David Forde (footballer)
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David Forde (born 20 December 1979) is an Irish former 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 lea ...
who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
. Internationally, Forde played for the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
between 2011 and 2016 and was part of the team's 23-man squad for the 2012 European Championships. In 2013, he became the oldest player to make their competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland, when he played against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
at the age of 33. Forde started his career with his hometown club
Galway United Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from the First Division in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the ...
in 1999. After two seasons with Galway, he moved to Welsh League Champions Barry Town and from there to
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. Forde failed to make a first team appearance for West Ham, and after loan spells with Derry City and
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
he returned to Ireland on a permanent basis, playing with Galway United and then Derry City. In 2007 Forde returned to the English leagues, joining
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 sys ...
side
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
. During his time with Cardiff, Forde made loan moves to
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
and
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
. In 2008, he moved to
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
, for whom he has made more professional appearances than all his previous clubs together. In 2016, after eight seasons with Millwall, Forde went out on loan to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
in League Two. In 2017 Forde joined
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
and retired after being released by them two years later.


Early life

Born in
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Forde grew up in the west side of the city. He received his primary education at St. Patrick's Boys' School in the city and his secondary education from
St. Joseph's Patrician College St. Joseph's Patrician College, often known as "The Bish", is a secondary school in the West Region, Ireland, West Ireland city of Galway. Founded by the Patrician Brothers, a religious order, it has approximately 800 students on roll and, in ...
. Forde played football for local underage sides in Galway in his youth, representing Newcastle United and Galway Hibernians. He was scouted by
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
-based club,
Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco * Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...
and played for their youth teams.


Club career


Early career

Forde made his
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
debut for his hometown side
Galway United Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from the First Division in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the ...
at
Terryland Park Eamonn Deacy Park, formerly known as Terryland Park, is an List of association football venues in the Republic of Ireland, association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in the Terryland district of Galway. It is owned by the Gal ...
on 3 September 1999. His form led to a move to Welsh side Barry Town. Here, he continued to show his potential as an excellent shot stopper, playing in sixteen league matches for the club, and in February 2002, he joined
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
for a fee of £75,000. Forde initially had a trial at Upton Park before earning a professional contract. He was recommended to the 'Hammers' by Barry Town boss Kenny Brown, a former
West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...
player.Forde roars into West Ham
/ref> Initially, Forde had ambitions of "looking to make the first team" at a time when
David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...
was firmly established as
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
's
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
number one, however, the signing of Raimond van der Gouw in the summer of 2002 pushed him further down the pecking order. At the start of the 2002/2003 season, manager
Glenn Roeder Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager. As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Watf ...
made Forde available for loan and it was then when Forde first joined Derry City. After spending the season on loan at
The Brandywell The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium () is a municipal Association football, football stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C., (temporarily) NIFL Championship team Institute F.C., Inst ...
, Forde moved back to his hometown and signed for
League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...
side
Galway United Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from the First Division in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the ...
.Galway man David Forde a Wembley hero for Trap's Boys in Green
/ref> It was at Galway that Forde built a fine reputation in Irish football circles and his form earned him a permanent move back to Derry City for the 2005 season. During this season and the next, he was ever present for 'City', consistently producing excellent performances and helping them to a second-place finish in the
League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...
on both occasions. Forde also played in all six games (and registered three clean sheets) during the Candystripes' run to the first round proper of the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, and helped the club win the
2006 FAI Cup The FAI Cup 2006 was the 86th staging of The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup or FAI Cup. This season's competition was the last to be sponsored by Carlsberg. It officially kicked off in late April, when twenty clubs from the junior an ...
.


Cardiff City

On 5 December 2006, it was announced that Forde had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
side
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
following the expiry of his contract with Derry City. He stated that the move back to
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, where he began his cross-channel career, was "a dream come true". He joined the club and hoped to challenge
Neil Alexander James Neil Alexander (born 10 March 1978) is a Scottish association football, football coach and former professional player. He began his career in the Scottish Football League with spells at Stenhousemuir F.C., Stenhousemuir and Livingston F. ...
for the number one spot immediately, with an international spot surely not too far away. Even after he left Derry City for
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
his contributions during the 2006 season were recognised by
eircom Eircom Limited, trading as Eir ( ; stylised eir), is a large fixed, mobile and broadband telecommunications company in Ireland. The company, which is currently incorporated in Jersey, traces its origins to Ireland's former state-owned monopol ...
and the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland who, together, nominated him for their 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award on 13 December. Forde made several appearances for Cardiff at the end of the 2006/07 season after first choice
Neil Alexander James Neil Alexander (born 10 March 1978) is a Scottish association football, football coach and former professional player. He began his career in the Scottish Football League with spells at Stenhousemuir F.C., Stenhousemuir and Livingston F. ...
was dropped due to a contract dispute with the club. With Alexander leaving the club he was expected to battle for the number 1 shirt with
Michael Oakes Michael Christian Oakes (born 30 October 1973) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. As a player he was a goalkeeper from 1991 until 2008. He notably played in the Premier League for Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wand ...
and
Ross Turnbull Ross Turnbull (born 4 January 1985) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Between 2002 and 2015 he made 148 league appearances, mostly for Middlesbrough ...
. In August 2007 Forde signed a one-month loan deal at
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
and returned to Cardiff having made six first team appearances, five in the league and one in the League Cup, for the club. He found himself to be third choice goalkeeper at Cardiff during the 2007/08 season behind
Michael Oakes Michael Christian Oakes (born 30 October 1973) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. As a player he was a goalkeeper from 1991 until 2008. He notably played in the Premier League for Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wand ...
and loanees
Ross Turnbull Ross Turnbull (born 4 January 1985) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Between 2002 and 2015 he made 148 league appearances, mostly for Middlesbrough ...
,
Kasper Schmeichel Kasper Peter Schmeichel (born 5 November 1986) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic F.C., Celtic and the Denmark national footb ...
and
Peter Enckelman Peter Mikael Enckelman (born 10 March 1977) is a Finnish former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Enckelman represented Finland national football team, Finland and played ...
. On 22 January he was due to sign on an emergency loan deal at
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
but was told on his way to his first match that Bournemouth had been placed under a transfer block after attempting to enter administration and the deal had been cancelled. He drove back to Cardiff and instead played in their 1–0 win over Welshpool Town in the
FAW Premier Cup The FAW Premier Cup (until 1998 the FAW Invitation Cup) was a Wales, Welsh association football, football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008. Since the FAW excluded clubs playing in English fo ...
. On 31 January he was set to join
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
side
Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
on loan but the move was blocked by the
Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (; also known as the Scottish FA and the SFA) is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA incl ...
because players are not allowed to play in three countries in one season, Forde having played for Luton and in the FAW Premier Cup, but the decision was appealed by Dundee United but was eventually denied by
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
. He eventually signed for Bournemouth on a one-week emergency loan after the club were granted permission to sign him, making his debut on 8 March against
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and playing against
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
three days later, both matches ending in a 2–0 defeat. His loan spell was extended by another week before the clubs eventually agreed for it to run until the end of the season on 27 March. He made a total of 11 appearances for the club before returning to Cardiff, where he was released on his return.


Millwall

On 5 June 2008, he signed a two-year deal at
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
side
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
, making his debut for the club on the opening day of the season in a 4–3 defeat to
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
. On 30 August 2008, in his fifth game for the club, Forde saved a dramatic last-minute
David Unsworth David Gerald Unsworth (born 16 October 1973) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of Oldham Athletic. Prior to this, he was academy director and under-23s head coach at Premier League ...
penalty which saw Millwall pick up their first home win of the campaign as they beat
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
2–1. Forde also saved a penalty from
Jermaine Beckford Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford (born 9 December 1983) is a football pundit and former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He began his career as a trainee at Chelsea F.C., Chel ...
in the semi-final of the League one play off, which guided his team through to the final. He played at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in successive years in the
2009 Football League One play-off final The 2009 Football League One play-off final was an association football match which was played on 24 May 2009 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Millwall F.C., Millwall and Scunthorpe United F.C., Scunthorpe United to determine the third and f ...
and the
2010 Football League One play-off final The 2010 Football League One play-off final was an association football match which was played on 29 May 2010 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Millwall and Swindon Town to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from Football Le ...
being successful in the latter. Following his Millwall League debut he played all 49 league games for the club in the 2008–09 season (46 regular games, two play-off semi-finals and the Final). Uniquely, he did exactly the same thing the following season—and made his 100th Millwall league appearance on 14 August 2010—two years and five days after his first.


Loan to Portsmouth

On 28 July 2016, it was announced that Forde would join
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
on a season-long loan.


Cambridge United

On 20 July 2017, Forde signed a one-year deal with League Two club
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
. Forde was released by Cambridge United at the end of the 2018–19 season and announced his retirement on 6 August 2019.


International career

Contrary to certain stories, Forde is not a Welsh former under-21 international. Forde stated, "I'm not sure where that came from, but it's wrong," continuing, "That story started a long time ago when I played for Barry Town and seems to have stuck. I even read that I have a Welsh grandmother, but that's not right. Don't get me wrong because I love it here in Wales, but I am only qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland." Forde was called up to the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
squad for the first time on 13 March 2011, after impressing manager
Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), popularly nicknamed "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian former Association football, football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Football in Italy, Italian football ...
by keeping 20 clean sheets (out of 46) in Millwall's first season back in the
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
. Ireland played
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
and
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
although he remained on the bench for both games. On 24 May 2011, Forde made his Republic of Ireland debut against
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes of the game which Ireland won 5–0. He played his debut for Ireland on 7 June 2011 in a friendly international against
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, conceding no goals. He played in another friendly international against
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
on 14 November 2012 and conceded the only goal of the match. He was selected by Ireland for the
UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...
tournament, alongside
Keiren Westwood Keiren Westwood (born 23 October 1984) is a former professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Crewe Alexandra. He is now goalkeeping coach for The New Saints and runs the Keiren Westwood Goalkeeper Academy. Born in England, he ...
and
Shay Given Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Irish goalkeepers of all time ...
, however it was the latter who played all the matches. With Given's retirement after the tournament, Westwood briefly took over. But when Westwood stopped being played by his club, Giovanni Trapattoni decided to give Forde a chance in a friendly against Poland. On 6 February 2013, based on Forde's performance in this match which was won 2–0 by Ireland, Trapattoni announced Forde would be Ireland's first-choice goalkeeper. On 22 March 2013, aged 33, Forde became the oldest player to make his competitive debut for Ireland against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in a
World Cup qualifier The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments ar ...
. Ireland kept a clean sheet with Forde's impressive performance helping Ireland to an away point. Forde started Ireland's next match against
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
the following week and despite conceding two goals he put in a solid performance. On 7 June 2013, Forde made his ninth appearance for Ireland in a 3–0 over the Faroe Islands at the
Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium, also known as Lansdowne Road (, ) or Dublin Arena (during UEFA competitions), is a List of stadiums in Ireland by capacity, sports stadium located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators ...
. In a surprising turn of events, Forde made his return to the Irish squad, against Sweden, in a 2014 World Cup qualifier, on 6 September 2013, at the Aviva Stadium in a 1–2 defeat, having been an injury doubt. Forde continued as number one under the new management of
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
and assistant
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...
despite
Shay Given Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Irish goalkeepers of all time ...
returning to the fold starting Ireland's first
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
game against
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. Ireland won 2–1 thanks to a late goal by
Aiden McGeady Aiden John McGeady (born 4 April 1986) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer. He was born in Scotland, and represented the Republic of Ireland national football team, Republic of Ireland national team from 2004 until 2 ...
. On 14 October 2014, Forde started in the memorable 1–1 draw with
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He made an important save from
Mario Götze Mario Götze (; born 3 June 1992) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays for club Eintracht Frankfurt. Although his favoured position is that of an attacking or central midfielder, he has also played as a Winger (f ...
to keep the game at 1–0, which proved crucial as Ireland equalized late on thanks to
John O'Shea John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensi ...
to earn a point in
Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; ) is the List of cities in Germany by population, 25th-most populous city of Germany and the 11th-most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher, Emscher River (a tribu ...
. Despite having started UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying as Ireland's first choice goalkeeper, Forde was not among the three goalkeepers selected for
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...
when Ireland qualified; he lost out to Given, Westwood and
Darren Randolph Darren Edward Andrew Randolph (born 12 May 1987) is an Irish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He is currently a free agent. Randolph also represented Republic of Ireland ...
, who started every game at the tournament and soon established himself as Ireland's number one goalkeeper. On 31 May that year, Ireland's final game before the squad announcement occurred at Turner's Cross. After the hour, manager Martin O'Neill told Forde to prepare to play, prompting Westwood, the other goalkeeper on the bench, to remark: "Well, that's not me going now" o Euro 2016 Forde later said he felt Westwood's instincts were incorrect and his own sense that he would be overlooked was confirmed shortly after the game when O'Neill brought him aside. Forde later said: "Once the manager called me into the room and told me it was a lonely space. It was a difficult thing to take. Over the last two years, my goal was to go to the Euros, and I had started the campaign.... it was bitterly disappointing". Even so, while leaving Turner's Cross, Forde paused to sign each autograph request – all the while knowing his international career was over. This "remarkable response" was by no means a certainty within the Irish squad, even among those whose continued presence was assured; a nephew of Forde's who had previously requested an autograph from another Ireland footballer in the player's lounge following a match was snubbed.


International Caps


''Taming the Lion''

A documentary, ''Taming the Lion'', focuses on the career of David Forde.


Personal life

Forde practises the ancient art of
Japa ''Japa'' () is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, with parallels found in other religions. ''Japa'' may be performed while sitting in a meditation posture ...
.


Honours

Derry City *
FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...
:
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...
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2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
Millwall *
Football League One play-offs The EFL League One play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL League One table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , the play-offs comprise tw ...
:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
Portsmouth FC *
EFL League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...
Champion: 2016–17 Republic of Ireland * Nations Cup:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...


References


External links

*
Millwall profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forde, David 1979 births Living people AFC Bournemouth players Men's association football goalkeepers Barnet F.C. players Barry Town United F.C. players Belvedere F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Derry City F.C. players English Football League players Expatriate men's footballers in England Galway United F.C. (1937–2011) players League of Ireland players Luton Town F.C. players Millwall F.C. players People educated at St Joseph's Patrician College Association footballers from Galway (city) Portsmouth F.C. players Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2012 players West Ham United F.C. players