Kerrykeel honour FA Cup winning captain Gillespie

A special ceremony will take place in the tiny Donegal village of Kerrykeel next Saturday (September 7) to honour the first Irishman to captain an English FA Cup winning team.

William “Billy” Gillespie was one of the most famous Irish footballers of his generation and led Sheffield United to the fourth and last of their FA Cup success in 1925 when they beat Cardiff at Wembley.

The Blades’ captain also scored two goals on his international debut against England in 1913 as an Irish team (under the auspices of the Irish Football Association defeated England) for the first time. He repeated the feat the year after, notching another two against the English as the Irish won 3-0 at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough.