 Fahey during pre-season withBirmingham City in July 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Keith Declan Fahey[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-01-15)15 January 1983 (age 43) | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1995 | Tymon Bawn | ||
| 1995–1998 | Cherry Orchard | ||
| 1998–2000 | Arsenal | ||
| 2000–2002 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2003 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 2003 | Bluebell United | 0 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | St Patrick's Athletic | 75 | (11) |
| 2005–2006 | Drogheda United | 22 | (2) |
| 2006–2008 | St Patrick's Athletic | 77 | (12) |
| 2009–2013 | Birmingham City | 121 | (9) |
| 2014 | St Patrick's Athletic | 26 | (2) |
| 2015 | Shamrock Rovers | 12 | (0) |
| 2017 | Bluebell United | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 334 | (36) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Republic of Ireland U16 | 11 | (2) |
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Republic of Ireland | 16 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Keith Declan Fahey (born 15 January 1983)[2] is an Irish formerfootballer, who played most of his career withLeague of Ireland sideSt Patrick's Athletic, as well as English clubBirmingham City. He played predominantly as acentral midfielder, but also occasionally as awinger.
Fahey started his professional career as a trainee withArsenal. He played forAston Villa,Bluebell United,St Patrick's Athletic andDrogheda United before his transfer toBirmingham City. With Birmingham City he won the2011 League Cup in England, as well as helping the club gain promotion from theFootball League Championship to thePremier League during the2008–09 season. He left the club at the end of the 2012–13 season, and returned to St Patrick's Athletic for a third spell with the club.
With theRepublic of Ireland national team, Fahey gained 16caps. He was part of the squad that secured qualification forUEFA Euro 2012. ManagerGiovanni Trapattoni called Fahey into the Irish squad for the tournament, but he was later sent home due to injury.
Fahey started his professional career as a trainee withArsenal before signing forAston Villa in April 2000 for a fee of £250,000. He played for Villa's youth and reserve teams, but never made a first-team appearance.[3]
Having failed to settle in England, Fahey returned home in 2003. He initially played a few games in non-League football forBluebell United, before a six-week trial atSt Patrick's Athletic led to a contract.[4] He made hisLeague of Ireland debut and had a goal disallowed atWaterford United on 21 April.
He contributed to St Pats's victory in theLeague of Ireland Cup and scored a "stunning" free kick inextra time of the semi-final replay againstBohemians to reach theFAI Cup final.[5] However the final turned out to be very disappointing for both team and player, who wassent off for a "two-footed lunge" onLongford Town's Sean Prunty after 77 minutes as the Saints lost 2–0.[6]
He joinedDrogheda United in exchange forAlan Reilly and a cash adjustment in July 2005.[7] He was involved inMark Leech'sgolden goal that won theSetanta Cup for Drogheda in April 2006,[8] but a few months later was released, following a disagreement with managerPaul Doolin,[9] and returned to St Pats.[10][11]
RTÉ reported that "Danger man Fahey was quieter than usual" as Pats lost 2–0 toHertha BSC in the first round of the2008–09 UEFA Cup, held at theOlympiastadion;[12] however, in the second leg, despite Pats' "excellent performance" failing to overturn the deficit,[13] an RTÉ feature picked out "Keith Fahey's control of the game, dictating almost every Pat's attack with that delicate but incisive right foot of his. Fahey stood head and shoulders above the many highly decorated full internationals in the Hertha team, showing the full range of his passing from deep and from close range, and generally showing a poise and guile on the ball that you would not expect from a League of Ireland player amongst such illustrious company."[14]
His performances for St Pats in 2008, in which he scored 11 goals in all competitions, earned Fahey thePFAI Player of the Year award.[15] He also wonMonday Night Soccer's 2008 Goal of the Season.[16] After Pats were beaten by Bohemians in the FAI Cup, Fahey declared that he wished to move to an English club to further his career.[17]
On 2 December 2008, Fahey signed a pre-contract agreement withFootball League Championship sideBirmingham City to join the club when thetransfer window opened in January 2009, with the fee reported to be worth €355,000 plus a further €237,000 in add-ons to his former club St Patrick's Athletic.[18][19][20] The Irish season having finished, Fahey joined up with Birmingham in mid-December for training, though managerAlex McLeish suggested supporters should not "expect him to walk straight into the team" when he became eligible in January.[21]
Fahey made his Birmingham debut on 17 January 2009, coming on as a latesubstitute in a 1–1 draw againstCardiff City.[22] He scored his first goal for the club, a "delicate lob"[23] which the player admitted was meant to be a cross,[24] to clinch a 2–0 home victory againstNottingham Forest on 14 February. His second goal gave the Blues a 1–0 home win overSouthampton some weeks later.[25] Fahey retained his place in the side for the rest of the season (keeping loan signingsScott Sinclair andHamer Bouazza out of the starting eleven), and was a key player for Birmingham in their successful bid for promotion to thePremier League, scoring a goal and making a goal in a vital 2–1 win at Reading on the last day of the campaign.[11][26]
Fahey made his Premier League debut in the opening game of the2009–10 season atOld Trafford, in the 1–0 defeat againstManchester United.[27] He made 34 appearances in his first Premier League season (18 of which he started), but failed to score all season,[28] as Birmingham finished in ninth place, their highest ever position in the Premier League.[29] In July 2010, Fahey's contract was extended to 2013, in recognition of his having "proved to [McLeish] that he's a Premier League player".[30] He was part of the starting eleven as Birmingham won the2011 League Cup, defeating favourites Arsenal 2–1 atWembley Stadium.[31]The league season proved less successful for both player and club. Fahey made only 24 appearances, although he did score his first (and only) Premier League goal,[28] and Birmingham finished 18th and were relegated on the last day of the season following a 2–1 defeat toTottenham Hotspur.[32]
Following relegation,Barry Ferguson,Craig Gardner andLee Bowyer left the club, giving Fahey the chance to establish himself in his preferred central position. After recovering from hernia surgery early in the 2011–12 season, he partneredJonathan Spector in a solid midfield supporting two attacking wide players.[33] Later in the season, he played a defensive support role alongside the more attackingJordon Mutch, and managerChris Hughton suggested he was "enjoying playing in that central role and he's enjoying the development he's had there all season".[34] When he suffered a groin problem that caused him to miss the last few weeks of the season, Hughton called it "a real blow for us ... because he's a player that has been in really good form".[35] He scored four goals during the season, including "a venomous left-foot drive from 20 yards" atBarnsley[36] and a goal he "couldn't have hit ... any sweeter first time, or with any more power" at home toCrystal Palace that earned him the club's Goal of the Season award.[37]
Fahey returned to the team in mid-September, and made seven appearances, four of which were starts. In November, he returned home to Ireland on indefinite compassionate leave for personal and family reasons.[38] After two months away, Fahey took part in pre-season training withShamrock Rovers,[39] ahead of a full fitness assessment which preceded his return to training with Birmingham in mid-February.[40] However, Fahey was ruled out for the rest of the season in April with a recurrence of a hip problem, having played just twice since his return from compassionate leave.[41] At the end of the season, Fahey announced he was leaving Birmingham as the club had decided not to take up their option to extend his contract.[42]
After a few months out of the game, Fahey trained withSheffield United in October 2013.[43] Following this, he returned to Ireland, where he rejoined his old clubSt Patrick's Athletic on 23 December 2013. Commenting on his move back toRichmond Park, he said "Both the fans and the club have always been great to me, and the stability of the club behind the scenes really made me want to come back and play my football in Inchicore again."[44] He made his third debut for the club in a 2–1 victory overDundalk on 17 February 2014 in aLeinster Senior Cup match, scoring a free kick.[45] On 2 March 2014, Fahey scored the only goal as St Patrick's Athletic became the first team to win theFAI President's Cup, defeatingSligo Rovers in the process.[46] His goal drew praise from Republic of Ireland managerMartin O'Neill and from Sligo Rovers'Alan Keane, who stated "A wonder goal won it, it was a great strike. No keeper in the world could have saved that."[47]
Fahey started the first day of the season in the 1–1 away draw againstCork City.[48] In the 1–1 draw away toLegia Warsaw in thesecond qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, his through ball foundIan Bermingham who crossed forChristy Fagan's goal that gave Pats the lead.[49] He started the return leg in Tallaght in which Pats lost 5–0.[50] Fahey scored his first goal of the season againstUCD in a 3–2 win.[48] Overall Fahey made 26 league appearances scoring two goals throughout the season.[48]
On 11 November 2014, Fahey switched to Shamrock Rovers.[51] He announced his retirement in August 2015 having failed to recover from knee surgery. His last ever game of professional football was the 2–1FAI Cup loss to his old club St Patrick's Athletic atRichmond Park as he was substituted off with his knee injury.[52]
In 2017, Fahey returned to senior football and linked up with his former clubBluebell United in theLeinster Senior League Senior Division.[53][54] Fahey played three games forBluebell, a 3–0FAI Cup First Round win overSheriff YC, a 1–0 win overLeague of Ireland First Division sideCabinteely in the next round of the cup (Fahey was sent off in the last minute making him miss theFAI Cup Quarter final away toShamrock Rovers) and his final appearance in football came in a 5–1 defeat of Firhouse Clover in a top-of-the-table Leinster Senior League clash. Fahey retired from football in November 2017 after twisting his knee in training once again, later stating that "I'm glad now that it's (his career) finished. I am at the right place now, 100 percent."[55]
Fahey played for theRepublic of Ireland at the2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship and scored against theirEnglish counterparts.[56]
He also played at the2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he contributed to Ireland topping their group to reach the knockout stages.[57] In the second round match againstColombia under-20, he came on as a late substitute to assistKevin Doyle's goal and help turn the game around, coming back from a two-goal deficit only to lose on thegolden goal.[58][59]
On 25 May 2010, Fahey won his first seniorcap for theRepublic of Ireland in a 2–1 win againstParaguay at theRDS Arena, replacingDamien Duff in the 77th minute.[60] He made his first start againstArgentina on 12 August, in the first international match at the newAviva Stadium.[61] Fahey scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland eight minutes into his competitive debut, coming off the bench to score the only goal in aEuro 2012 qualifying win overArmenia inYerevan on 3 September 2010.[62] On his first competitive start, in a 1–1 draw againstSlovakia inŽilina on 12 October, Fahey delivered the free kick that led to Ireland's goal, scored bySean St. Ledger.[63] In February 2011, he scored his second goal for Ireland in a 3–0 defeat ofWales in the2011 Nations Cup,[64] and his third came in March 2011, apenalty againstUruguay.[65]
Fahey was part of the squad that clinched victory in the inauguralNations Cup with a 1–0 win overScotland on 29 May 2011 at the Aviva Stadium.[66]
He was called into theUEFA Euro 2012 squad but withdrew due to injury before the tournament.[67]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2002–03[3] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2003[68] | LOI Premier Division | 27 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2004[68] | LOI Premier Division | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| 2005[68] | LOI Premier Division | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 5 | |||
| Drogheda United | 2005[69] | LOI Premier Division | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2006[69] | LOI Premier Division | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |||
| Total | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | ||||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2006[68] | LOI Premier Division | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | |||
| 2007[68] | LOI Premier Division | 32 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | 43 | 4 | |
| 2008[68] | LOI Premier Division | 31 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 6[b] | 2 | 46 | 11 | |
| Birmingham City | 2008–09[70] | Championship | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 4 | |||
| 2009–10[71] | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11[72] | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12[73] | Championship | 35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 4 | |
| 2012–13[74] | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 121 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 9 | ||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2014[68][75] | LOI Premier Division | 26 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 4[e] | 2 | 38 | 5 |
| Total | 178 | 25 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 229 | 36 | ||
| Shamrock Rovers | 2015 | LOI Premier Division | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Bluebell United | 2017–18[55] | LSL Senior Division | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 334 | 36 | 36 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 413 | 47 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland[76] | 2010 | 7 | 1 |
| 2011 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 3 September 2010 | Hanrapetakan Stadium,Yerevan, Armenia |  Armenia | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 2. | 8 February 2011 | Aviva Stadium,Dublin, Ireland |  Wales | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2011 Nations Cup |
| 3. | 29 March 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Uruguay | 2–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
St Patrick's Athletic
Drogheda United
Birmingham City
Republic of Ireland
Individual
Various football stats sites on the internet credit Fahey as having made one first-team appearance for Villa, anInter Toto Cup semi-final againstLille in 2002. ... Fahey was quick to set the record straight after admitting he had never played for Villa's first team. 'No, I've been asked that before,' he said. 'I never played for them. If I did I was asleep, I don't know. It's down in some record books but I never made an appearance.'
