Tommy Keane (16 September 1968 – 28 December 2012) was an Irish 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

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Early life

Keane was born in Dublin and raised in Galway.

Career

Keane played in England for

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

and

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...

, making a total of 19 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

In October 1988 he returned to Ireland and was signed by manager John Herrick for

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 ...

, making 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 on 23 October 1988 at Cobh Ramblers. His first league goal came in Seamus McDonagh's first game as player manager in a 2–1 home win over Cork City on 27 November During the 1990-91 League of Ireland season he was Galway's top league scorer with 8 goals. He also scored in every round of 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 ...

up to the final. On the biggest day in Galway's history he put in a Man of the Match performance as

beat favourites

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...

. He also played for

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...

and

Athlone Town Athlone Town Association Football Club is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they play t ...

.''The Finn Harps Story'' by Bartley Ramsay () His last League of Ireland goal came on 6 November 1994 when he came on as a substitute at the

Brandywell Stadium The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium () is a municipal 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, and also to NIWFA Championship ...

on his season debut and scored a header with his first touch His last League of Ireland game was on 22 September 1995 as a substitute for Athlone against Cork City Keane played for Galway in a friendly against Leicester City in July 1998. He scored a total of 37 goals in 114 appearances for Galway United in all competitions He also represented Ireland at youth international level.

Death

Keane died on 28 December 2012 in Galway, after playing in an indoor soccer tournament.

Honours

– 1991

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keane, Tommy 1968 births 2012 deaths Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Association footballers from Galway (city) AFC Bournemouth players Colchester United F.C. players Galway United F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players Finn Harps F.C. players Athlone Town A.F.C. players League of Ireland players League of Ireland XI players English Football League players Men's association football midfielders 20th-century Irish sportsmen