Conner makes football history at age 14
THIS is the teenager making headlines in Irish League football as possibly the youngest player to take part in a competitive fixture.
Goalkeeper Conner Byrne, at the age of just 14 years and 245 days, made his debut for Glenavon on Monday night in their 2-1 win over fierce rivals Portadown in the Mid-Ulster Cup.
Whether he is the youngest ever Irish League player is unknown due to the lack of postwar records, but he is the youngest who is on record, superceding Jason Greenway, who made his debut, also for the Lurgan Blues, aged 15 years and 174 days in 2012.
The youngster was just nine minutes away from keeping a clean sheet, having denied the Ports on several occasions, only for a late strike to beat him.
However, his performance was praised by his delighted manager Gary Hamilton.
“He was exceptional,” enthused the Mourneview Park boss. “To be fair, he didn’t have much to do, but what he did have to do he did with confidence.
“At the end of the day he’s only 14 years old, and Portadown wanted to pump high balls into the lad to test him, but he came out and punched and caught everything that came at him.”
It’s an incredible achievement for Byrne, who has excelled at both under-16 and un- der-20 level this season, enough to convince Hamilton that he should be training during the week with the Glenavon senior team.
And when his chance came he took it, showcasing his enormous potential between the posts.
Head of Glenavon’s academy, Ryan Prentice, is delighted to see one of their prospects make such an impact.
“I think it’s fantastic for Conner as a player to play in the first team and credit should be given to the manager for taking the chance on youth,” he said.
“He’s tall, brave and dedicated to training and works very hard with the coaches. The physical side has to be managed, but the flip-side is that the game is not as physical as it maybe was 20 or 30 years ago, when goalkeepers got clattered. He’s also marshalled by experienced players who will look after him.”
The young goalkeeper has caught the eye of potential suitors, according to club chairman Adrian Teer.
“There has already been a lot of interest in Conner from a number of cross-channel clubs,”
Teer confessed. “He’s a great prospect.”