Mark McChrystal
Encyclopedia
Mark McChrystal is a Northern Irish
footballer
who currently plays for Tranmere Rovers
. Born in Derry
, Northern Ireland
, he is a left-footed defender, he has in the past also captained the Northern Ireland under-21 side.
where he was one of a plethora of young players from Northern Ireland
playing there. After spending three years at Molineux
, including a spell on loan at Bradford City
in 2003, he was released by the Midlands
club and he eventually returned home to sign for his local team Derry City
of the League of Ireland
in April 2003, despite interest from other English
clubs. He was then loaned out to near neighbours Institute
by Dermot Keely
on a three-month deal.
His stay in the Irish League
was short-lived however, and after just six games for the club, he picked up an injury in the quarter-final of the North-West Cup against Moyola Park
which hastened his return to Derry City. He fought his way back into the team under Gavin Dykes
and Peter Hutton
but did not appear regularly during the reign of Stephen Kenny
due to stiff competition in defence. Seen to be surplus to demands, he was released on 14 December 2006 after the appointment of Pat Fenlon
as manager.
Within a month he had moved to Glasgow
-based club, Partick Thistle
. He made his Jags debut in a 2-0 defeat by Clyde on 2 January 2007 and was a regular through to the end of the season. He scored his only goal in a 4-3 defeat by Queen of the South as Partick almost came back from 4-0 down.
He re-signed for Derry City in August 2007 after turning down a move to Glentoran and being released by new Thistle manager Ian McCall
. The following year he collected his first major honours, a winner's medal in the League Cup as Wexford Youths were routed 6-1 and a runners-up medal following an FAI Cup Final
penalty shoot-out defeat by Bohemians.
Unhappy with his limited first team chances after returning from a broken cheekbone and non-payment of wages, he negotiated an early release from his Derry contract in August 2009. He went on trial at Huddersfield but failed to win a deal and Crewe Alexandra before joining Lisburn Distillery
on a short-term deal in late 2009.
Unhappy over non-payment of his wages by Lisburn he rejoined Derry City for a third spell in January 2010, signing a one year contract. He then went on to help Derry back into the Premier Division as First Division Champions.
On 6 January 2011 he joined English club Tranmere Rovers
on a six month contract and made his Football League debut as a 77th minute substitute on 8 January against Walsall. At the end of the 2010-11 season he offered a new contract by the club and at the end of June he signed a two year contract.
in his native Derry, and added Under-18 caps whilst at Wolves. He appeared nine times for Northern Ireland's Under 21 team
, making his debut on 18 August 2004 against Switzerland, with his last appearance coming almost two years later on 16 August 2006 against Romania.
Derry City
People of Northern Ireland
Northern Irish people or people of Northern Ireland are "all persons born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who currently plays for Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
. Born in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, he is a left-footed defender, he has in the past also captained the Northern Ireland under-21 side.
Club career
McChrystal began his career at Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
where he was one of a plethora of young players from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
playing there. After spending three years at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
, including a spell on loan at Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
in 2003, he was released by the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
club and he eventually returned home to sign for his local team Derry City
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
of the League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
in April 2003, despite interest from other English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
clubs. He was then loaned out to near neighbours Institute
Institute F.C.
Institute F.C. is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who play in IFA Championship 1.The club, founded in 1905, are based in the Drumahoe area of Derry and play their home matches at the Riverside Stadium in the YMCA Grounds...
by Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely, is the former manager of Irish football team Shelbourne.-Family:Keely's family have played League of Ireland football at various levels. His late father Peter Keely played for Shelbourne, his brother Joe played on the same Home Farm FAI Cup winning side of 1775 as Dermot Keely himself...
on a three-month deal.
His stay in the Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
was short-lived however, and after just six games for the club, he picked up an injury in the quarter-final of the North-West Cup against Moyola Park
Moyola Park F.C.
Moyola Park Association Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 2. The club, founded in 1880, hails from Castledawson, near Magherafelt, County Londonderry, and plays its home matches at the Mill Meadow, which has an artificial "3G" surface...
which hastened his return to Derry City. He fought his way back into the team under Gavin Dykes
Gavin Dykes
Gavin Dykes was a defensive footballer who played for numerous League of Ireland clubs, including Sligo Rovers, Finn Harps and Derry City. In 1994 he captained Sligo to an FAI Cup win.He also managed Harps and Derry ....
and Peter Hutton
Peter Hutton (footballer)
Peter Hutton is a professional footballer and manager best known for his time with League of Ireland club Derry City, who he captained and managed on a caretaker basis...
but did not appear regularly during the reign of Stephen Kenny
Stephen Kenny
Stephen Kenny may refer to:*Stephen Kenny , Guantanamo detainee David Hicks' original lawyer*Stephen Kenny , Irish football manager...
due to stiff competition in defence. Seen to be surplus to demands, he was released on 14 December 2006 after the appointment of Pat Fenlon
Pat Fenlon
Patrick "Pat" "Nutsy" Fenlon is an Irish former footballer and manager. He is currently in charge of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian....
as manager.
Within a month he had moved to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
-based club, Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
. He made his Jags debut in a 2-0 defeat by Clyde on 2 January 2007 and was a regular through to the end of the season. He scored his only goal in a 4-3 defeat by Queen of the South as Partick almost came back from 4-0 down.
He re-signed for Derry City in August 2007 after turning down a move to Glentoran and being released by new Thistle manager Ian McCall
Ian McCall
Ian Holland McCall is a Scottish former footballer and is currently without a job having resigned as the manager of First Division side Partick Thistle.-Playing career:...
. The following year he collected his first major honours, a winner's medal in the League Cup as Wexford Youths were routed 6-1 and a runners-up medal following an FAI Cup Final
FAI Cup Final
The FAI Cup Final, known recently as the FAI Ford Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, is an annual soccer match which is the last game in the Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup...
penalty shoot-out defeat by Bohemians.
Unhappy with his limited first team chances after returning from a broken cheekbone and non-payment of wages, he negotiated an early release from his Derry contract in August 2009. He went on trial at Huddersfield but failed to win a deal and Crewe Alexandra before joining Lisburn Distillery
Lisburn Distillery F.C.
Lisburn Distillery is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1880, originated in west Belfast, where it was based at Grosvenor Park at Distillery Street off the Grosvenor Road until 1971...
on a short-term deal in late 2009.
Unhappy over non-payment of his wages by Lisburn he rejoined Derry City for a third spell in January 2010, signing a one year contract. He then went on to help Derry back into the Premier Division as First Division Champions.
On 6 January 2011 he joined English club Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
on a six month contract and made his Football League debut as a 77th minute substitute on 8 January against Walsall. At the end of the 2010-11 season he offered a new contract by the club and at the end of June he signed a two year contract.
International career
He gained Schoolboy caps while at St. Columb's CollegeSt. Columb's College
St. Columb's College is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland and, since 2008, a specialist school in Mathematics and Computing...
in his native Derry, and added Under-18 caps whilst at Wolves. He appeared nine times for Northern Ireland's Under 21 team
Northern Ireland national under-21 football team
The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland.-Former coaches:* To 20 August 2008.-2008/09 Matches:-Current squad:Squad to play San Marino.-Other Recent Call-Ups:...
, making his debut on 18 August 2004 against Switzerland, with his last appearance coming almost two years later on 16 August 2006 against Romania.
Club
Derry City- Winner
- 2008 League of Ireland Cup
- 2010 League of Ireland First Division
- Runner-Up
- 2008 FAI Cup Final2008 FAI Cup FinalThe 2008 FAI Cup Final was a football match held at the RDS, Dublin on 23 November 2008 and was the final match of the 2008 FAI Cup competition. The match was the 85th FAI Cup Final, and the second to be held at the RDS since Lansdowne Road shut for redevelopment...
- 2008 FAI Cup Final