Maxie’s historic career one in a million

WHEN the Republic of Ireland played West Germany in Dalymount Park 61 years ago, the reigning world champions presented the Irish players with miniature Adidas boots.

Jimmy ‘Maxie’ McCann, who played in that game, and scored in a famous 30 win, treasured the wee boots for the rest of his life.

Right-winger McCann might have expected another call-up or two. After all, he was only 22, and already a League and FAI Cup winner with Shamrock Rovers under Paddy Coad. Yet, it never happened. Maxi remained a onecap wonder, and a rather special one at that.

Discovered by Paddy Ambrose as a teenager playing for Clontarf FC, McCann spent nine seasons at Milltown, a fully-fledged member of ‘Coad’s Colts.’

With Liam Tuohy on the left wing and McCann on the right, the great pals ran riot. For Rovers, his finest hour came in the return leg of the European Cup on 1957-58, when the Hoops played Manchester United. He was stunned to be left out of the first leg at Dalymount Park which United won 6-0, but he played at Old Trafford where, on October 4, 1957, he scored the first Irish goal in European club competition.

‘My Da switched wings with the Rasher (Tuohy), something they regularly did under Paddy Coad,’ recalled McCann’s son Ray. ‘At Old Trafford, the Rasher went down the right and crossed. It went all the way to the far post where Maxie lashed it in from a tight angle. He wasn’t the bragging sort and the goal meant more to us than it did to him.’

McCann hailed from the north inner city, and never left. He enjoyed a pint in the Hill 16 pub and once threatened to take his custom elsewhere if any photos from his playing days appeared on the walls.

Three league titles, four FAI Cup finals, a European Cup goal at Old Trafford, and a goal in an Irish win against the world champions, Maxie McCann, who died this week aged 83, left some legacy.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam