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Gerry Byrne (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Gerald 'Gerry' Byrne is an English former footballer who spent his entire playing career at Liverpool Football Club
.
, Merseyside
, England, Byrne, like Jimmy Melia
, joined Liverpool straight from school as a 15 year old in 1953, again like Melia, Byrne impressed manager Don Welsh
who offered the full-back a professional contract the day after his 17th birthday on 30 August 1955. It was just over two years later that Byrne made his debut, it was a day to forget for Byrne as Charlton Athletic
thrashed the Reds 5-1 in a league match at The Valley on the 28 September 1957, he had to wait a further 4½ years for his first goal which came in the 52nd minute of a 3-1 2nd Division win over Brighton
at Anfield
on 3 February 1962.
His debut was his only appearance during season 1957–58. Bill Shankly
was appointed manager in December 1959 and at the season's end had a clear out of 24 players. Notably Byrne was retained as was Roger Hunt
.
It wasn't until the arrival of Bill Shankly
that he really got his chance; he featured in 38 league and cup matches as the Reds finished third for the fifth time in a row in the second division. Considering he only played seven times in the previous three seasons this was a major improvement in Gerry's career; in fact, he was on the transfer list when Shankly arrived, soon to be removed.
Shankly again used Byrne's grit and determination to its fullest, he was an ever-present as Liverpool, finally, romped to the 2nd division title, beating Leyton Orient
into second spot by eight points.
Gerry played in 38 of Liverpool's 42 league games their first year back in the big time and he also played in all seven of Liverpool's cup ties during their run to the 1965 FA Cup
final, a game in which Byrne would write his name in Liverpool folklore forever more.
, which took place on the 1 May at Wembley with a broken collarbone
. He suffered the injury as early as the third minute, but played on throughout the rest of the game and the whole of extra-time as Liverpool won the Cup for the very first time. The break happened after Byrne was challenged heftily by Leeds United's captain Bobby Collins
, but, with substitutes still not permitted by the authorities in 1965, he had little choice but to carry on playing. He and his team-mates, not to mention Shankly and his coaching team on the Liverpool bench, somehow managed to keep the extent of Byrne's injury a secret from the Leeds United players and staff.
Unfortunately for Byrne the game went to extra-time and Gerry, despite the agonising pain, kept making his familiar marauding runs down the left flank in joining the attack. Early on into the first period of extra time, he reached the by-line with the ball and pulled back a perfect cross for Roger Hunt
to open the scoring. Leeds got back into the game and equalised through Billy Bremner
but Liverpool were not to be denied as Ian St. John
headed home the winner late on during the second period and Liverpool had finally won their first ever FA Cup. Shankly spoke highly of Gerry in an interview after the final saying "It was a performance of raw courage from the boy", high praise from a man who appreciated such endeavour.
The aftermath of another high profile match led to calls, again, for the Football Association
to allow a substitute to be selected by each team in competitive matches. In FA Cup finals over the previous decade, there had been a notable amount of teams reduced to ten men or hampered considerably by hard, spiteful or accidental challenges from opposition players, including two goalkeepers suffering a broken neck (Bert Trautmann
, 1955) and broken cheekbone (Ray Wood
, 1957) respectively; two wingers in successive years being stretchered off
with broken legs (Roy Dwight
, 1959 and Dave Whelan, 1960) and a full back left hobbling for three quarters of the game with a damaged ankle
(Len Chalmers, 1961). Byrne's injury was the latest to try to force the FA's hand and, eventually, two years later the first substitutes were allowed in the FA Cup final.
against Inter Milan, Anfield was already buzzing in anticipation of the up and coming game when Shankly sent out the injured pair of Gerry Byrne and his full-back partner Gordon Milne
with the piece of silverware the Kopites had dreamt about for decades, the FA Cup, the crowd erupted and, it's said, you could see the Italian
champions freeze on the spot, it had the desired effect as Liverpool ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. However, the 2nd leg at the San Siro was full of controversy as Internazionale got a 3-0 win to end Liverpool's dreams of a cup double.
The 1965–66 campaign was another triumphant one for Byrne and the Reds as he was an ever-present in Liverpool's second title win in three years, Shankly's Reds were now the team he said he was always going to put together, tough, hard to beat whilst playing flowing football, all three were attributes Byrne had in abundance. Byrne, along with the elegant winger Ian Callaghan
and the prolific Hunt were rewarded for their superb club form by being selected in Alf Ramsey
's England squad for the 1966 World Cup finals to be held on home soil.
In the 1966 World Cup final
only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the 4-2 win over West Germany received medals. Following a Football Association
led campaign to persuade FIFA
to award medals to all the winners’ squad members, Byrne was presented with his medal
by Gordon Brown
at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street
on 10 June 2009.
Byrne eventually won two international caps for England earning his debut on 6 April 1963 at Wembley against Scotland
, the Scots took the spoils 2–1 in a game which saw fellow Liverpool team-mate Jimmy Melia
make his England debut.
Gerry stayed on at Anfield until 1969 when injury drew the curtains on his outstanding career, a rock at left-back; he and right-back Geoff Strong formed a partnership that bred fear into wingers up and down England and Europe too, especially in 1965 when the Reds reached the European Cup semi-finals. Byrne was replaced by yet another in the long line of excellent left-backs Alec Lindsay
.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
Life and playing career
Born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England, Byrne, like Jimmy Melia
Jimmy Melia
Jimmy Melia is a former English footballer who spent most of his career playing for Liverpool and went on to become a manager.-Liverpool:Jimmy joined the Reds straight from St...
, joined Liverpool straight from school as a 15 year old in 1953, again like Melia, Byrne impressed manager Don Welsh
Don Welsh
Donald "Don" Welsh was an English football player and manager. As a player he played at inside left for Charlton Athletic and for England, winning the FA Cup with Charlton in 1946–47.-Playing career:...
who offered the full-back a professional contract the day after his 17th birthday on 30 August 1955. It was just over two years later that Byrne made his debut, it was a day to forget for Byrne as Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
thrashed the Reds 5-1 in a league match at The Valley on the 28 September 1957, he had to wait a further 4½ years for his first goal which came in the 52nd minute of a 3-1 2nd Division win over Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
on 3 February 1962.
His debut was his only appearance during season 1957–58. Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
was appointed manager in December 1959 and at the season's end had a clear out of 24 players. Notably Byrne was retained as was Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
.
It wasn't until the arrival of Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
that he really got his chance; he featured in 38 league and cup matches as the Reds finished third for the fifth time in a row in the second division. Considering he only played seven times in the previous three seasons this was a major improvement in Gerry's career; in fact, he was on the transfer list when Shankly arrived, soon to be removed.
Shankly again used Byrne's grit and determination to its fullest, he was an ever-present as Liverpool, finally, romped to the 2nd division title, beating Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
into second spot by eight points.
Gerry played in 38 of Liverpool's 42 league games their first year back in the big time and he also played in all seven of Liverpool's cup ties during their run to the 1965 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final, a game in which Byrne would write his name in Liverpool folklore forever more.
The 1965 FA Cup Final
Gerry Byrne will always be remembered for playing for Liverpool in the 1965 FA Cup Final1965 FA Cup Final
The 1965 FA Cup Final took place on 1 May 1965 at Wembley Stadium. It was the 93rd year, 84th final and the 37th to be played at Wembley...
, which took place on the 1 May at Wembley with a broken collarbone
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
. He suffered the injury as early as the third minute, but played on throughout the rest of the game and the whole of extra-time as Liverpool won the Cup for the very first time. The break happened after Byrne was challenged heftily by Leeds United's captain Bobby Collins
Bobby Collins
Robert Young "Bobby" Collins is a Scottish former football player, best known for his successful spells at Celtic, Everton and Leeds United...
, but, with substitutes still not permitted by the authorities in 1965, he had little choice but to carry on playing. He and his team-mates, not to mention Shankly and his coaching team on the Liverpool bench, somehow managed to keep the extent of Byrne's injury a secret from the Leeds United players and staff.
Unfortunately for Byrne the game went to extra-time and Gerry, despite the agonising pain, kept making his familiar marauding runs down the left flank in joining the attack. Early on into the first period of extra time, he reached the by-line with the ball and pulled back a perfect cross for Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
to open the scoring. Leeds got back into the game and equalised through Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
but Liverpool were not to be denied as Ian St. John
Ian St. John
Ian St. John is a former Scottish footballer, who played for Scotland 21 times. He later became a manager and pundit...
headed home the winner late on during the second period and Liverpool had finally won their first ever FA Cup. Shankly spoke highly of Gerry in an interview after the final saying "It was a performance of raw courage from the boy", high praise from a man who appreciated such endeavour.
The aftermath of another high profile match led to calls, again, for the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
to allow a substitute to be selected by each team in competitive matches. In FA Cup finals over the previous decade, there had been a notable amount of teams reduced to ten men or hampered considerably by hard, spiteful or accidental challenges from opposition players, including two goalkeepers suffering a broken neck (Bert Trautmann
Bert Trautmann
Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann, OBE is a German former professional footballer who played for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. Brought up during times of inter-war strife in Germany, Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, serving as a paratrooper...
, 1955) and broken cheekbone (Ray Wood
Ray Wood
Raymond Ernest "Ray" Wood was a Manchester United goalkeeper who played in the 1956 and 1957 championship-winning teams. Wood was a very fast player, he had the opportunity to be a professional sprinter but chose to play football, and was very agile...
, 1957) respectively; two wingers in successive years being stretchered off
Stretcher
A stretcher is a medical device used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another. It is a simple type of litter, and still called by that name in some cases....
with broken legs (Roy Dwight
Roy Dwight
Royston Edward Dwight was an English footballer.When he was eight, Roy’s mother died in childbirth, while giving birth to his sister Susan, and following his father’s death, he moved in with his grandparents....
, 1959 and Dave Whelan, 1960) and a full back left hobbling for three quarters of the game with a damaged ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
(Len Chalmers, 1961). Byrne's injury was the latest to try to force the FA's hand and, eventually, two years later the first substitutes were allowed in the FA Cup final.
After the final and beyond
Shankly was a Master tactician and player of mind games, which lead him to pull off a masterstroke just before the Semi-final of the European CupUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
against Inter Milan, Anfield was already buzzing in anticipation of the up and coming game when Shankly sent out the injured pair of Gerry Byrne and his full-back partner Gordon Milne
Gordon Milne
Gordon Milne is an English former footballer and football manager.-Personal life:Gordon Milne, was born in Preston, Lancashire, England and is the son of the former Preston player Jimmy Milne, and son to Jesse Milne...
with the piece of silverware the Kopites had dreamt about for decades, the FA Cup, the crowd erupted and, it's said, you could see the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
champions freeze on the spot, it had the desired effect as Liverpool ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. However, the 2nd leg at the San Siro was full of controversy as Internazionale got a 3-0 win to end Liverpool's dreams of a cup double.
The 1965–66 campaign was another triumphant one for Byrne and the Reds as he was an ever-present in Liverpool's second title win in three years, Shankly's Reds were now the team he said he was always going to put together, tough, hard to beat whilst playing flowing football, all three were attributes Byrne had in abundance. Byrne, along with the elegant winger Ian Callaghan
Ian Callaghan
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.-Life and playing career:...
and the prolific Hunt were rewarded for their superb club form by being selected in Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
's England squad for the 1966 World Cup finals to be held on home soil.
In the 1966 World Cup final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the 4-2 win over West Germany received medals. Following a Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
led campaign to persuade FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
to award medals to all the winners’ squad members, Byrne was presented with his medal
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
by Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
on 10 June 2009.
Byrne eventually won two international caps for England earning his debut on 6 April 1963 at Wembley against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, the Scots took the spoils 2–1 in a game which saw fellow Liverpool team-mate Jimmy Melia
Jimmy Melia
Jimmy Melia is a former English footballer who spent most of his career playing for Liverpool and went on to become a manager.-Liverpool:Jimmy joined the Reds straight from St...
make his England debut.
Gerry stayed on at Anfield until 1969 when injury drew the curtains on his outstanding career, a rock at left-back; he and right-back Geoff Strong formed a partnership that bred fear into wingers up and down England and Europe too, especially in 1965 when the Reds reached the European Cup semi-finals. Byrne was replaced by yet another in the long line of excellent left-backs Alec Lindsay
Alec Lindsay
Alexander 'Alec' Lindsay was a strong full back who played in The Football League for Bury, Liverpool and Stoke City.-Life and playing career:...
.
Honours
- Division 2Football League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
(II): 1962 - Division 1Football League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(I): 1964, 1966 - Charity Shield: 1964,(Shared) 1965,(Shared) 1966
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 1965 - World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: 1966 - Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: Runner-up 1966