| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Frederick Byrne | ||
| Date of birth | (1961-02-01)1 February 1961 (age 64) | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1984 | York City | 175 | (55) |
| 1984–1988 | Queens Park Rangers | 126 | (30) |
| 1988–1990 | Le Havre | 49 | (16) |
| 1990–1991 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 51 | (14) |
| 1991–1992 | Sunderland | 33 | (8) |
| 1992–1993 | Millwall | 17 | (1) |
| 1993 | →Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 7 | (2) |
| 1993–1995 | Oxford United | 55 | (18) |
| 1995–1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 39 | (6) |
| 1996–1999 | Shoreham | ||
| 2000 | Steyning Town | ||
| 2001 | Whitehawk | 3 | (2) |
| Total | 555 | (152) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985–1993 | Republic of Ireland | 23 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1997-1999 | Shoreham (joint) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Frederick Byrne (born 1 February 1961) is a former professionalfootballer who played for theRepublic of Ireland and various clubs in England and France in the 1980s and 1990s.
Born inManchester,Lancashire, Byrne began his career withYork City and came to the attention ofQueens Park Rangers during theLeague Cup match between the sides in 1984. He joined QPR in October 1984, making his debut againstNorwich City.
He was a highly skilful player and once famously dribbled half the length of the pitch to score againstChelsea in a 6–0 victory in 1986. Shortly afterwards Byrne played at Wembley in theLeague Cup Final againstOxford United but ended up on the losing side.
Byrne moved from QPR to the French clubLe Havre, in 1988, at the same time that his compatriotFrank Stapleton would move there fromAjax. He would remain at Le Havre one season longer than Stapleton before returning to England, in 1990, to play withBrighton & Hove Albion.
He had spells withSunderland,Millwall, andOxford United and returned to Brighton on loan in 1993 before finishing his career there in 1996.
With Sunderland, he had the distinction of scoring in every round of the 1992FA Cup except the final, whichLiverpool won 2–0 with goals fromMichael Thomas andIan Rush, although he revealed in a pitch-side interview following the game that he was mistakenly handed a winner's medal.
Byrne playedSussex County League football forShoreham[2] before spending two seasons as joint manager withRussell Bromage.[3] Byrne signed forSteyning Town in March 2000.[4] In 2001, aged 40, Byrne played forWhitehawk under his former Brighton teammateIan Chapman, although his appearances were restricted by work commitments.[5][6]
Byrne was called up to international duty underEoin Hand's reign as Irish manager. With his first game being an international friendly againstItaly. The game played atDalymount Park, on 5 February 1985, finished 2–1 to the Italians.
Byrne would go on to earn 23 caps for theRepublic of Ireland, and was in their squads forEuro 88 and the1990 World Cup but didn't play any part. His best day in a green shirt came when he scored two fine goals in the 3–1 win overTurkey played in theBJK İnönü Stadium inIstanbul as part of the qualification forEuro 92. He donned the green jersey for the last time in an international friendly againstWales. The game, which finished in a 2–1 victory for Ireland, would also beBernie Slaven's last international duty.
York City
Byrne is now amusculoskeletal podiatrist with the NHS based in Sussex. He received finance and backing from thePFA for his university training.[7]
Republic of Ireland squads | |||||||
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