The Definition of “Mr Versatile”
Brentford have had many players who have been tagged as “versatile”. Currently we have a few players to play in different positions this season, Saman Ghoddos, Vitaly Janelt, KLP. Going back a few years we’ve had the likes of Kevin O’Connor and Bob Booker.
But our ex-player Kevin Patrick O’Flanagan (or to give him his proper title, Dr O’Flanagan) took this to a whole new level.
He was born in Dublin in 1919 (died 2006) and initially played Gaelic football and hurling at school, before joining soccer (sorry, but this helps differentiate the teams in his career) side Bohemian. He continued to play for them while studying medicine at University College Dublin and then took up rugby union, which led him to receive a call up to the Ireland squad as a right wing three-quarter. Not content with these sports, he was also a fine tennis player, was the Irish long jump champion 4 times in the 1930/40s, as well as champion sprinter at 60 and 100 yards. It was widely believed that had the 1940 & 1944 Olympics not been cancelled because of the war, he may have competed.
On the soccer field he was the Republic of Ireland’s youngest goal scorer when he netted on his debut in 1937. His record stood for 61 years until Robbie Keane took it, and this was in turn beaten by Brighton’s Evan Ferguson last year.
In 1946 he had the distinction for representing his country at soccer against Scotland, and rugby against France, on successive Saturdays. He could have made it 3 internationals in 3 weeks, but he was delayed in travelling from Liverpool to Dublin the following weekend due to the weather.
He moved to London after the war and joined Arsenal to play soccer……. and London Irish to play rugby…. and for his day job – as a GP in Ruislip!
His soccer career eventually took him to Griffin Park where he played 7 games for Brentford in 1949-50 as a speedy winger, both on the right and left wing.
“the flying doctor”.
It was reported that once during his soccer career he was asked for his professional guidance when a referee was injured. He deemed the official unfit to continue so “ordered” him from the field of play. Possibly the only occasion a player has “sent off” a referee!
Aside from team sports he also became an accomplished golfer. Initially he started playing as a left hander, then switched to being a right hander, with a single figure handicap whichever way he played.
He latterly was the chief medical officer with the Olympic Council of Ireland, and an Irish representative on the International Olympic Committee.
Other connections (from “A Pub On Each Corner”)
- In 1964 Brentford signed Ian Lawther, Northern Irish International forward, for a near record fee of £17,000. His signing made news as Brentford’s then chairman, Jack Dunnett, was MP for Nottingham Central and completed with formalities with Lawther in Westminster. Lawther therefore became the first footballer to sign for his new club at the House of Commons.
- Griffin Park hosted a Gaelic football match on St Patrick’s Day 1990, between the previous year’s GAA’s All-Ireland finalists, Cork and Mayo. 4,452 watched Cork beat Mayo by 1 goal and 11 points, to 8 points. The game had been due to start at 3pm, but the pre-match entertainment overran and delayed the start by 30 minutes.
- On 26 March1991, Griffin Park hosted an under 21 international match. England beat the Republic of Ireland 3-0 with goals from Alan Shearer, Rod Wallace, and Jason Cundy. David James kept England’s clean sheet, and Roy Keane captained the Irish team, in front of 9,120.
Full Irish Internationals
- Northern Ireland -Jimmy D’Arcy (1952-3), Stuart Dallas & Will Grigg.
- Republic of Ireland – Bill Gorman (from 1939), Alan Judge, John Egan & Nathan Collins.
- Ireland (representing the island of Ireland) – Joe Connor, who became our first ever international player in 1903, Tommy Shanks (1905), & Bill Gorman, again (from 1946).
Finally
In an obituary for Kevin O’Flanagan it was recounted that once the BBC were covering one of his Arsenal matches with the commentator saying: “Arsenal are moving the ball up the left, to Smith and now out to Gray and on to Jones who sends it to the right to…Doctor O’Flanagan.”
Maybe we could have done with a doctor in our starting XI this season !
Jonathan Burchill