It been quite a while since Jimmy turned up as a frail eleven year old, at St Michael’s schoolboys in Tipperary town, but his talent was immediately recognised by the sage coaching staff at the famous footballing academy. He starred as a young player right through the ranks from u12 to youths, and quickly on to the honour of playing with the junior team, starting in 2009. Since then he has won every honour available to a junior footballer in Ireland, with two FAI Junior Cups, four Munster Juniors, three Munster Champions titles, eight TSDL Premier League winners medals and after Saturday nights win in Cahir, eight Tipperary Cups. He was also a key member of the Michael’s team that won the inaugural President of Ireland Cup against Northern Junior champions Enniskillen Rangers and the Tom Hand Cup against the national Intermediate champions Avondale United. Nationally he was the winner of the FAI Junior player of the year in 2014, and the Annerville soccer player of the year in Tipperary.
Despite his huge success, his appetite for the game shows no sign of waning. When one considers the thousands of players at junior and intermediate level playing across the country, making the squad for the upcoming European finals shows the esteem he is held in by the Irish coaching squad. There is no doubt that his caps tally will increase over the next few weeks in what will be a gruelling tournament. The Irish team has been drawn in a very tough group with Spain, Germany and Bosnia/Herzegovina, between the 9th and 14th of June. Hopefully they will still be there by the finals on the 14th.
Everyone in Tipperary football will be wishing Jimmy the very best of luck on his travels in Spain, and are sure that he will, as he always is, a worthy ambassador for Tipperary and Ireland, and a true role model for any young player walking into a schoolboy or schoolgirl club across the local and national leagues.
