Con Martin

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Con Martin

Martin in 1956
Personal information
Full name	Cornelius Joseph Martin
Date of birth	(1923-03-20)20 March 1923
Place of birth	Rush, Dublin, Ireland
Date of death	24 February 2013(2013-02-24) (aged 89)
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)	Centre-half, goalkeeper, utility player
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1941	Dublin county team (Gaelic football)
1941–1946	Drumcondra	76	(7)
1946–1947	Glentoran	11	(1)
1947–1948	Leeds United	47	(1)
1948–1956	Aston Villa	194	(1)
1956–1959	Waterford		(12)
1959–1960	Dundalk
International career
1946	League of Ireland XI
1946–1956	Ireland (FAI)	30	(6)
1946–1950	Ireland (IFA)	6	(0)
Managerial career
1959–60	Dundalk
1965	Shelbourne
1960s	Cork Hibernians (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cornelius Joseph Martin (20 March 1923 – 24 February 2013) was an Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra, Glentoran, Leeds United and Aston Villa.

Martin was also a dual international and played and captained both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In 1949 he was a member of the FAI XI that defeated England 2–0 at Goodison Park, a feat that is often cited as the first non-UK team to beat England at home, although the team that day contained several players that were also capped by Northern Ireland due to the selection policy followed by both teams at the time.

Martin, nicknamed Mr. Versatility,^[2] played in nearly every position during his soccer career. Although he played mainly as a centre-half, the ball-handling skills he developed playing Gaelic football also made him a very useful goalkeeper. He actually made his international debut with the FAI XI as a goalkeeper and despite turning down the chance to sign for Manchester United as a goalkeeper, he later played nearly a whole season in goal for Aston Villa.