Irish Soccer's Most Memorable Moments No 16: Brady's Debut, 1974
Number 16 and we have our second moment dedicated to Liam Brady on our countdown.
We have already spoken about Brady’s goal against Brazil and Don Given’s hat-trick in the match we are about to look again.
The reason Liam Brady’s debut against the mighty USSR in this World Cup qualifying group match pips Given’s hat-trick is because it was Brady’s first appearance for Ireland and the far more seminal event.
There can be no debate over Ireland’s three greatest natural midfielders - John Giles, Roy Keane and Liam Brady.
This was a typical passing the torch moment, player manager John Giles decided to drop deep and let the young eighteen-year old debutant Brady dictate the play. Dictate he did and Ireland out passed the heavily-fancied USSR side with Don Givens scoring a hat-trick.
Recently John Giles referenced the performance when asked by the Irish Examiner if James McClean was ready for this summer’s tournament “You talk about young lads. Liam [Brady] played his first international against the USSR at 18 and he was like a duck to water."
Ireland would miss out on qualification that campaign, squeezed out by the powerhouses of France and USSR, but we now had a midfielder that was of the highest calibre that would don the Irish jersey until the Charlton era.
Here’s a good video tribute to one of Ireland’s most gifted footballers:
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