Neal Horgan: Liam Miller was a quiet, respectful guy with a huge drive to succeed

The shocking news of Liam Miller’s passing, a few days short of his 37th birthday, is very difficult to comprehend, writes Neal Horgan.

Liam, who notably played at Ballincollig FC, Celtic, Manchester United, Leeds, Sunderland, Ireland, and Cork City FC, looked the picture of good health last year while completing his FAI coaching badges. Tragically, just a year or so later, he has left behind his wife and three young children.

I remember him as a young lad as one of a Ballincollig contingent of outstanding footballers that also included the likes of Colin Healy, Cillian Lordan, Alan Carey, and Gary O’Riordan. They seemed to arrive out of nowhere onto the Cork footballing scene at around 13/14 and those of us closer to the city who had thought we were the top dogs were forced to rethink.