Wardy's twin
Well-known member
- Oct 21, 2014
- 8,465
I had always known that my great uncle had played for Notts Forest and Northern Ireland in the 1920s what I did not know was the detail and the significance of the rest of his career until I started trying to flesh out some details on the family tree.
This is a summary from the site https://www.vintagefootballers.com/product/morgan-gerry-image-2-notts-forest-1923/
Belfast born centre half Francis “Gerry” Morgan began his football career in Army football and played for St Paul’s Swifts before joining amateur Irish League club Cliftonville. In 1921 he joined Linfield for £50 and he had a glorious playing career as a member of the Linfield “Seven Trophy” team of 1921-22, it was with the Blues that he won his first two Ireland caps, his first cap coming in May 1922 in a friendly defeat in Norway, his second in a 2-0 defeat to England the same October.
He then moved to First Division Nottingham Forest in November 1922, making his Football League debut the same month against Burnley, where he was a regular centre-half (and occasional right-half) over the next 5 seasons in the First and Second Divisions (Forest being relegated in 1925). Despite being ever present in 1926-27 he lost his place the following season, playing more irregularly in his last 2 seasons at The City Ground before leaving for Luton Town in August 1929 after 6 goals in 219 appearances for Forest. He also won 6 more caps for Ireland while with Forest, his last international appearance coming in October 1928 in a 2-1 defeat to England.
At Luton he played only 4 times that early autumn and joined Midland League Grantham later in 1929, before returning to Ireland in 1931 where he finished his playing career with spells at Cork in 1931, Ballymena in 1933 and Bray Unknowns in 1934.
But arguably it was his later career as trainer to Linfield and Ireland that he is best remembered when he was to become ‘Uncle Gerry’, confidante to players such as Danny Blanchflower, wizard with the ‘magic sponge’ and one of the most enduring characters in the history of the Irish game.
What was significant is that Gerry was a catholic playing for the leading protestant team which was closely associated with unionism and this relationship was also part of a study to understand part played by catholics in Irish football. What I then found out was that in 2011 a play was performed at Stormont (NI Parliament) celebrating his cross sectarian work which was similar to that of Elisha Scott a protestant who was in charge of (catholic) Belfast Celtic at same time. Here is the link https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...-stage-for-belfast-celtic-drama-28589617.html . As some of you might be aware Belfast Celtic folded as a club in 1949 following a riot by Linfield fans when 3 players were brutally attacked whilst the police just watched events unfolding. The club took the decision to fold as it felt it could not exist in that atmosphere, it was the biggest club in Northern Ireland at the time and meant many Catholics were isolated from the game. Ironically the Belfast Celtic player most injured was a protestant.
This is a summary from the site https://www.vintagefootballers.com/product/morgan-gerry-image-2-notts-forest-1923/
Belfast born centre half Francis “Gerry” Morgan began his football career in Army football and played for St Paul’s Swifts before joining amateur Irish League club Cliftonville. In 1921 he joined Linfield for £50 and he had a glorious playing career as a member of the Linfield “Seven Trophy” team of 1921-22, it was with the Blues that he won his first two Ireland caps, his first cap coming in May 1922 in a friendly defeat in Norway, his second in a 2-0 defeat to England the same October.
He then moved to First Division Nottingham Forest in November 1922, making his Football League debut the same month against Burnley, where he was a regular centre-half (and occasional right-half) over the next 5 seasons in the First and Second Divisions (Forest being relegated in 1925). Despite being ever present in 1926-27 he lost his place the following season, playing more irregularly in his last 2 seasons at The City Ground before leaving for Luton Town in August 1929 after 6 goals in 219 appearances for Forest. He also won 6 more caps for Ireland while with Forest, his last international appearance coming in October 1928 in a 2-1 defeat to England.
At Luton he played only 4 times that early autumn and joined Midland League Grantham later in 1929, before returning to Ireland in 1931 where he finished his playing career with spells at Cork in 1931, Ballymena in 1933 and Bray Unknowns in 1934.
But arguably it was his later career as trainer to Linfield and Ireland that he is best remembered when he was to become ‘Uncle Gerry’, confidante to players such as Danny Blanchflower, wizard with the ‘magic sponge’ and one of the most enduring characters in the history of the Irish game.
What was significant is that Gerry was a catholic playing for the leading protestant team which was closely associated with unionism and this relationship was also part of a study to understand part played by catholics in Irish football. What I then found out was that in 2011 a play was performed at Stormont (NI Parliament) celebrating his cross sectarian work which was similar to that of Elisha Scott a protestant who was in charge of (catholic) Belfast Celtic at same time. Here is the link https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...-stage-for-belfast-celtic-drama-28589617.html . As some of you might be aware Belfast Celtic folded as a club in 1949 following a riot by Linfield fans when 3 players were brutally attacked whilst the police just watched events unfolding. The club took the decision to fold as it felt it could not exist in that atmosphere, it was the biggest club in Northern Ireland at the time and meant many Catholics were isolated from the game. Ironically the Belfast Celtic player most injured was a protestant.