Greg Bolger (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish professional

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 le ...

who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland First Division club Cork City. His previous clubs are UCD,

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 pl ...

, Dundalk,

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...

, Cork City,

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...

and

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 ...

Career

Youth career

A native of

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the River Barrow, near the border with County Kilkenny, and is around northeast of Waterford. In 2016 it had a population of 8,040 people, making it the ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, Bolger began playing with his local side New Ross Celtic, before moving onto his local League of Ireland club Wexford, then to Dublin side Cherry Orchard, where he earned a move to UCD in 2006.

UCD

Bolger made his senior debut for UCD in a 1–0 loss to Cork City on 23 March 2007. His first goal at senior level came on 22 August 2008 in a 2–1 loss to

Derry City Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

at the UCD Bowl. Following their relegation in 2008, Bolger was part of the UCD side that won the

2009 League of Ireland First Division The 2009 League of Ireland First Division season was the 25th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by 12 teams and UCD won the title. Third placed Sporting Fingal also won the 2009 FAI Cup Final, quali ...

title to regain promotion. He impressed upon the club's return to the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland f ...

, scoring 7 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions. In total he made 76 appearances in his 4 seasons with the club, scoring 10 goals.

Sporting Fingal

Bolger signed for

ahead of the 2011 season, but on 9 February 2011 the club went bust, cancelling all player contracts in the process, in Bolger's case before he had even made his debut.

Dundalk

On 10 February 2011, Bolger signed for Dundalk. He made his debut 4 days later in a 5–3 win away to Linfield in the

Setanta Sports Cup The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of I ...

. On 14 May 2011, he featured in the Final of the

2011 Setanta Sports Cup The 2011 Setanta Sports Cup was the sixth staging of the all Ireland association football competition. It commenced on 14 February 2011 with the final played on 14 May 2011. The draw for the 2011 competition was made at Belfast City Hall on 13 ...

, as his side were defeated 2–0 by

at Tallaght Stadium. He scored his first 2 goals for the club in a 6–1 win over

Galway United Galway United Football Club (Irish language, Irish: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Fi ...

on 24 June 2011. Bolger made a total of 33 appearances during the season, scoring 2 goals as the side finished in 7th place.

St Patrick's Athletic

2012 season

Bolger signed for fellow

side

in January 2012. He made his debut for the club on 20 February 2012 in a 1–0 loss at home to Cliftonville in the

. His first goal for the club came on 20 April 2012 in a 2–0 win over one of his former clubs UCD. The Summer of 2012 saw Bolger's first taste of European football, as he featured in all 6 of his side's games in their UEFA Europa League campaign as they defeated ÍBV of Iceland, Široki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina before being knocked out by Bundesliga side

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...

. In October 2012, Bolger scored in a 3–0 win over his former club Dundalk in the

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

Semi Final but missed out on the

2012 FAI Cup Final The 2012 FAI Cup Final was the final match of the 2012 FAI Cup, the national association football cup of the Republic of Ireland. The match took place on 4 November 2012 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Derry City and St Patrick's Athletic contes ...

due to injury, as his side lost to

in extra-time.

2013 season

On 13 October 2013, Bolger opened the scoring with a 25-yard strike into the top corner in a 2–0 win over

at Richmond Park, a win that secured the

2013 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2013 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 29th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division featured 12 teams. St. Patrick's Athletic were champions, winning their eighth top level League of Ireland title. Dundalk f ...

title for the club. On 20 October, 2 days after being award the league trophy, Bolger featured in a fatigued Pats side that were defeated 1–0 by

in the 2013 Leinster Senior Cup Final. He was named in the PFAI Team of the Year for 2013 by his fellow players on 17 October 2013. On 17 November 2013, Bolger was named as the club's Player of the Year by their supporters.

2014 season

On 2 March 2014, he was part of the team that won the

2014 President of Ireland's Cup The 2014 President's Cup was the inaugural President's Cup. The match was played between 2013 League of Ireland Premier Division champions, St Patrick's Athletic, and 2013 FAI Cup Final winners Sligo Rovers at Richmond Park on 2 March 2014. Th ...

with a 1–0 win over

. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on 16 July 2014 in a 1–1 draw away to

Legia Warsaw Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning record 15 Ekstraklasa champions titles, a ...

. He was part of the side that ended the club's 53-year wait for an

win, as he received the Man of the Match award in his side's 2–0 win over

in the 2014 FAI Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium.

2015 season

He featured in the

2015 President of Ireland's Cup The 2015 President's Cup was the second President's Cup contested for. The match was played between 2014 League of Ireland champions Dundalk and 2014 FAI Cup winners, St Patrick's Athletic on 28 February 2015, at Oriel Park. Dundalk came from be ...

on 28 February 2015 as his side lost 2–1 to Dundalk at Oriel Park. On 24 March 2015, he scored a 45-yard lob to open the scoring in a 2–0 win over

at Richmond Park. In July 2015, Bolger was subject to a transfer bid from Scottish Premiership club

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

, which was rejected by

. On 19 September 2015, Bolger played the full 120 minutes of the 2015 League of Ireland Cup Final, which saw his side defeat

4–3 on penalties at Eamonn Deacy Park following a 0–0 draw after extra time. In total, Bolger made 145 appearances for the Saints, scoring 9 goals.

Cork City

2016 season

Ahead of the

2016 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 32nd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on 4 March 2016 and concluded on 28 October 2016; the relegation play-offs followed on 31 October and 4 November 2016. Th ...

, Bolger signed for the previous season's runners-up Cork City. On 28 February he played in the

2016 President of Ireland's Cup The 2016 President's Cup was the third President's Cup contested for. The match was played between 2015 League of Ireland Premier Division champions Dundalk and 2015 FAI Cup runners-up Cork City on 27 February 2016, at Turners Cross. Cork City ...

as Cork defeated league champions Dundalk 2–0 to claim the trophy. Bolger was named League of Ireland Player of the Month for June 2016. His first and only goal for the club came on 16 September 2016, when he scored an 89th-minute penalty in a 3–0 win over

at Turners Cross. Bolger was named on the PFAI Team of the Year for 2016 by his fellow players. On 6 November 2016, Bolger featured in the 2016 FAI Cup Final, which his side won 1–0 thanks to a 120th-minute winner from Sean Maguire.

2017 season

On 18 February 2017, he was part of the team that defeated Dundalk 3–0 in the

2017 President of Ireland's Cup The 2017 President's Cup was the fourth President's Cup contested for. The match was played between 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division champions Dundalk and 2016 FAI Cup winners Cork City on 17 February 2017, at Turners Cross. Cork City wo ...

to retain the trophy. On 12 June 2017, he was part of the side that won the 2017 Munster Senior Cup with a 4–2 win over Wilton in the final. Bolger claimed the second Premier Division medal of his career on 17 October 2017, when Cork clinched the

2017 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2017 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 33rd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on Friday 24 February 2017 and concluded on 27 October 2017. Fixtures were announced on 9 December 2016. On 17 October, ...

title following a 0–0 draw with

. On 5 November 2017, he helped his side complete the double by defeating Dundalk 5–3 on penalties in the 2017 FAI Cup Final following a 1–1 draw after extra time, with Bolger scoring his penalty in the shootout.

Shamrock Rovers

On 7 November 2017, Bolger agreed to join

for their 2018 season. He made his debut for the club on 16 February 2018 in a 3–1 defeat to

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 ...

at Dalymount Park. On 14 September 2018, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5–0 win over Limerick at Tallaght Stadium. On 3 November 2019, Bolger scored his penalty in the shootout as his side defeated Dundalk 4–2 on penalties in the

2019 FAI Cup Final The 2019 FAI Cup Final, known as the 2019 Extra.ie FAI Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, was the final match of the 2019 FAI Cup, the national association football cup of the Republic of Ireland. The match took place on Sunday 3 November 2019 at ...

following a 1–1 draw after extra time, ending a 32-year wait for an

win for his club. Bolger picked up an injury in a friendly with Wexford in July 2020 that would rule him out until late in the season. He recovered from injury in time to play a part in the 2020 FAI Cup Final, replacing Dylan Watts in the 83rd minute as his side were defeated 4–2 by Dundalk after extra time in a behind-closed-doors Aviva Stadium.

Sligo Rovers

On 11 December 2020, it was announced that Bolger would be signing for

ahead of the 2021 season, reuniting with

Liam Buckley Liam Buckley (born 14 April 1960), is an Irish former professional footballer. He made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland national football team. He was most recently the manager of League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rover ...

, his former manager at

. He was named League of Ireland Player of the Month for the second time in his career for the month of May 2021, after leading his side to the top of the table. Bolger signed a new contract with the club on 17 November 2022 that would see him act as a player-coach under manager John Russell, who was a former teammate of Bolger's at

. On 29 April 2023, Bolger scored his first and only goal for the club in a 2–1 defeated to his former club

. He made a total of 88 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 1 goal.

Return to Cork City

On 23 December 2023, newly relegated League of Ireland First Division side Cork City announced that Bolger would be returning to the club for their 2024 season in a player-coach capacity, working under new manager

Tim Clancy Tim Clancy (born 8 June 1984) is an Irish football manager of League of Ireland Premier Division club St Patrick's Athletic, having previously managed Drogheda United. During his playing career, Clancy played for Millwall, Weymouth, AFC Hor ...

. On 3 June 2024, he made his 400th League of Ireland appearance, in a 0–0 draw with UCD at Turners Cross.

International career

Bolger was called up to the Republic of Ireland U23 side for their game against England in May 2010, making his debut in a 2–1 loss. He also featured in the side's 1–0 win away to Estonia in September 2010.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

;UCD * League of Ireland First Division (1):

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

;St Patrick's Athletic *

(1):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

(1):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

* League of Ireland Cup (1):

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

President of Ireland's Cup The President of Ireland's Cup, also known simply as the President's Cup, is an association football super cup featuring clubs from the Republic of Ireland football league system. It is a one-off match between the winners of the previous season' ...

(1):

* Leinster Senior Cup (1): 2013–14 ;Cork City *

(1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

(2):

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

(2):

* Munster Senior Cup (1):

;Shamrock Rovers *

(1):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

(1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Individual

* PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year (2):

* St Patrick's Athletic Player of the Year (1):

* League of Ireland Player of the Month (2): June 2016,

May 2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolger, Greg 1988 births Living people Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Wexford F.C. players Cherry Orchard F.C. players University College Dublin A.F.C. players Sporting Fingal F.C. players Dundalk F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Cork City F.C. players Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players League of Ireland players Men's association football midfielders Association footballers from County Wexford Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers