 29 | (11) |
| 1994–1995 | Cork City | 27 | (7) |
| 1995–1996 | Athlone Town | 27 | (12) |
| 1996–1997 | Cork City | ? | (?) |
| 1996–1997 | Athlone Town | ? | (?) |
| 1997 | Bohemians | 7 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | St Patrick's Athletic | 11 | (1) |
| 1998–1999 | Limerick | ? | (?) |
| 1998–1999 | Kilkenny City | ? | (?) |
| International career | |||
| 1986 | League of Ireland XI | 2 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2007 | Kilkenny City | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He made his League of Ireland debut on 13 September 1981 for Limerick United before signing for Shamrock Rovers in 1982. He scored 2 goals in 3 appearances for the club in the UEFA Cup.[1] He left to sign for Dundalk in 1983. Moved back to Limerick where he was joint top scorer in 1984–85 and top scorer in 1985–86.[2]
He signed for Nottingham Forest in 1987 spending 5 years there before signing for Millwall in 1992.
At the City Ground he helped Forest win the Football League Cup and Full Members' Cup in 1989, when they also finished third in the Football League First Division. However, he was left out of the side for the League Cup final of 1990, when Forest retained their trophy.
In his time at the City Ground, Gaynor was one of the Forest players who had to cope with the horrors of the Hillsborough disaster during the opening minutes of their FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool. Gaynor played in the rescheduled game at Old Trafford, which Liverpool won 3–1. Despite scoring regularly for the Forest first team he spent the majority of his time as a reserve player, often behind considerably less prolific strikers.
He then returned to his homeland and despite guesting for Shelbourne in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur he signed for Cork City in August 1993, initially on a months loan.[3] This deal became permanent but Gaynor had a turbulent relationship with the then Bishopstown based club. In December 1994 he failed to turn up for a league game.[4]
He signed for Athlone Town in October 1995 and scored twice on his debut.[5] He was Athlone's top scorer that season with 12 league goals. Rejoined Cork in September 1996 but was back playing for Athlone in early 1997.
Gaynor transferred to Bohemians in February 1997 and again scored on his debut.[6]
He had further spells with St Patrick's Athletic, where he scored against Celtic in a friendly,[7] Limerick and Kilkenny City.
He was appointed Kilkenny City manager on 11 July 2007.[8]
Gaynor became the first player to win the League Cup in Ireland and England.
Honours
edit- FAI Cup:
- Limerick United – 1982
- PFAI Player of the Year:
- Limerick – 1984/85
- Football League Cup
- Nottingham Forest – 1989, 1990
- Full Members' Cup
- Nottingham Forest – 1989
- FAI League Cup
- Cork City – 1995
References
edit- ^ [1] Archived 25 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Ireland – List of Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 24 December 2012.
- ^ "The Irish Times – Saturday, August 14, 1993 – Page 017". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Byrne, Peter (16 December 1994). "Cork expected to issue statement on Gaynor". The Irish Times. p. 23. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "The Irish Times – Saturday, October 7, 1995 – Page 17". The Irish Times.
- ^ "The Irish Times – Monday, February 3, 1997 – Page 031". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "1997-07-18: St Pat's 1–1 Celtic, Amstel Challenge". The Celtic Wiki.
- ^ "Kilkenny City FC – Home". Archived from the original on 16 July 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007..
External links
edit- Tommy Gaynor at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Tommy Gaynor in 'Soccer Players' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland