Dublin GAA legends 'would have had career in soccer'
Stephen Cluxton turns 43 this week and while there is still no confirmation around his future with Dublin, he certainly hasn’t let himself go this winter.
That much was obvious last Saturday as he togged out for a Shelbourne XI alongside now former Dublin teammates Brian Fenton and James McCarthy as well as a host of League of Ireland legends for the Annette Howlett Cup against Killester Donnycarney FC, in aid of Breast Cancer Ireland.
The event was organised by former Shelbourne star and ex-Ireland international Gary Howlett, who lost his wife Annette to cancer last year.
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Another Shelbourne player of yesteryear and well-known RTE soccer pundit, Alan Cawley, also lined out as Shels scored a 6-3 win in the end and he was struck by both the Dubs’ humility and their ability, reports the Irish Mirror.
“We were kind of totting up, I think it’s 25 All-Ireland medals that they have between them yet they were so humble, so modest,” he said. “The boys just came in, mingled, got on with everyone and then when we came out to the game, I was so impressed with them as players. They were brilliant.”
Fenton and Cluxton formed a central defensive partnership with the latter spraying the ball around in a similar manner to what earned him his trademark in Gaelic football.
Cawley explained: “Brian Fenton was like a Rolls Royce at the back, really, really good in terms of the athleticism that we all know, but very good on the ball as well. He played centre-half. Cluxton played left-sided centre-half and, again, something similar, they were in great condition, great shape but his distribution, like what we see in Gaelic, passing out from the back, and James played in midfield with us.
“Again, loads of energy and endeavour, up and down, did great. I thought the three of them were brilliant now, I was so impressed with the three of them both as people and as players, I thought they were fab.”
And Cawley is in no doubt that they could have earned a living from playing soccer if they were so inclined.
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“I remember at one stage after we scored the fourth or fifth goal and I was coming back to the centre circle and I said to Brian and Stephen, ‘Lads, ye know that if ye packed in the Gaelic, there’s plenty of soccer teams that would have ye!’ And that’s the truth. They could play.
“I’m coming at it from a point of view of I played at a decent level and you’re looking at them and thinking I have no doubt whatsoever if they were dedicated to soccer over the years they would have had a career in soccer as well, they were that good.”
The game featured several ex-LOI players now north of 50 years of age, but Cluxton was certainly belying his 43 years amid speculation that he may give it another year with Dublin yet, albeit he has also been linked with a role in the management team.
“The three of them were in supreme condition, they really were, and Stephen no different,” said Cawley. “Not as tall as the two boys obviously but in terms of his conditioning and his shape he was… like I was blown away by it.
“We’re maybe looking at it with a soccer head on but you look at the condition the three boys were in, for amateurs as well, it’s phenomenal.”
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