Tommy Godwin (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fergus Godwin commonly referred to as Tommy Godwin, was an Irish footballer who played for Shamrock Rovers
, Leicester City
and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic F.C.. On September 21, 1949, together with Con Martin
, Johnny Carey
and Peter Farrell
, he was also a member of the Ireland team that defeated England
2–0
at Goodison Park
, becoming the first non-UK
team to beat England at home.
, Godwin joined Shamrock Rovers
while he continued to work as a carpenter. He made his Rovers debut in a friendly against Leeds United
and saved a penalty . It was one of many penalties Tommy saved while at Milltown
. He played in the semi-final of the 1948 FAI Cup
, but missed the final after breaking a leg. While playing for Rovers, his team mates included, among others Frank Glennon
and Paddy Coad
. He also represented the League of Ireland XI
and made his international debut for Ireland. In all he earned 5 caps while in the green and white .
. He made his English League debut for City on November 26, 1949 at home to Swansea Town. While with Leicester he faced competition for the goalkeepers position from Scotland
international John Anderson
. As a result he made just 45 league appearances and 1 FA Cup
appearances in four seasons .
and Third Division
. In 1957 Godwin was a member of the Bournemouth & Boscombe team that reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup. In the first three rounds, they knocked out Burton Albion
, Swindon Town
and Accrington Stanley
, scoring 11 goals in the process and conceding none. However it was the next three games that saw the team attract national attention. In round four they beat a Wolves
team featuring Billy Wright 1-0 in front of a Molineux
crowd of 42,000. Wolves were, at the time, placed third in the First Division
. In the last 16 they faced second placed Tottenham Hotspur
with a team that included Danny Blanchflower
, Terry Medwin
and Ted Ditchburn
. At their home ground of Dean Court in front of 25,892, Bournemouth won 3-1. In the quarter finals they face Manchester United
, the league leaders and cup holders. In front of 28,799 at Dean Court they took a shock lead after just 10 minutes. However they eventually lost 2-1 to the Busby Babes
.
at Dalymount Park
. This would be the first of four clean sheets he kept during his international career. Godwin quickly established himself as a regular in the team and played in all four of the 1950 World Cup qualifiers
against Sweden
and Finland
. The highlight of his international career came on September 21, 1949 when, together with Con Martin
, Johnny Carey
and Peter Farrell
, he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated England
2–0
at Goodison Park
, becoming the first non-UK
team to beat England at home. Together with Tommy O'Connor
, Godwin was one of two Shamrock Rovers
players in the Irish line-up. He put in an outstanding performance, keeping the third clean sheet of his international career. The game proved to be the turning point in his career and within days he was signed by Leicester City
. Godwin later lost his place in the Ireland team to Fred Kiernan
, but in 1956 after a six year absence, he earned a recall and subsequently played in two qualifiers for the 1958 World Cup
, one against England
and one against Denmark
. He made his last appearance for Ireland on May 11, 1958 in a 2-2 away draw in a friendly against Poland
. On May 9, 1955 at Dalymount Park
, Godwin also played for an All-Ireland XI against an England XI in an unofficial international organised as part of the An Tostal Festival. His team mates included, among others, Robin Lawler
, Con Martin
, Peter Doherty
and Peter McParland
. The English XI won 6-5
.
and worked for the local council as a parks supervisor .
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic F.C.. On September 21, 1949, together with Con Martin
Con Martin
Cornelius Joseph Martin , commonly referred to as Con Martin, is a former Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football with Dublin before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra, Glentoran, Leeds United and Aston Villa...
, 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...
and Peter Farrell
Peter Farrell
Peter Desmond Farrell was an Irish footballer who played as an a right-half for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Everton and Tranmere Rovers. As an international, Farrell also played for both Ireland teams - the FAI XI and the IFA XI...
, he was also a member of the Ireland team that defeated 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...
2–0
England v Ireland (1949)
England v Ireland. On 21 September 1949 at Goodison Park, Liverpool, the home of Everton, England were defeated 2-0 by Ireland in a friendly international...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, becoming the first non-UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
team to beat England at home.
Shamrock Rovers
After playing as a youth with both Reds United and Home FarmHome Farm F.C.
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...
, Godwin joined Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
while he continued to work as a carpenter. He made his Rovers debut in a friendly against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and saved a penalty . It was one of many penalties Tommy saved while at Milltown
Glenmalure Park
Glenmalure Park, often simply known as "Milltown", was a football stadium on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland. Located in the suburb of Milltown, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers by the club's directors...
. He played in the semi-final of the 1948 FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
, but missed the final after breaking a leg. While playing for Rovers, his team mates included, among others Frank Glennon
Frank Glennon
Frank Glennon was an Irish soccer player who played in the League of Ireland during the 1940s.Glennon played for Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers amongst others during his career in the League of Ireland. He joined the Milltown club for the 1945/46 season...
and Paddy Coad
Paddy Coad
Paddy Coad is a former Irish football player and manager. He played as a forward for Waterford United, Glenavon, Shamrock Rovers and Ireland. Although known, primarily, as a maker of goals, Coad scored 126 goals in the League of Ireland and a further 41 in the FAI Cup. In 1946-47 he was top...
. He also represented the League of Ireland XI
League of Ireland XI
The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....
and made his international debut for Ireland. In all he earned 5 caps while in the green and white .
Leicester City
In September 1949, after his impressive performances while playing for Ireland, Godwin transferred to Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. He made his English League debut for City on November 26, 1949 at home to Swansea Town. While with Leicester he faced competition for the goalkeepers position from 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...
international John Anderson
John Anderson (footballer born 1929)
John Anderson was a Scottish football goalkeeper.He was born in Barrhead and began his career with junior side Arthurlie, and moved to Leicester City in December 1948, where he won two Division 2 championships, before moving to Peterborough United for their debut Football League season , and later...
. As a result he made just 45 league appearances and 1 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...
appearances in four seasons .
Bournemouth
In June 1952 Godwin signed for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and remained with the club for ten years making 357 league appearances in the Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
and Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
. In 1957 Godwin was a member of the Bournemouth & Boscombe team that reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup. In the first three rounds, they knocked out Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
and Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
, scoring 11 goals in the process and conceding none. However it was the next three games that saw the team attract national attention. In round four they beat a Wolves
Wolverhampton 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...
team featuring Billy Wright 1-0 in front of a 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...
crowd of 42,000. Wolves were, at the time, placed third in 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....
. In the last 16 they faced second placed Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
with a team that included Danny Blanchflower
Danny Blanchflower
Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur F.C. during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009...
, Terry Medwin
Terry Medwin
Terence "Terry" Cameron Medwin is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a winger.He made his debut for his home-town team Swansea Town in 1951-52 and went on to make 148 Football League appearances for the Swans.Medwin moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £25,000 in May 1956, and played...
and Ted Ditchburn
Ted Ditchburn
Edwin George 'Ted' Ditchburn was an English professional football goalkeeper who played for Northfleet United, Tottenham Hotspur, Romford, Brentwood Town and represented England on six occasions at international level....
. At their home ground of Dean Court in front of 25,892, Bournemouth won 3-1. In the quarter finals they face 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...
, the league leaders and cup holders. In front of 28,799 at Dean Court they took a shock lead after just 10 minutes. However they eventually lost 2-1 to the Busby Babes
Busby Babes
The Busby Babes were a group of Manchester United players, recruited and trained by the club's chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby.The Busby Babes were notable...
.
Ireland international
Between 1949 and 1958 Godwin made 13 appearances for Ireland. He made his international debut on May 22, 1949 in a 1-0 win against PortugalPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
at Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
. This would be the first of four clean sheets he kept during his international career. Godwin quickly established himself as a regular in the team and played in all four of the 1950 World Cup qualifiers
1950 FIFA World Cup qualification
-First round:Syria withdrew, and remaining match was not played.Turkey advanced to the Final Round.-Final round:Austria withdrew, so Turkey qualified automatically. But Turkey later also withdrew, and FIFA offered the place to Portugal, the runner-up of Group 6, but they declined...
against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
and Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
. The highlight of his international career came on September 21, 1949 when, together with Con Martin
Con Martin
Cornelius Joseph Martin , commonly referred to as Con Martin, is a former Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football with Dublin before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra, Glentoran, Leeds United and Aston Villa...
, 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...
and Peter Farrell
Peter Farrell
Peter Desmond Farrell was an Irish footballer who played as an a right-half for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Everton and Tranmere Rovers. As an international, Farrell also played for both Ireland teams - the FAI XI and the IFA XI...
, he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated 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...
2–0
England v Ireland (1949)
England v Ireland. On 21 September 1949 at Goodison Park, Liverpool, the home of Everton, England were defeated 2-0 by Ireland in a friendly international...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, becoming the first non-UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
team to beat England at home. Together with Tommy O'Connor
Tommy O'Connor
Thomas O'Connor , also known as Tommy O'Connor or Tom O'Connor, was an Irish footballer who played for Shamrock Rovers...
, Godwin was one of two Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
players in the Irish line-up. He put in an outstanding performance, keeping the third clean sheet of his international career. The game proved to be the turning point in his career and within days he was signed by Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. Godwin later lost his place in the Ireland team to Fred Kiernan
Fred Kiernan
Frederick William Kiernan was an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the 1940s and 1950s.-Playing career:...
, but in 1956 after a six year absence, he earned a recall and subsequently played in two qualifiers for the 1958 World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup qualification
-UEFA Group 2:--------------------France qualified.-UEFA Group 3:--------------------Hungary qualified.-UEFA Group 4:--------------------Czechoslovakia qualified...
, one 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...
and one against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
. He made his last appearance for Ireland on May 11, 1958 in a 2-2 away draw in a friendly against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
. On May 9, 1955 at Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
, Godwin also played for an All-Ireland XI against an England XI in an unofficial international organised as part of the An Tostal Festival. His team mates included, among others, Robin Lawler
Robin Lawler
Joseph "Robin" Lawler was an Irish professional football player.From Dublin, he began his career with Home Farm F.C.. Later played with Distillery F.C., Drumcondra F.C. and Transport F.C.. Played for Drums in the FAI Cup win against Shamrock Rovers in 1946...
, Con Martin
Con Martin
Cornelius Joseph Martin , commonly referred to as Con Martin, is a former Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football with Dublin before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra, Glentoran, Leeds United and Aston Villa...
, Peter Doherty
Peter Doherty (footballer)
Peter Dermot Doherty was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager who played for Manchester City.An inside left, he was one of the top players of his time, winning a league title with Manchester City, an F.A. Cup final with Derby County in which he scored, and gained 16 caps for...
and Peter McParland
Peter McParland
Peter James McParland, MBE is a former professional footballer.-Dundalk & Aston Villa:...
. The English XI won 6-5
.
Later years
After retiring in 1962, Godwin settled in BournemouthBournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and worked for the local council as a parks supervisor .
Honours
Shamrock Rovers- Dublin City CupDublin City CupThe Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides . It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In season 1975/76 it was revived and played for by sides who did not reach the League of Ireland Cup quarter finals...
- 1947-48: 1
- Dublin and Belfast Intercity CupDublin and Belfast Intercity CupThe Dublin and Belfast Inter-city Cup was a soccer competition that ran for eight seasons in Ireland between and including 1941/42-1948/49. Each season's competition consisted of 6 teams from each of the 2 jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, the Irish Football Association and the Football...
- 1948-49: 1
- LFA Presidents Cup
- 1948-49: 1