Sammy Curran
Encyclopedia
Sammy Curran was a former Northern Irish footballer who played as a centre-forward.
One of the Irish League's
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...
most prolific goalscorers between the Wars, Curran's feats in front of goal brought a host of medals and representative honours his way.
Nicknamed "Blind Sammy" because he never lost sight of goal, Curran was one of the stars of the Irish League in the 1920s. He made headlines as a goal-getter with Carrick-based intermediate club, Woodburn, and brought the attentions of the Irish League’s top clubs. Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club in Northern Ireland that was founded in 1891, and was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until forced to withdraw from the Irish League in 1949.-History:...
won the race for his signature, usurping Linfield FC at the last minute.
Curran made his Celtic debut in 1-0 defeat at the hands of Glenavon FC on 22 August 1925, but it was to be one of the few lows in a startling first season in senior football. Curran found the back of the net on 51 occasions as the Gibson Cup (Irish League), Irish Cup
Irish Cup
For the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...
, Gold Cup, City Cup and Belfast Charities Cup (shared with Glentoran FC) all returned to Paradise. Individual highlights included a hat-trick in the 3-2 Irish Cup final victory over Linfield and a brace in a 4-2 friendly win against Glasgow Celtic on Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
, 1926. Impressive club form also brought Curran representative honours. He scored on his inter-league debut in a 5-1 defeat by the Football League in October 1925, and scored two on his first outing for Ireland in a 3-0 win over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
Over the next few seasons Curran could not stop scoring, as Belfast Celtic went on to claim four consecutive League titles, plus further successes in the City Cup and the County Antrim Shield. In 1928 he was chosen to lead the line as Ireland played in what was one of their first full international games against “foreign” opposition – France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
. The French however cruised to a 4-0 win in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In all, he won 4 international caps.
Having scored over 170 goals for Celtic, Curran moved on to Derry City FC, playing in their first match as a senior side on 22 August 1929. Two days later he had the honour of scoring the club's first senior hat-trick, as Derry came back from 5-1 down against Portadown FC, only to lose 6-5 to a late goal. Curran finished his first season at the Brandywell with 35 goals in 39 appearances.
In 1931 Curran moved closer to home, signing for Bangor FC. The club struggled during Curran’s first season, finishing bottom of the Irish League, five points behind Glenavon. A personal highlight for Curran though was a hat-trick back at the Brandywell, although the final score of 7-4 to Derry, now the opposition, no doubt took some of the gloss of the achievement. Ironically, Bangor had been the main rivals of Woodburn during their Intermediate League days. Indeed, Curran had scored for Woodburn in the 1923 Steel and Sons Cup Final against the Seasiders, the replay being marked by controversy as Bangor won 2-0.
On retiring from playing, Sammy Curran settled in Bangor
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
, where he bought a sweet shop.