Cornelius Joseph Martin (20 March 1923 – 24 February 2013) was an Irish footballer. Martin initially played

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

for the Dublin county team before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra,

Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, Northern Ireland, that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 major honours. They are one of three Northern Iris ...

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

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

. Martin was also a dual international and played and captained both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In 1949 he was a member of the FAI XI that defeated

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 ...

2–0 at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...

, a feat that is often cited as the first non-UK team to beat England at home, although the team that day contained several players that were also capped by Northern Ireland due to the selection policy followed by both teams at the time. Martin, nicknamed ''Mr. Versatility'', played in nearly every position during his soccer career. Although he played mainly as a

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, the ball-handling skills he developed playing

also made him a very useful

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 ...

. He actually made his international debut with the FAI XI as a goalkeeper and despite turning down the chance to sign for

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

as a goalkeeper, he later played nearly a whole season in goal for

Gaelic footballer

Martin played

in his youth for St Maurs GAA club in Rush, County Dublin, and was called into the senior Dublin county panel aged just 18. On 9 November 1941, he helped Dublin win the

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

title, partnering Joe Fitzgerald of Geraldines in midfield in the final against

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

. However at the same time as playing for Dublin, he was also playing soccer for Drumcondra. When this was discovered, the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

, which maintained a ban on ''foreign sports'', expelled Martin and withheld his winners medal. He eventually received the medal in 1971, after the ban was lifted.''The Boys In Green – The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan
/ref>www.fai.ie
/ref> Martin is one of several notable Dublin footballers to have successfully switched codes. Others include Jack Kirwan,

Val Harris Valentine Harris (Irish: ''Vailintín Ó hEarchaí''; 23 June 1884 in Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland – 9 November 1963), commonly referred to as Val Harris, was an Irish footballer who played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team and soccer ...

and Kevin Moran.

Club career

Early years

Martin was introduced to soccer while serving in the

Irish Air Corps The Air Corps () is the air force of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out ...

and subsequently signed for Drumcondra. It was at Drums that early signs of his versatility emerged. While helping the club win the

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 ...

, he covered most of the defensive positions and centre-half role. After playing for a

League of Ireland XI The League of Ireland XI, more recently referred to as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative team of the League of Ireland, the national association football league of Ireland. For much of its history, the League ...

against an

Irish League XI The Irish League representative team was the representative side of the Irish Football League, the national league for football in Northern Ireland from 1922 and, prior to that the league for Ireland. The Irish League was suspended from 1941–42 ...

in March 1946 he was signed by

who then bought him out of the Air Corps. He subsequently made 22 appearances and scored 1 goal for the Glens. It was while playing for the Glens that he made his debut for both FAI XI as a goalkeeper and as a defender for the IFA XI.

Leeds United

In 1946 when

were searching for a goalkeeper, fellow Irish international,

Johnny Carey John Joseph Carey (23 February 1919 – 22 August 1995) was an Irish professional footballer and manager. As a player, Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 195 ...

recommended Martin to

Matt Busby Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an E ...

. However, he turned down Busby in favour of joining

as an outfield player. He joined Leeds in December 1946 for a fee of £8,000 and under manager

Major Frank Buckley Franklin Charles Buckley (more commonly known as Major Frank Buckley) (9 November 1882 – 21 December 1964) was an English Association football, football player and, later, manager. He was the brother of Chris Buckley (footballer), Chris Buckley ...

he made 47 English League appearances. He also played a further two games in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. At Leeds, Martin played as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

left-half In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and

inside-forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bei ...

. He scored his only goal for the club on 6 December 1947 at

Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...

in a league game against

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 ...

Aston Villa

In September 1948 Martin was signed by

for a fee of £10,000. He was immediately installed in the

position but during his first season played a few games at

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. He missed only two games during the 1949–50 season and was a permanent fixture in defence for two-thirds of the 1950–51 season before injury sidelined him for two months. Martin started the 1951–52 season as a

, but after goalkeeper Joe Rutherford was injured and the club was caught without cover he took over duties between the posts. He made 26 league appearances and 1

appearance as a goalkeeper for Villa before reverting to the

position. Between 1948 and 1956 Martin made 213 appearances for Villa, 194 in the league and 19 in cup games. Martin scored just once for Villa – a penalty in a 4–1 league win at

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

in April 1950.

League of Ireland

In July 1956 Martin left Villa to sign for

Waterford United Waterford Football Club formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930. Originally the ...

br>
In December 1959 he accepted the position of player-manager at Dundalk F.C., Dundalkbr>

Irish international

When Martin began his international career in 1946 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland – based Irish Football Association, IFA and 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. ...

– based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Martin, played for both teams.

FAI XI

Between 1946 and 1956 Martin made 30 appearances and scored 6 goals for the FAI XI. He made his debut during a tour of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

in June 1946. After half an hour of the first game on 16 June against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, with the Irish already trailing 3–0, goalkeeper Ned Courtney was injured and the selectors put Martin in goal. He kept a clean sheet, the Irish eventually losing 3–1. As a result, Martin retained his place for the game against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

on 23 June. Labelled the ''Yellow Canary'' by the Spanish media because of the colour of his jersey, Martin put in an outstanding display and against a Spanish team that included César, Agustín Gaínza, Panizo, Gonzalvo III and Zarra, he kept another clean sheet. At the other end of the field, a goal by Paddy Sloan gave the Irish a surprise 1–0 victory. He won his third cap on 30 September 1946 when he was a member of the first ever FAI XI to play against

. Despite a credible performance, the FAI XI lost 1–0. His best year in international football came in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

, when he scored five of his six goals for the FAI XI, including four in three successive internationals. On 12 June he scored a penalty in a 4–1 home defeat to

. Then on 8 September in a qualifier for the

1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...

against

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, playing a centre-forward, he scored twice. The first was another penalty and second was headed in from a corner. On 21 September, together with

and Peter Farrell, he was a member of the FAI XI that defeated

2–0 at

, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home. Martin scored the opener, once again from the penalty spot, after

Peter Desmond Peter Desmond (23 November 1926 in Cork, Ireland – July 1990) was an Irish footballer. Desmond played for several clubs in the League of Ireland and the English League. As an international, Desmond also played for Ireland. Desmond made all f ...

was brought down in the box. He scored his fifth goal, yet another penalty, in a 3–1 defeat to

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 another World Cup qualifier. On 10 May 1950 he captained the FAI XI in a 5–1 defeat to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. He scored his last goal for the FAI XI in a 2–1 win against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

in a friendly on 7 November 1954.

IFA XI

Martin also made 6 appearances for the IFA XI between 1946 and 1950. On 27 November 1946 he made his debut for the IFA XI in a 0–0 draw with

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Together with

, Peter Farrell, Bill Gorman,

Tommy Eglington Thomas Joseph Eglington (15 January 1923 – 18 February 2004) was an Irish footballer who played as an outside-left for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Everton and Tranmere Rovers. Eglington was also a dual internationalist and played for b ...

Alex Stevenson Alexander Ernest Stevenson (9 August 1912 – 2 September 1985) was an Irish footballer who played for Rangers and Everton, amongst other teams. As an international, Stevenson also played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. ...

and

Davy Walsh David Joseph Walsh (28 April 1923 – 14 March 2016) was an Irish footballer who played as a centre forward for, among others, Linfield, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. Walsh was a dual international and played for both Ireland teams – ...

, he was one of seven players born in the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

to play for the IFA XI that day. The draw helped the team finish as runners-up in the 1947 British Home Championship. Martin helped the IFA XI gain some more respectable results, including a 2–0 win against

on 4 October 1947 and a 2–2 draw with

on 5 November 1947. Martin made his last appearance for the IFA XI in a 0–0 draw with

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 ...

on 8 March 1950. As well as being part of the

1950 British Home Championship Year 195 ( CXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Scrapula and Clemens (or, less frequently, year 948 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 195 f ...

, the game also doubled up as a qualifier for the

. Martin, together with

, Reg Ryan and Tom Aherne, was one of four players Free State-born players, included in the IFA XI that day and as a result he played for two different associations in the same

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

tournament. This situation eventually led to intervention 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 ...

and as a result Martin became one of the last four Free State -born players to play for IFA XI.

Family

Martin was the founding member of a notable Irish footballing family. During the 1970s his son Mick Martin played for, among others,

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

and the

. Another son, Con Martin Jr. played for several clubs in the

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 ...

. His daughter Mary married Gerry Garvan who also played in the League of Ireland. Martin Sr. later worked as an insurance broker and formed a company, Martin & Garvan Insurances Ltd., with his son-in-law. The Garvans' son and Martin's grandson,

Owen Garvan Owen William Garvan (born 29 January 1988) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Garvan began his career in his native Ireland where he played for Home Farm as a schoolboy. He earned a move to England with Ipsw ...

, formerly played for

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

and has played with the Republic of Ireland U21s. as well as the Republic of Ireland B team in a game against Nottingham Forest

Honours

''Gaelic footballer'' Dublin * Leinster Champions: 1941 ''Soccer player'' Drumcondra *

: 1946 Ireland *

British Home Championship The British Home Championship (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Championship) was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams: England, Scotlan ...

runners up: 1946–47

References

External links

Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Con 1923 births 2013 deaths Men's association football goalkeepers Businesspeople from County Dublin Association footballers from County Dublin Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic footballers who switched code Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Ireland (FAI) men's international footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Dual Irish men's international footballers Republic of Ireland association football managers League of Ireland managers Drumcondra F.C. players League of Ireland players Glentoran F.C. players NIFL Premiership players Leeds United F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Waterford F.C. players Dundalk F.C. players Dundalk F.C. managers Shelbourne F.C. managers League of Ireland XI players Irish Air Corps personnel Naomh Maur Gaelic footballers English Football League players