Colin Joseph Hawkins (born 17 August 1977) is an Irish retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

and current manager of Shamrock Rovers B. Hawkins was a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

with Shamrock Rovers along with a number of other clubs in the League of Ireland and cross-channel in England. He has represented the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

at youth and U21 levels.

Playing career

Coventry City

Hawkins made his first

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 use ...

appearance as a schoolboy for

Salthill Devon Salthill Devon Football Club is an Irish association football club originally based in Salthill, Galway. Their senior team currently plays in the Galway & District League. They have previously played in the Connacht Senior League, the A Champi ...

on 14 August 1994. He produced an impressive display despite his side losing 4–0 to Athlone Town in the

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...

. After finishing his secondary education Hawkins was offered a 2-year contract with then English Premiership side Coventry City after impressing in trials. Hawkins played for the

Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team The Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team, is the national under-19 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland and competes in the biennial European Under-19 Football Championsh ...

in the

1996 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1996 Final Tournament was held in France and Luxembourg. It also served as the European qualification for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Teams The following teams qualified for the tournament: ...

finals in Luxembourg. After the 1996/97 season the Coventry management deemed Hawkins to be surplus to requirements and released him, having never played a senior game. That summer he played a starring role in the Brian Kerr managed Republic of Ireland under-20 side in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championships, helping Ireland to 3rd place.

St Patrick's Athletic

Despite interest from several British sides Hawkins signed for Irish top flight club St Patrick's Athletic, where he linked up with fellow Bronze medallists from the FIFA World Youth Championships,

Trevor Molloy Trevor Molloy (born 14 April 1977 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer. He played in the League of Ireland for Shamrock Rovers (2 seasons), Athlone Town, St Patrick's Athletic (2 seasons), Bohemians and Shelbourne. He also ...

and Thomas Morgan. Hawkins immediately earned a starting spot alongside Packie Lynch and their solid base helped St Pats win the championship in his first season. Hawkins played in the Champions League

preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

against

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

in 1998, in a 0–0 draw at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...

. He was rewarded with the Players' Young Player of the Year Award. In November 1998 he was awarded the FAI national League player of the year award. St Pats also won the league in Hawkins second season. During these years he would represent Ireland many times at Under 21 level. Hawkins was injured at the start of the 1999/2000 season and on his return was played in a deep midfield role. He was not comfortable there and his performance levels dropped remarkably. Towards the end of the season it was announced that he would not stay with St Pats, but join English

Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...

side

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...

Doncaster Rovers

Hawkins was signed by

Ian Snodin Ian Snodin (born 15 August 1963) is an English football manager, former professional player and sports analyst. As a player he was a midfielder, notably playing in the top flight for Leeds United and Everton, appearing in the Premier League f ...

, but within weeks Snodin was sacked and replaced by Steve Wignall. Wignall did not rate Hawkins as highly as Snodin did, and initially Hawkins had to be content with only substitute appearances. He broke into the starting line up in November 2000 and remained there for the rest of the 2000/01 season. Hawkins had firmly established himself in the side during the first half of the 2001/02 season but was forced to leave the club, after Doncaster were forced to cut their playing squad down due to financial restrictions.

Bohemians

November 2001 saw Hawkins return to Ireland to play for

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

and he made his debut for the "Gypsies" against former club St. Pats on 30 November. In 2003 Hawkins won his third league winners medal as Bohemians won their second title in 3 years, though Hawkins was never a popular player in

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known ...

due to consistent poor performances.

Shelbourne

At the end of the 2004 season, Bohemians Dublin rivals Shelbourne signed 3 out-of-contract players from Bohemians; Hawkins,

Glen Crowe Glen Crowe (born 25 December 1977) is an Irish professional football forward who plays for Malahide United in the Leinster Senior League. He was a prolific goalscorer in the League of Ireland Premier Division and has represented the Repub ...

, and

Bobby Ryan Robert Shane Ryan (né Stevenson; March 17, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted second overall ...

. Hawkins won his fourth league title, and his first piece of silverware at Shelbourne, as they won their third title in 4 years in November 2006 defeating Bohemians 2–1 to clinch the top spot.

Coventry City

In January 2007 Hawkins made a free transfer back to

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

side

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

, the team where he signed his first professional contract. This time however Hawkins went on to make several very impressive appearances in his first season back, helping

stay clear of relegation. A troublesome Achilles injury restricted Hawkins to just a solitary start in his second season (against

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

) and with the arrival of new manager Chris Coleman he was deemed surplus to requirements and his contract was not renewed.

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 28 May 2008, it was revealed that Hawkins had become first signing by manager

Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional footballer and football manager. As a player, he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen-year professional career in the English ...

in his second spell as manager at

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, agreeing a two-year contract. Hawkins and Adams had previously worked together at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

. Following the completion of his two-year contract, Hawkins was released by Brighton.

Sporting Fingal

Hawkins returned to Ireland in June 2010 when he signed for

Sporting Fingal Sporting Fingal Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fine Gall Spórtúil) was an Irish association football club based in Fingal. Between 2008 and 2010, the club played three seasons in the League of Ireland. During their first two seasons they ...

as he wanted to return home for family reasons. He was part of the team that bowed out the UEFA Europa league after losing 6–4 on aggregate to Marítimo. Hawkins found himself without a club three weeks before the start of the 2011 season after Sporting Fingal cancelled all their players contracts and later folded.

Dundalk

Two days after

folded Hawkins followed his former teammate Greg Bolger and signed a one-year deal with

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

Shamrock Rovers

On 13 January 2012 Hawkins signed for the League of Ireland Champions, and his fifth Dublin club, as a player-coach.

Honours

Team

;St Patrick's Athletic *

(2): 1997–98, 1998–99 ;Bohemians *

(1): 2002–03 ;Shelbourne *

(1): 2006 ;Republic of Ireland *

FIFA World Youth Championship The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 wh ...

Third Place In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, clubs, public ...

: 1997

Individual

PFAI Young Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland Players' Young Player of the Year (often called the PFAI Players' Young Player of the Year, the PFAI Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) award is given to the footb ...

(1): 1997–98 *League of Ireland Player of the Year (1): 1997–98

References

External links

Colin Hawkins player profile
at seagulls.co.uk

at ccfc.co.uk
Hawkins
on

soccerbase ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Colin 1977 births Living people People from Galway (city) Association footballers from County Galway Association football defenders Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland youth international footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Coventry City F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Bohemian F.C. players Shelbourne F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Sporting Fingal F.C. players Dundalk F.C. players Shamrock Rovers F.C. players League of Ireland players English Football League players Salthill Devon F.C. players