Alan Kirby

Alan Kirby (born 8 September 1977) is an Irish former footballer.

He played as a midfielder, most often on the right wing.

As a 16-year-old, Kirby went to England to join Premier League club Aston Villa.

He spent four years with the club without making a first-team appearance, and returned to his native Waterford.

In the summer of 1994, as a 16-year-old, he went to England to join Premier League club Aston Villa.

He was a regular in the youth team for two seasons, made his debut for the reserves in the 1995–96 season, and played not infrequently at that level for a further two years.

Kirby was capped for Ireland at levels from under-16 to under-21, and was a member of the under-20 team that won the bronze medal at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

He signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford United in 1999, and two-and-a-half years later moved on to Longford Town.

Kirby returned to Ireland, signed for Waterford United in 1998, and made his League of Ireland debut against Bohemians at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre on 29 January 1999.

His first senior goal opened the scoring as Waterford beat Dundalk 2–0 on 16 April, and his second, a "glorious 20-yard volley that simply flew past" the goalkeeper, was the only goal of the game against fellow relegation candidates Bray Wanderers a few days later and made a significant contribution to Waterford retaining their Premier Division status.

Available on a free transfer at the end of the season, Kirby returned to England for a trial with Hartlepool United which came to nothing.

He rejoined Waterford for the 1999–2000 League of Ireland season, but the club struggled to score, finished tenth in the league, and had to play off against Kilkenny City for a place in the next season's Premier Division.

Waterford lost the first leg 1–0, and their ill-fortune in front of goal continued in the second.

Kirby shot against the post in the first half, and missed a chance in the second, and Derek McGrath missed a late penalty, to leave Waterford in the First Division with only three contracted players, of which Kirby himself was one.

Kirby helped Waterford reach the semi-final of the FAI Cup in 2000–01.

In the quarter-final, his shot was punched over the bar by a Cobh Ramblers defender, and he converted the resulting penalty to give Waterford a 1–0 win.

The semi-final, against Longford Town, went to a replay.

Kirby came close to scoring, and was named man of the match as he had been in the quarter-final, but the tie was settled by a penalty kick in favour of Longford.

He was named in the PFAI First Division Team of the Year for 2001, and shortlisted for the First Division Player of the Year award.

When Kirby and teammate Alan Reynolds signed two-year contracts with Premier Division club Longford Town, Reynolds moved on a free, but the fee for Kirby was to be determined by tribunal.

He had attracted the attention of manager Stephen Kenny when the clubs met in the FAI Cup semifinal earlier in the year.

Kirby made his debut in the FAI Super Cup pre-season tournament, and scored twice on the opening day of the league season in a 4–1 defeat of Cork City.

He played in the club's first appearances in European competition, the qualifying round of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, against Litex Lovech, which Longford lost in stoppage time in the second leg in Bulgaria.

Kirby scored six goals from 40 appearances in all competitions as Longford finished ninth in the League.

The Premier Division was to drop from twelve to ten teams for the transitional 2002–03 League of Ireland season, so Longford had to play-off against First Division runners-up Finn Harps to retain their top-flight status.

The scores were level after two legs, and Longford won 6–5 on penalties.

Kirby was ever-present during the 2002–03 season, scoring three times as Longford finished fifth.

During his six seasons with Longford, Kirby won two FAI Cups, in 2003 and 2004, and the 2004 League of Ireland Cup, and was nominated for the 2003 PFAI Players' Player of the Year award.

Two League runners-up medals in two years with St Patrick's Athletic preceded a third FAI Cup win and promotion from the First Division with Sporting Fingal.

They reached the 2003 League of Ireland Cup Final via a 90th-minute equaliser against Derry City followed by the winner in the last minute of extra time, when Kirby's free kick struck the post and Alan Murphy converted the rebound.

St Patrick's Athletic goalkeeper Chris Adamson made "the save of the night" from Kirby towards the end of the final, which Longford lost by a single goal when Barry Ferguson missed a penalty with the last kick of the game.

They went one better against the same opponents in the FAI Cup Final.

Kirby started a degree in business studies at Dublin City University in 2007, alongside his football career.

After completing his studies, he began a career in tax consultancy in Dublin.

As a youngster, Kirby played for Johnville in the Waterford Schoolboys League.

He played for the League of Ireland XI that faced Manchester United in a match to mark the opening of the Aviva Stadium in 2010.

Kirby was born in Waterford, the son of former Waterford United player and assistant manager Dave Kirby and his wife Angela.

He married Caitriona Norton, and, the couple had two daughters, Leah and Lauren.

He won his fourth FAI Cup and third League runners-up medal in 2011 with Sligo Rovers, and retired from playing after one last season with Longford Town in 2012.

Kirby made sixteen appearances in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League, six each for Longford Town and St Patrick's Athletic, and two each for Sporting Fingal and Sligo Rovers.