Austin Noonan (16 July 1933 – 7 November 2022) was an Irish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and manager who played for

Cork Celtic Cork Celtic F.C., originally Evergreen United F.C., was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. In 1974, they were League of Ireland champion ...

and

Cork Hibernians Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and, from 1962, played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971, they were League of Ireland champions. History The ...

in the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

. He also served as manager of Cork Hibernians.

Career

Noonan first played football as a schoolboy with Maymount. Considered too small and light as a youth player, he later played with Colmcille's and Ballinlough before being selected on the Cork AUL. Noonan signed for

Evergreen United Cork Celtic F.C., originally Evergreen United F.C., was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. In 1974, they were League of Ireland champion ...

(later

) for the 1953–54 season. He formed a close goal-scoring partnership with Donie Leahy and, after spending much of the 1958-59 season on the sideline with a troublesome right ankle injury, was the league's overall top scorer with 27 goals the following season. Noonan was honoured by the

League of Ireland XI The League of Ireland XI, more recently referred to as the ''Airtricity League XI'' for sponsorship reasons, is the representative team of the League of Ireland, the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. For much of its ...

selectors on a couple of occasions, while his other honours include

Top Four Cup The Top Four Cup was an association football super cup featuring the top four clubs in the League of Ireland. It was first held in 1955–56 and last played for in 1973–74. It was played at the end of the season. Shamrock Rovers were the in ...

Shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

Dublin City Cup The Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides (and not just those from Dublin city as the name suggests). It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In the 1975–76 se ...

and Munster Senior Cup winners' medals. Noonan transferred to local rivals

in 1966 before taking over as manager. He has the distinction of being the club's manager in 1970 when their Shield victory qualified them to play in a

European competition The European Competition is a student competition in which students of all ages submit creative, artistic, or written pieces of work on the activities of the European Union. Tendered by European Movement Germany, it is the oldest student competition ...

for the first time.

Death

Noonan died on 7 November 2022, at the age of 89.

Honours

Cork Celtic *

League of Ireland Shield The League of Ireland Shield ( ga, Sciath Sraithe na hÉireann) is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972. It was played before the league season began ...

: 1960–61 *

: 1961–62 *

: 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60 * Munster Senior League: 1955–56 * Munster Senior Cup: 1959–60, 1961–62, 1963–64

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noonan, Austin 1933 births 2022 deaths Republic of Ireland association footballers Association footballers from Cork (city) Association football midfielders League of Ireland players Cork Celtic F.C. players Cork Hibernians F.C. players League of Ireland XI players League of Ireland managers