Seamus Anthony "Shay" Brennan (6 May 1937 – 9 June 2000) was an Irish
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 ...
in the 1960s. He was a
full back for
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
.
His first game for the club came in an FA Cup match against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
on 19 February 1958; this was United's first game after the
Munich air disaster and Brennan scored twice on an emotionally charged night. He was playing as an outside-left in this game, the position left vacant following the death of
David Pegg
David Pegg (20 September 1935 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer and one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958.
Career
He signed for United on leaving school in 1950 an ...
and the injuries to
Albert Scanlon
Albert Joseph Scanlon (10 October 1935 – 22 December 2009) was an English association football, footballer. He began his career with Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and was one of the "Busby Babes" who survived the Munich air disaste ...
in the crash.
He helped United to the 1965 and 1967 Division One championships, as well as the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
. Born in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England, he played internationally for 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 ...
, qualifying through his parentage—the first Irish international to qualify in this way. He retired from Manchester United in 1970 after playing 359 games and scoring six goals.
Brennan moved to Ireland where he became player-manager with
Waterford United
Waterford Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Phort Láirge) formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland First Division. The club was founded and elected to the ...
, winning two titles and three further international caps. He left at the end of the 1973–74 season.
Brennan had his testimonial on 14 August 1986 when
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 ...
defeated Manchester United 2–0 at
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 ...
.
He died, aged 63, after suffering a heart attack while playing golf at Courtown golf club, on 9 June 2000 and was buried at his adopted town of
Tramore
Tramore (; ) is a seaside town in County Waterford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. With humble origins as a small fishing village, the area saw rapid development upon the arrival of the railway from Waterford City in 1853. Initially, the to ...
.
He was the first member of the
1968 European Cup winning side to die, the second being
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...
in November 2005.
Honours
Player
;Manchester United
*
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
(2):
1964–65,
1966–67
*
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
(1):
1967–68
*
FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
(2):
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
,
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
Manager
;Waterford United
*
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 ...
(2): 1971–72, 1972–73
*
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 ...
(1): 1973–74
*
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 ...
(2): 1970–71,1972–73
*
Texaco Cup
The Texaco Cup, officially known as the International League Board Competition, was an association football competition started in 1970, involving sides from England, Scotland, and Ireland that had not qualified for European competitions.
It wa ...
(1): 1974–75
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Shay
1937 births
2000 deaths
English people of Irish descent
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Republic of Ireland international footballers
Manchester United F.C. players
Footballers from Manchester
Waterford F.C. players
League of Ireland players
Waterford F.C. managers
League of Ireland managers
League of Ireland XI players
Association football fullbacks
Republic of Ireland football managers
UEFA Champions League winning players