It’s 50 days from today until Euro 2012 kicks off, and we kick off our countdown with the first in a series of Ireland’s Top 50 Most Memorable Moments.
In the grand scheme of things, a game that took place well over 60 years ago might not necessarily represent a “most memorable moment” for Irish soccer fans. Being able to remember something is one of the key planks of making something memorable, right? You’d have to be into your 70s to have any real memories of this one, and we’ve checked our analytics – not that many septuagenarians visit JOE on a daily basis.
But still, any list of the Top 50 Most Memorable Irish Soccer Moments just wouldn’t be complete without that evening at Goodison Park all those years ago. What better way to start off 50 feelgood days building up to Euro 2012 than with our first ever victory over our old overlords? And the fact that it was the first ever defeat for England on their home turf by a non-UK team only makes things all the sweeter.
We have a soft spot for Pathé News here at JOE. We enjoyed the Pathé slant on a GAA exhibition match at Wembley in 1961, and we enjoyed this too. Do lines get much more brilliantly condescending than describing the game as “a kick-and-rush hurly-burly”? Sure we could never have expected to beat them if we played football, right?
The Ireland side was captained by Manchester United great Johnny Carey – the reigning Player of the Year at the time of this game; he and Roy Keane remain the only Irishmen ever to win that accolade –while the goals came from a Con Martin penalty and Everton’s Peter Farrell, enjoying a day of days at his home stadium.
Today marks 50 days to go until the start of Euro 2012, so stick with us every day as we present another memorable Irish soccer moment.
