Noel Cantwell
Encyclopedia
Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell (28 February 1932 – 8 September 2005) was an Irish cricket
er and football player born in County Cork
, Irish Free State
. He was educated at the Roman Catholic Presentation Brothers College in Cork
.
for Western Rovers, Cork Athletic
, West Ham United
, and Manchester United
.
While at West Ham, he featured in the London XI
side that competed in the 1955-58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
final on 1 May 1958. He captained the Hammers to winning the Division Two championship in the 1957-58 season and thereby leading the club into the top flight for the first time since 1930.
In November 1960, Cantwell joined Manchester United
for £29,500 which at the time was a record for a full back. He helped the club win the 1965 and 1967 league titles and captained United when winning the 1963 FA Cup Final
- just as his fellow countryman Johnny Carey
had done in United's previous FA Cup win 15 years earlier
.
He also served as Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association.
(typically playing at left full back and on several occasions at centre forward). He made his debut against Luxembourg
in October 1953; his final appearance coming away to Turkey
in February 1967. He scored 14 goals including 5 from penalties and also captained the Republic on several occasions including a match against England
at Wembley.
who had taken the club into the First Division
for the first time in their history. Cantwell kept the Sky Blues in the top flight by the skin of their teeth in his first two seasons before taking them to a sixth place finish in 1969-70
, earning them qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
(a year before it was replaced by the UEFA Cup
).
He departed from Highfield Road
on 12 March 1972 to take charge of the New England Tea Men
in the United States of America, but within seven months was back in English football
as manager of Peterborough United
.
He helped Peterborough win the Fourth Division
title in his first full season as manager, before leaving on 10 May 1977 for a second spell with the Tea Men. This time he spent a year in the States.
He returned to Peterborough on 19 November 1986 for a second spell as manager, remaining in this role until he became general manager on 12 July 1988. He was general manager at London Road for a year until he quit football to become licensee
of the New Inn at Peterborough, where he remained for 10 years until he retired in 1999.
as a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler. He played five times for Ireland making his debut in what was his sole first-class
match versus Scotland
at Edinburgh
in 1956, scoring 31 and 17. His last match for Ireland was against Lancashire
in July 1959.
aged 73. He left a widow Maggie and two children.
His former teams each held a minute's silence for him before their next matches.
Cantwell was captain of Manchester United's FA Cup winning side of 1963 and the first (and to date the only) player from that team to have died.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and football player born in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. He was educated at the Roman Catholic Presentation Brothers College in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
.
Club career
Cantwell played as a full-backDefender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for Western Rovers, Cork Athletic
Cork Athletic F.C.
Cork Athletic Football Club is a former Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1948 and 1957. They were the successor club of Fordsons F.C., Cork F.C., Cork City and Cork United. When United quit the league in 1948, they instantly reformed as Cork Athletic...
, West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
While at West Ham, he featured in the London XI
London XI
The London XI was an association football representative team, specially created to take part in the 1955-58 edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of today's UEFA Europa League although not recognized by UEFA....
side that competed in the 1955-58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
final on 1 May 1958. He captained the Hammers to winning the Division Two championship in the 1957-58 season and thereby leading the club into the top flight for the first time since 1930.
In November 1960, Cantwell joined Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
for £29,500 which at the time was a record for a full back. He helped the club win the 1965 and 1967 league titles and captained United when winning the 1963 FA Cup Final
1963 FA Cup Final
The 1963 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1962–63 FA Cup, the 82nd season of England's premier club football competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1963 and contested by Manchester United and Leicester City. United won 3–1, with a goal from Denis Law and two from...
- just as his fellow countryman Johnny Carey
Johnny Carey
John Joseph "Johnny" Carey , also known as Jackie Carey, was an Irish footballer and manager. As a player Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953...
had done in United's previous FA Cup win 15 years earlier
1948 FA Cup Final
The 1948 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on 24 April 1948. United, who had not appeared in an FA Cup Final for 39 years, won 4–2, with two goals from Jack Rowley and one apiece from Stan Pearson and John Anderson. Eddie Shimwell and Stan Mortensen...
.
He also served as Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association.
International career
He won 36 full International caps for the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
(typically playing at left full back and on several occasions at centre forward). He made his debut against Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
in October 1953; his final appearance coming away to Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
in February 1967. He scored 14 goals including 5 from penalties and also captained the Republic on several occasions including a match against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
at Wembley.
Management career
In his first managerial role at Coventry City he had the onerous task of following Jimmy HillJimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
who had taken the club into the First Division
Football League First Division
The 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....
for the first time in their history. Cantwell kept the Sky Blues in the top flight by the skin of their teeth in his first two seasons before taking them to a sixth place finish in 1969-70
1969-70 in English football
The 1969–70 season was the 90th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Everton won their seventh title, finishing nine points clear of Leeds United with Chelsea in third and newly promoted Derby County in fourth...
, earning them qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
(a year before it was replaced by the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
).
He departed from Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
on 12 March 1972 to take charge of the New England Tea Men
New England Tea Men
The New England Tea Men were a soccer team based out of Foxboro, MA that played in the NASL from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was Schaefer Stadium....
in the United States of America, but within seven months was back in English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
as manager of Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
.
He helped Peterborough win the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
title in his first full season as manager, before leaving on 10 May 1977 for a second spell with the Tea Men. This time he spent a year in the States.
He returned to Peterborough on 19 November 1986 for a second spell as manager, remaining in this role until he became general manager on 12 July 1988. He was general manager at London Road for a year until he quit football to become licensee
Licensee
A licensee is someone who has been granted a licence.- Tort law :The term is used in the USA law of torts to describe a person who is on the property of another, despite the fact that the property is not open to the general public, because the owner of the property has allowed the licensee to enter...
of the New Inn at Peterborough, where he remained for 10 years until he retired in 1999.
Cricket career
He also played cricket for Cork Bohemians Cricket Club and IrelandIrish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
as a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler. He played five times for Ireland making his debut in what was his sole first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match versus Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1956, scoring 31 and 17. His last match for Ireland was against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
in July 1959.
Death
Noel Cantwell died on September 8, 2005 from cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
aged 73. He left a widow Maggie and two children.
His former teams each held a minute's silence for him before their next matches.
Cantwell was captain of Manchester United's FA Cup winning side of 1963 and the first (and to date the only) player from that team to have died.