Terry McFlynn
Encyclopedia
Terence Martin "Terry" McFlynn (born 27 March 1981) is a football (soccer) player from Swatragh
, Northern Ireland
. He plays as a central midfielder
for the Australian A-League
team Sydney FC
. He is the current captain.
in 1996. McFlynn made only two first-team appearances in his five-year stay at the club - his first-team debut was made on 28 April 2001. He was released in 2001 and signed for Woking
. McFlynn made 10 appearances for the West Surrey club scoring only once, in a short half year deal.
McFlynn moved to Margate
, initially on a one month loan deal, but ended up being a useful three-year career, in November 2001. McFlynn quickly became a huge favourite with the Margate fans, helped by a stunning debut goal against Boston United
. He made 63 appearances for the club and scoring a total of 11 goals. A hamstring injury late in 2002 saw McFlynn miss several key games and as a result was sold to Morecambe
.
In 2003, McFlynn moved to Conference rivals Morecambe
for £14,000 and, despite scoring on debut, he was unable to cement a spot in the team and was released in 2005, but made 35 appearances and scoring five goals in just 17 games.
captain Chris Zoricich
, McFlynn moved to Australia to play in the newly formed A-League
and was signed by Sydney FC
manager Pierre Littbarski
after a successful trial in February 2005.
In his first season with Sydney FC, McFlynn made 21 appearances and proved to be a strong and determined player. He scored a memorable first goal for the club in round five of the 2005–06
season against the Queensland Roar
in which he lobbed their goalkeeper, Tom Willis
, from 30 meters out to round off a 3–1 victory to Sydney FC.
Sydney FC progressed to the inaugural A-League Grand Final
, which was played at the Sydney Football Stadium on 5 March 2006. McFlynn played the full 90 minutes as Sydney FC defeated the Central Coast Mariners 1–0 in front of 41,689 spectators to become the inaugural A-League champions.
He failed to make an impact on the 2006–07 A-League season when he picked up a hamstring injury and as a result, only making 13 appearances, without scoring.
In the 2007–08
season he scored two more goals. One against Central Coast Mariners, in Sydney's 5–4 win and against Wellington Phoenix which Sydney won 2–0. Both of these goals were in the latter half of the season.
In February 2008 McFlynn signed a new contract with Sydney for a further two years. He scored his fourth goal in Sydney's fifth match in the A-League 2008-09
, against Adelaide United in Sydney's 3–0 victory, with a volley from outside the box. Another goal for Sydney against F3 Freeway rivals Central Coast Mariners took his tally to five. In a match against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium
in which he was given a straight red card he sustained five week knee injury. However, he returned to the bench in the third game of the season against Adelaide United in their 2–0 loss at the Adelaide Oval
. His sixth goal for the club came against rivals Central Coast Mariners, scoring the only goal in their 1–0 victory. Speaking after the game McFlynn said it was his most memorable, as his first child had been born the week before, not to mention it was his first game after returning from a thigh injury.
In November 2009, Sydney FC held a press conference to inform the public that they had re-signed McFlynn on a further three-year contract, up until 2013. This will mean by the end of this contract, McFlynn will have been with the club for eight years. McFlynn further commented saying
On 26 February 2010 it was announced that he had received permanent Australian residency, and hoped to gain Australian citizenship
. As a result he will no longer be counted as one of the five allotted international players, but will still be able to represent Northern Ireland
if the opportunity arises.
One of his greatest honours was standing in as captain for the Grand final
as Steve Corica
and John Aloisi
were injured. He was officially awarded the captaincy for the 2010-11 season on 22 July.
His 100th A-League game for Sydney FC came in Round 3 of the A-League 2010-11 season, with Sydney unfortunately going down 1-0 to Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium
.
McFlynn led Sydney FC into their first game of the AFC Champions League
against K-League
club Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC. However his role would end after just 32 minutes when he was sent off for stomping on Korean player
Lee Sang-Ho. After a two-match suspension, he returned to the senior team to help lead Sydney FC to a 3-2 victory over Shanghai Shenhua
in Shanghai
.
and the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad
.
: A-League Premiership: 2009-2010 A-League Championship: 2005-2006
, 2009-2010
Swatragh
Swatragh is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Swatragh is on the main A29 road north of Maghera. The population was 435 in the 2001 Census....
, 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 plays as a central midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for the Australian A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
team Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
. He is the current captain.
Club career
McFlynn began his footballing career in England as an apprentice at Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in 1996. McFlynn made only two first-team appearances in his five-year stay at the club - his first-team debut was made on 28 April 2001. He was released in 2001 and signed for Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
. McFlynn made 10 appearances for the West Surrey club scoring only once, in a short half year deal.
McFlynn moved to Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
, initially on a one month loan deal, but ended up being a useful three-year career, in November 2001. McFlynn quickly became a huge favourite with the Margate fans, helped by a stunning debut goal against Boston United
Boston United F.C.
Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's...
. He made 63 appearances for the club and scoring a total of 11 goals. A hamstring injury late in 2002 saw McFlynn miss several key games and as a result was sold to Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
.
In 2003, McFlynn moved to Conference rivals Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
for £14,000 and, despite scoring on debut, he was unable to cement a spot in the team and was released in 2005, but made 35 appearances and scoring five goals in just 17 games.
Sydney FC
Following the advice of former teammate and one-time New ZealandNew Zealand national soccer team
The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed the All Whites, is the national association football team of New Zealand and is governed by New Zealand Football . The team plays in an all-white strip rather than the traditional New Zealand sporting black due to a former FIFA regulation that...
captain Chris Zoricich
Chris Zoricich
Chris Zoricich is a New Zealand association football player who represented the New Zealand national football team in the 1980s and 90s...
, McFlynn moved to Australia to play in the newly formed A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
and was signed by Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
manager Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Michael Littbarski is a German football manager and former player. He was mainly a winger or attacking midfielder and is best known for his brilliant dribbling abilities. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990. He was also runner–up twice in 1982 and 1986 with West Germany...
after a successful trial in February 2005.
In his first season with Sydney FC, McFlynn made 21 appearances and proved to be a strong and determined player. He scored a memorable first goal for the club in round five of the 2005–06
A-League 2005-06
The 2005-06 season was the first season of the A-League, a domestic club competition for football in Australia. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition, the first match in the A-League was played on 26 August 2005...
season against the Queensland Roar
Queensland Roar FC
Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional football club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia competing in the Hyundai A-League national competition, playing their home games at Suncorp Stadium...
in which he lobbed their goalkeeper, Tom Willis
Tom Willis
Thomas Willis is an Australian football player. He last played as a goalkeeper for the Queensland Roar in the A-League competition.-Biography:...
, from 30 meters out to round off a 3–1 victory to Sydney FC.
Sydney FC progressed to the inaugural A-League Grand Final
A-League Grand Final 2006
The 2006 A-League Grand Final took place at Aussie Stadium in Sydney on 5 March 2006. It was a South NSW derby. had the home ground advantage after beating over 2 semifinal legs. Sydney FC would eventually go on to take the honours of being crowned the first ever A-League Champions...
, which was played at the Sydney Football Stadium on 5 March 2006. McFlynn played the full 90 minutes as Sydney FC defeated the Central Coast Mariners 1–0 in front of 41,689 spectators to become the inaugural A-League champions.
He failed to make an impact on the 2006–07 A-League season when he picked up a hamstring injury and as a result, only making 13 appearances, without scoring.
In the 2007–08
A-League 2007-08
The A-League 2007-08 season was the third season of the Australian A-League football competition, won by the Newcastle Jets. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the previous two seasons and on the interest generated by and playing in the 2007 AFC Champions League, and...
season he scored two more goals. One against Central Coast Mariners, in Sydney's 5–4 win and against Wellington Phoenix which Sydney won 2–0. Both of these goals were in the latter half of the season.
In February 2008 McFlynn signed a new contract with Sydney for a further two years. He scored his fourth goal in Sydney's fifth match in the A-League 2008-09
A-League 2008-09
The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion...
, against Adelaide United in Sydney's 3–0 victory, with a volley from outside the box. Another goal for Sydney against F3 Freeway rivals Central Coast Mariners took his tally to five. In a match against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
in which he was given a straight red card he sustained five week knee injury. However, he returned to the bench in the third game of the season against Adelaide United in their 2–0 loss at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
. His sixth goal for the club came against rivals Central Coast Mariners, scoring the only goal in their 1–0 victory. Speaking after the game McFlynn said it was his most memorable, as his first child had been born the week before, not to mention it was his first game after returning from a thigh injury.
In November 2009, Sydney FC held a press conference to inform the public that they had re-signed McFlynn on a further three-year contract, up until 2013. This will mean by the end of this contract, McFlynn will have been with the club for eight years. McFlynn further commented saying
I don't want to play football for any other clubs, either in Australia or anywhere else," he said "I've been at Sydney FC for five years and I couldn't be happier to be signing on for another three years.
"I have grown to love the club, my family is here and I see Sydney as my home."
On 26 February 2010 it was announced that he had received permanent Australian residency, and hoped to gain Australian citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
. As a result he will no longer be counted as one of the five allotted international players, but will still be able to represent Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
if the opportunity arises.
One of his greatest honours was standing in as captain for the Grand final
2010 A-League Grand Final
The 2010 A-League Grand Final took place at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on 20 March 2010.It was the final match in the A-League 2009–10 season, and was played between premiers and runners-up...
as Steve Corica
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica is a former Australian football player who last played for Australian A-League team Sydney FC. A technically gifted and skillful player playing primarily as an attacking midfielder, he is very versatile, able to play both centrally or out wide, or even pushed up as a...
and John Aloisi
John Aloisi
John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart....
were injured. He was officially awarded the captaincy for the 2010-11 season on 22 July.
His 100th A-League game for Sydney FC came in Round 3 of the A-League 2010-11 season, with Sydney unfortunately going down 1-0 to Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
.
McFlynn led Sydney FC into their first game of the AFC Champions League
2011 AFC Champions League
The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation , and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title...
against K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
club Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC. However his role would end after just 32 minutes when he was sent off for stomping on Korean player
Lee Sang-Ho. After a two-match suspension, he returned to the senior team to help lead Sydney FC to a 3-2 victory over Shanghai Shenhua
Shanghai Shenhua
Shanghai Shenhua is a professional Chinese football club currently playing in Chinese Super League. The club is currently owned by Zhu Jun , Shanghai SVA Group, SMEG and Huangpu Investment Ltd. . The current head coach is Dražen Besek...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
International career
McFlynn has played for the Northern Ireland Under-19 squadNorthern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
and the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad
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:...
.
Honours
With Sydney FCSydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
: A-League Premiership: 2009-2010 A-League Championship: 2005-2006
A-League 2005-06
The 2005-06 season was the first season of the A-League, a domestic club competition for football in Australia. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition, the first match in the A-League was played on 26 August 2005...
, 2009-2010
- Oceania Club Championship: 2004-2005Oceania Club Championship 2004-05The 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship was held in from April to June, 2005. The tournament was designed to decide the Oceania Football Confederation's entrant into the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship.-Participants:-Preliminary round:...