Martin, Con

by James Quinn

Martin, Con (1923–2013), footballer, was born Joseph Cornelius Martin on 20 March 1923 in Rush, north Co. Dublin, the son of Michael Martin, a sea captain, and Emily Martin (née Leonard). He was educated at St Vincent's CBS, Glasnevin, and afterwards served in the Army Air Corps as an apprentice mechanic at Baldonnel aerodrome. A fine all-round sportsman, he played Gaelic football for St Maur's in Rush and St Mary's in Saggart, cricket for Rush, and a variety of sports (including basketball) for air corps and army teams. With his tall build (six foot two inches) and competitive attitude, he caught the eye and, aged eighteen, was invited to play soccer for Drumcondra FC in the League of Ireland. The same year he was also called into the Dublin Gaelic football senior team as a midfielder, helping Dublin win a Leinster title on 9 November 1941. However, when the GAA discovered he was contravening its ban on 'foreign games', he was expelled and his winners medal withheld. (He eventually received it in 1973, two years after the ban was lifted).

With a natural athleticism that permitted him to play in almost any position, he lined out for Drumcondra (1941–6) at full-back, wing-half and centre-half (his preferred position), and even occasionally at centre-forward or stand-in goalkeeper. He attributed his goalkeeping ability to handling skills developed in Gaelic football and basketball. He helped Drums to a Leinster Cup victory in 1943 (playing in goal for the last fifteen minutes) and to the FAI Cup in 1946. Having impressed on a League of Ireland XI against the Irish League in March 1946, he was bought out of the air corps for £100 and signed as a professional by the Belfast club Glentoran.

Called up as a reserve for Ireland's (FAI) Iberian tour in June 1946, he played his first two international matches in circumstances reminiscent of a schoolboy comic hero. With Ireland losing 3–0 after thirty minutes against Portugal on 16 June 1946, Martin replaced the injured Irish goalkeeper and prevented the Portuguese from scoring again. Retained in goal against Spain on 23 June, he made a series of acrobatic saves to help Ireland secure a 1–0 victory (the best away result in the team's history to that date) and was cheered from the pitch by the home crowd. Later that year, on 27 November 1946 he made his debut for Northern Ireland (IFA) at right-half in a 0–0 draw against Scotland (one of seven southern-born players on the team), helping them finish second to England in the 1947 British Home Championship.

On the advice of Jackie Carey (qv), Matt Busby tried to recruit Martin as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. Martin though opted for Leeds United, preferring their offer of an outfield role and joined them in December 1946 for an £8,000 transfer fee, then the highest paid for an Irish player. He made forty-seven League appearances for Leeds (1946–8), but could not prevent their relegation to the second division in 1947. In September 1948 he joined first division Aston Villa for a fee of £10,400. Playing mostly at centre-half and full-back, he became one of Villa's most important players, helping the club avoid relegation and consolidate its league position. A tough and courageous defender, he tackled strongly and excelled in aerial battles. An English journalist described him as the 'prince of utility players and … the outstanding pivot in English football' (Ir. Press, 2 November 1949). He started the 1951–2 season at left-back, but was pressed into service as a goalkeeper for twenty-six league appearances and helped Villa finish sixth in the first division. In total he played 213 competitive games (194 league and 19 cup) for Villa (1948–56).

During this time he continued to play international football for both Irish teams, keen to test himself against as many opponents as possible. In 1947 he helped Northern Ireland to a 2–0 win against Scotland on 4 October and a 2–2 draw against England on 5 November. 1949 was a memorable year in which he scored five of his six international goals for Ireland (FAI), including four in three successive internationals. Playing at centre-forward in a World Cup qualifier against Finland at Dalymount Park on 8 September, he scored twice, one a penalty (four of his international goals were from penalties). On 21 September 1949 he scored another penalty to help Ireland beat England 2–0 at Goodison Park, Liverpool. This was the first time that England, which regarded itself as the pre-eminent nation in world football, had been beaten at home by a team from outside the UK. Martin and Carey, usually at the heart of Ireland's best performances in these years, were outstanding in defence, and the game was probably the highlight of Martin's career.

On 8 March 1950 Martin captained Northern Ireland to a 0–0 draw against Wales at Wrexham in the British Home Championship. The game doubled as a qualifier for the 1950 World Cup, and he was one of four southerners who represented different international teams in the same FIFA tournament. Before the game the FAI, always opposed to its players representing Northern Ireland, asked him to withdraw. Unwilling to let down his Northern Ireland teammates, he went ahead and played, but afterwards came under strong pressure from both the FAI and Aston Villa to declare solely for the FAI team, and even received threatening letters calling him a Judas. Reluctantly, he agreed not to play for Northern Ireland again, and his stature was such that seventeen other southern-born internationals followed suit, effectively ending the era of the dual international. On 5 April 1950 the FAI council congratulated him on his 'spirited action', but it was a decision he made with some sadness, having enjoyed playing with Northern Ireland and made many good friends in Belfast.

In subsequent internationals, he was a mainstay of the FAI team, particularly in a 1–0 defeat to France in Paris on 25 November 1953 and a 2–1 victory over Norway at Dalymount on 7 November 1954, and was captain on five occasions. After his twenty-fifth appearance, against Holland on 1 May 1955, he received a statuette from the FAI marking the achievement. He made his last international appearance in a 4–1 victory over Holland in Rotterdam on 10 May 1956. On his retirement he was Ireland's (FAI) most capped player with thirty caps, one more than Carey. He also won six caps for Northern Ireland (1946–50).

In July 1956 Martin left Aston Villa to play for Waterford in the League of Ireland. He had lost some pace but his experience and keen football brain compensated, especially in his expert marshalling of the team's defence. In January 1957 he became player-coach and in 1959 guided Waterford to third place in the league and to the FAI cup final, losing to St Patrick's Athletic after a replay. He left Waterford shortly afterwards and in December 1959 was appointed player-manager of Dundalk (to mid 1960). From October 1965 he briefly managed Shelbourne for a few months.

In February 1960 he became a trustee of the newly-founded Professional Footballers Association of Ireland. From 1963 he also produced the successful Con Martin Soccer Annual. A genial, modest and much-admired figure, he featured regularly in charity and testimonial matches, playing in goal aged fifty-six for Old Ireland against Old England (captained by Stanley Matthews) at Dalymount Park on 7 October 1969.

By then, his sporting energies were mostly taken up by golf, a game he played with some skill, often with his great friends Peter Farrell (qv) and Tommy Eglington (qv); he captained both Rush Golf Club (1974) and Fingal Golf Society. From the late 1950s he worked for the New Ireland Assurance company, and later established his own successful brokerage firm. He became a well-known figure in the insurance industry, his firm frequently sponsoring Irish soccer awards and events. With his teammates who had beaten England in 1949, he was inducted into the FAI Hall of Fame in 1999, and the new FAI Hall of Fame alcove at Abbotstown was named after him in 2009. He died in Dublin on 24 February 2013, aged eighty-nine. After funeral mass at St Maur's church, Rush, he was buried locally in Whitestown cemetery.

On 14 June 1948 he married Veronica Molloy of East Arran Street, Dublin, in St Michan's Church, Halston Street; Davy Walsh (1923–2016), the Irish international centre-forward, was the best man. Martin was survived by his wife, three daughters and four sons, including Mick Martin, who won fifty-one caps for the Republic of Ireland (1971–83), and Con Martin junior, who played for Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. A grandson, Owen Garvan, played with Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace and won fifteen caps for the Republic of Ireland under twenty-ones (2007–10).