Shamrock Rovers have paid tribute to the late Leo O’Reilly, who famously scored two goals in Rovers’ 3-2 win against then English champions Chelsea in a benefit match for Paddy Coad.
O’Reilly passed away on Saturday at the age of 89, at St James’ Hospital in Dublin.
Not only an accomplished footballer, who lined out for Rovers, Dundalk and Limerick, he was an Irish Youth Cycling Champion before he made the decision to focus on football.
O’Reilly signed for Rovers in 1954 and was prolific for the Hoops’ reserves, before he marked his debut against Cork Athletic in April 1955 with a hat-trick in a 7-1 win.
A month later, Chelsea visited Dalymount Park, just after they clinched their first ever English top-flight title, and they were humbled by an O’Reilly-inspired Hoops side.
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He scored twice in a 3-2 win in front of 19,000 fans - 2,000 more than the crowd that turned up for Ireland’s 0-0 draw with the Netherlands at the same venue the previous day.
O’Reilly was only included in the Rovers team that faced Chelsea as Paddy Ambrose picked up an injury against the Dutch and had to withdraw from the benefit game.
The Churchtown native won a league title with Rovers and then moved to Limerick ahead of the 1958/59 season. There, he won another league crown, while he scored a European Cup goal in their 9-2 aggregate defeat to Swiss side Young Boys.
O’Reilly had a short spell at Longford Town before moving onto Dundalk, where he won his third league winners’ medal. He also lined out for Drogheda United and Drumcondra.
Pitch and Putt Ireland also paid tribute to O’Reilly, who “was inducted into the Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland Hall of Fame at the 2000 Convention Annual Dinner.”
O’Reilly continued to watch his former side Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium up to recently.
The Hoops posted on social media: “The death has occurred of former Rovers player Leo O’Reilly. Leo made his debut against Cork Athletic in April 1955 when he scored a hat trick in a 7-1 win. He will always be remembered for scoring twice in the 3-2 defeat of newly-crowned English League Champions Chelsea in Paddy Coad’s Benefit Game at Dalymount Park in May 1955. Leo, from Churchtown in Dublin, had been attending games at Tallaght Stadium up to recent years.
“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.”
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