Roche, Declan

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Personal

Name: Declan F. Roche
Position: Midfield
Height: 5'11"
Date of Birth: 9th October 1970
Birthplace: Dublin
Nationality: Irish
Signed: Pro 15 May 1987
International Caps 0
International Goals 0

Declan Roche with Paul McStay and Tony Shepherd 1986

Celtic Career Review

Signed from St. Kevin's Boy's Club aged 16 and played youth and reserve team football until he joined Partick Thistle on a free transfer in January 1991. Later returned to Ireland and turned out for Cork, Shelbourne and Derry before a spell on the Irish junior circuit with Portmarnock. He represented Ireland at Junior level in their victorious 'Quadrangular Tournament' campaign in April 1998 in addition to his underage caps gained at senior level.

He had fallen out with Partick Thistle manager John Lambie who hit him in the face with a dead or dying pigeon during the course of a dressing room bust-up. Chic Charnley's account in Seeing Red: The Chic Charnley Story (2009) adds that Lambie's bizarre assault was accompanied with the words: "See you, you Irish b*****d, you're as useful as this doo".* Charming!
As of 2018 Roche is himself a coach, of the soccer team at Dublin City University (DCU).
*Doo is a Scottish colloquialism for pigeon.

Playing Career

League Appearances League Goals
1986/87 Celtic 0 0
1987/88 Celtic 0 0
1988/89 Celtic 0 0
1989/90 Celtic 0 0
1990/91 Celtic 0 0
Partick Thistle 11 1
1991/92 Partick Thistle 2 0
Cork City 10 0
Shelbourne 13 1
1992/93 Derry City 7 0
Cork City 21 5
1993/94 Cork City 9 2
1994/95 Cork City 9 1
Portmarnock FC ? ?

Awards

Republic of Ireland internationalist from U15 to U21.

Further Links

Named in the Republic of Ireland junior squad in February 1998
Playing for Portmarnock in November 2000
PTFC.net Players of the 90s

Pictures

  • Roche, Declan - The Celtic Wiki

Media

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