Joshua Walter Sloan (30 April 1920 – January 1993), commonly known as Paddy Sloan, 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 lea ...

and manager. Sloan played with English clubs such as

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 ...

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 ...

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. He also featured for Italian sides

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Udinese Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

and

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

. Sloan as well played with clubs from Northern Ireland,

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and Australia. He was a dual Irish international footballer as he played for both the IFA XI and the FAI XI. Sloan pioneered the way for the likes of

Liam Brady William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer and pundit. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for ...

and

Robbie Keane Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who played as a striker and is currently the head coach of Ferencváros. Keane served as captain of the Republic of Ireland from March 2006 until h ...

by becoming the first Irishman to play in

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

Club career

Manchester United

Born in

Lurgan Lurgan () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and roughly southwest of Belfast. The town is linked to Belfast by both the M1 motorway (Northern Ireland), M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin rail ...

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

, Sloan played for local side Glenavon as a youth, but signed for

in September 1937 aged 17 years old. He featured mainly in the 'A' Team helping them win the Manchester League title in 1938/39. However, although he managed to break through into the Reserves on a handful of occasions, he failed to break into the United first team and on 24 May 1939, at the age of 19, he was transferred to

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...

for a fee of £500. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Sloan would return to United as a guest player. Between 1943 and 1945, he made three wartime league appearances and scored one goal for United. In May 1945, Sloan also played for United in both legs of the League North Cup final against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

. However, United lost the final 3–2 on aggregate.''Soccer at War – 1939–45'' (2005): Jack Rollin

Second World War

After signing for

, Sloan made his debut for the club against

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

on 26 August 1939. However, shortly afterwards, the

broke out and Sloan joined the RAF. He was subsequently stationed in Canada, where he became a sergeant-pilot. Throughout the war, Sloan remained a Tranmere Rovers player and between 1939 and 1946, he made 22 wartime league appearances and scored 15 goals for the club. However, Sloan's RAF duties took him all over the country and during the course of the war, he made frequent guest appearances for other clubs. He made one league appearance for

during the 1942–43 season, before then guesting for

. The 1944–45 season saw him make 11 league appearances and score six goals for

. During the same season, he also played regularly for

Bath City Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. Nicknamed the "R ...

and his 18 goals helped them win the League West Cup in 1945. During the 1945–46 season, he made six league appearances and scored four goals for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

in the

Football League South The Football League North and Football League South divisions of the Football League were created temporarily for the League to continue through the Second World War while limiting the amount of movement that was required by teams. The leagues sta ...

and then went to Germany on tour with the club. This had been without the consent of his parent club,

Arsenal

At the end of the

were expecting Sloan to return to them. However, his wartime guest appearances had attracted the interest of several clubs including his former club

and

. Sloan eventually left Tranmere and in May 1946 to sign for the Gunners without much ado. This was so given the nonexistence of the rivalry between the two clubs at the time. He made his league debut for Arsenal on 31 August in a 6–1 defeat against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

. During the subsequent 1946–47 season, he made 27 league appearances and scored one goal, establishing himself as a regular in the Arsenal team. He also played a further three games for the club 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 ...

. However, in the following season, 1947–48, Sloan lost his place to

Archie Macaulay Archibald Renwick Macaulay (30 July 1915 – 10 June 1993) was a Scottish football player and manager. Playing career Born in Falkirk, Macaulay started his playing career in junior football and joined Rangers in 1933, where he became a regular a ...

and he only made three league appearances as Arsenal went on to win the old

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

in 1947–48 without him. He played his last game for Arsenal in a league game against

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 4 October 1947. In February 1948, Sloan left Arsenal and signed for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

Italy

After only a brief spell with

, Sloan joined

for the 1948–49 season, and as a result he became the first Irish footballer to play in

. Playing in a team that also included

Gunnar Nordahl Nils Gunnar Nordahl (; 19 October 1921 – 15 September 1995) was a Swedish professional footballer. A highly prolific, powerful, and physically strong striker, with an eye for goal, he is best known for his spell at AC Milan from 1949 to 1956, ...

and Albert Gudmundsson, Sloan went on to score nine goals during the season. The first of these came on 24 October 1948, when he scored the third goal in 3–1 home win against

Triestina Unione Sportiva Triestina Calcio 1918, commonly referred to US Triestina or just Triestina, is an Italian football club based in Trieste, in the northern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Originally established in 1918, Triestina was one of the fo ...

. On 5 June 1949, in the final game of season, he scored twice in a 3–2 win against

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

. His goals helped Milan finish the season in third place behind

and

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Since 1 ...

. During subsequent seasons, he played for

and

, before returning to England and signing for

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

in December 1951.

International career

When Sloan began his international career in 1945, there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland-based

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Act ...

and the Ireland-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 Sloan, played for both teams.

IFA XI

Between 1945 and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

, Sloan made three appearances and scored one goal for the IFA XI. These included two

Victory International The term Victory International or Victory Internationals refers to two series of international association football, football matches played by the national football teams of England national football team, England, Scotland national football team ...

s, played in 1945 and 1946. On 15 September 1945, at

Windsor Park The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (officially the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park for sponsorship reasons), or the National Football Stadium, also known as Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in B ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, he made his debut for the IFA XI in a 1–0 defeat against

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 ...

. Then, on 4 May 1946, he scored the only goal of the game as the IFA XI defeated

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 ...

1–0 at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...

. He made his last appearance for the IFA XI in a 2–1 win against Wales on 16 April 1947. Sloan was a

player when he played the first two games for the IFA XI, but had transferred to

by the time he made his last appearance.

FAI XI

In 1946, while at

, Sloan also made two appearances and scored one goal for the FAI XI. He was one of several players born in Northern Ireland who benefited from the FAI's attempts to establish their all-Ireland influence. In June 1946, when the FAI organised an

Iberian Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

tour, Sloan, together with Jackie Vernon,

Billy McMillan William McMillan (died 1991) was an Irish footballer who played for Belfast Celtic, Ballymena United and Crusaders. McMillan played for an IFA selection and the senior team of the FAI. Club career McMillan joined Belfast Celtic in 1932 and ...

and

Jimmy McAlinden James McAlinden (27 December 1917 – 15 November 1993) was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, most notably, Belfast Celtic, Portsmouth, Shamrock Rovers and Southend United. As an international, McAlinden also played ...

, was one of four Northern Irish players called up. Sloan subsequently played in both the 3–1 defeat to

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 ...

on 16 June and then scored the winner as he helped the FAI XI gain a surprise 1–0 victory 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.''The Boys In Green – The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan
/ref>

Coaching career

Sloan continued to play football into the mid-1950s with

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...

, before he joined up with Rabat F.C. of

as a player/coach in 1954. He also had spells as player/coach with both Lockheed Leamington and

before emigrating to Australia as a coach in the

Victorian Premier League The Victorian Premier League (VPL) is an Australian soccer league based in Victoria that was founded in 2023 and administered by Football Victoria. It consists of two divisions that were named after the VPL's breakaway of the National Premier L ...

, to link up at first with South Melbourne Hellas and then

Brunswick Juventus Brunswick Zebras Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club that based in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East. The club fields both senior and reserves teams for men & women, and operates a junior academy under license fro ...

. In 1964 he guided Hellas to the league title.

Honours

Player

Bath City *League West Cup (1): 1945

Manager

South Melbourne Hellas *

(1): 1964 Port Melbourne Slavia *

Dockerty Cup The Dockerty Cup is an annual association football single-elimination tournament, knock-out competition open to all Victorian clubs across the Australian soccer league system, Victorian football league system. The tournament is named after the fo ...

(1): 1967

References

External links

Northern Ireland Footballing Greats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sloan, Paddy 1920 births 1993 deaths Association footballers from Lurgan Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards Republic of Ireland men's international footballers from Northern Ireland Association football managers from Northern Ireland Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Ireland (FAI) men's international footballers Dual Irish men's international footballers Glenavon F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players New Brighton A.F.C. players Fulham F.C. wartime guest players Millwall F.C. wartime guest players Brentford F.C. wartime guest players Arsenal F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Serie A players Serie B players Expatriate men's footballers in Italy AC Milan players Torino FC players Udinese Calcio players Brescia Calcio players Norwich City F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Rabat Ajax F.C. players Bath City F.C. managers Rabat Ajax F.C. managers Hastings United F.C. (1948) managers Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Ireland (IFA) men's wartime international footballers English Football League players