Pat Fenlon facts for kids
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Fenlon in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 March 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Bohemians (Director of Football) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tolka Rovers | |||
| Home Farm | |||
| Lourdes Celtic | |||
| Rivermount FC | |||
| 1984–1987 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1991 | St Patrick's Athletic | 84 | (24) |
| 1991–1994 | Bohemians | 88 | (29) |
| 1994–1996 | Linfield | 62 | (18) |
| 1996–1997 | Shamrock Rovers | 31 | (4) |
| 1997–2003 | Shelbourne | 153 | (27) |
| Total | 418 | (102) | |
| International career | |||
| 1988–1992 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1992 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2002–2006 | Shelbourne | ||
| 2007 | Derry City | ||
| 2007–2008 | Republic of Ireland U23 | ||
| 2008–2011 | Bohemians | ||
| 2011–2013 | Hibernian | ||
| 2014–2016 | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 2017–2018 | Waterford (Director of Football) | ||
| 2018–2023 | Linfield (General Manager) | ||
| 2023– | Bohemians (Director of Football) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Patrick Fenlon, born on March 15, 1969, is a famous Irish football coach and a former player. He played as a midfielder, which is a key position in the middle of the field. Pat played for several well-known clubs like St Patrick's Athletic, Bohemians, Linfield, Shamrock Rovers, and Shelbourne.
As a manager, he achieved great success. He won five League of Ireland titles with Shelbourne and Bohemians between 2003 and 2009. While managing Bohemians, Pat also led them to victory in the FAI Cup in 2008, the League of Ireland Cup in 2009, and the Setanta Sports Cup in 2010. Later, he moved to the Scottish club Hibernian in November 2011. He helped them reach two Scottish Cup Finals, though they did not win those finals.
Contents
Pat Fenlon's Playing Career
Pat Fenlon was born in Dublin, Ireland. As a young boy, he played for four local football clubs. He then joined the London club Chelsea as a trainee, learning to become a professional player.
Early Days at St Patrick's Athletic
After his time in London, Pat returned home to Ireland. In 1987, he signed with St Patrick's Athletic, a team managed by Brian Kerr. Pat made his first appearance in the League of Ireland on September 13, 1987, playing against Shelbourne.
Pat helped St Patrick's Athletic win the League of Ireland championship in the 1989–90 season. In September 1990, he even scored a goal in the European Cup against Dinamo Bucharest.
Success with Bohemians
After four seasons with St Patrick's Athletic, Pat joined Bohemians in the summer of 1991. He scored 29 goals in 88 games for Bohemians. He also helped them win the FAI Cup in 1992. That same year, he was named the PFAI Player of the Year, which is a big award for a player. In February 1992, Pat scored a goal for the Republic of Ireland B team in an international match against Denmark.
Time at Linfield
In January 1994, Pat Fenlon signed with Linfield. This was a notable move because he was the first Catholic player from Dublin to join the club. Linfield is mainly supported by fans from Belfast's Protestant community. Pat later shared that some people from his own community criticized him for this decision.
Despite this, Pat had a successful time at Linfield. He won two Irish Cups and one Irish Premier League championship. His goal against Glentoran on the last day of the 1993–94 season secured the league title for Linfield. A week later, he scored another important goal in the Irish Cup Final, helping his team win 2–0 against Bangor.
Moving to Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne
In June 1996, Pat joined another Dublin club, Shamrock Rovers. After one season there, he moved to Shelbourne. While playing for Shelbourne, he suffered a serious injury in February 1999, breaking his shin.
However, Pat showed great determination and recovered from his injury. He then helped Shelbourne win both the league and the cup in the following season. He also received his second PFAI Player of the Year award. Pat scored the winning goal for Shelbourne in the 1999/00 FAI Cup final replay, where they beat Bohemians 1–0.
Pat Fenlon's Management Career
Pat Fenlon began his management journey as a player-manager for Shelbourne in 2002. This meant he was both playing for the team and managing it.
Leading Shelbourne to Titles
In his first season as manager, Pat guided Shelbourne to a second-place finish. By the start of the 2003 season, he stopped playing to focus entirely on managing the club. This decision quickly paid off. Pat led Shelbourne to win their first-ever back-to-back league titles in 2003 and 2004.
In 2004, Fenlon also led his team on an amazing journey in the UEFA Champions League. They beat teams like KR Reykjavík from Iceland and Hajduk Split from Croatia. This brought them to the third and final qualifying round, where they faced the Spanish giants Deportivo la Coruña. Although they were eventually defeated, it was a huge achievement for an Irish club. After this impressive run, Pat was given a longer contract.
The year 2005 was expected to be big for Shelbourne, but they finished in a disappointing third place. In 2006, success returned. Despite rumors that he might leave, Pat led Shelbourne to their third league title in four years on November 17, 2006. They won with a 2–1 victory over rivals Bohemians, securing the title based on goal difference.
Short Stint at Derry City
After his success with Shelbourne, Pat was linked to the manager's job at Derry City. He resigned from Shelbourne on December 5, 2006, and soon after, he joined Derry City. In January 2007, Pat received the 'Personality of the Year' award for his achievements in 2006. However, his time at Derry City was short. He resigned after just five months due to poor results. Pat also managed the Republic of Ireland under-23 national team for a few games.
Triumphs with Bohemians
On December 22, 2007, Pat Fenlon was appointed manager of Bohemians. Within a year, in 2008, he led Bohs to win both the League of Ireland and the FAI Cup. Their 19-point winning margin in the league was a new record.
In 2009, he won the league again with Bohs, beating their rivals Shamrock Rovers by four points. Bohs also won the League of Ireland Cup that year. In 2010, Bohemians won the Setanta Sports Cup.
Managing Hibernian in Scotland
In November 2011, Pat Fenlon was offered the manager's position at Hibernian, a Scottish club. Hibernian was struggling in the Scottish Premier League at the time. Pat was appointed on November 25, 2011. His first game as manager was unusual; it was stopped at half-time because a floodlight caught fire!
Hibs' performance improved under Pat's leadership. He made changes to the squad, bringing in new players. In January 2012, Hibs won their first league game with Fenlon as manager. Pat also guided Hibs to the 2012 Scottish Cup Final, but they lost 5–1 to their rivals Hearts.
The 2012–13 season started with many new players. Hibs played well in the first half of the season, even reaching the top of the league briefly. They also reached a second consecutive Scottish Cup final, but lost 3–0 to Celtic.
The 2013–14 season began with a tough defeat in the Europa League against Malmö from Sweden. Pat apologized to the fans for the losses. Although the team's form improved for a while, some fans protested after a League Cup loss. Pat resigned on November 1, 2013.
Return to Shamrock Rovers
Pat Fenlon was appointed manager of Shamrock Rovers in August 2014.
Director of Football at Waterford
On January 2, 2017, Pat Fenlon took on a new role as Director of Football at Waterford. He had worked with Waterford's Head Coach, Alan Reynolds, before at Shelbourne. Waterford earned promotion to the League of Ireland Premier Division that season, winning the League of Ireland First Division title. Pat left Waterford in February 2018 to work as a consultant for the club's chairman.
General Manager at Linfield
In November 2018, Pat Fenlon was appointed as the General Manager for Linfield.
Back to Bohemians
In January 2023, Pat Fenlon returned to Bohemians as their Director of Football, a role he holds today.
Managerial Statistics
Here is a summary of Pat Fenlon's record as a manager for different teams:
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Shelbourne |  |
26 April 2002 | 5 December 2006 | 135 | 76 | 38 | 21 | 56.30 | |
| Derry City | |
8 December 2006 | 22 May 2007 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36.36 | |
| Republic of Ireland U23 | |
15 October 2007 | 22 October 2008 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67 | |
| Bohemians | |
22 December 2007 | 25 November 2011 | 174 | 106 | 35 | 33 | 60.92 | |
| Hibernian |  |
25 November 2011 | 1 November 2013 | 87 | 31 | 19 | 37 | 35.63 | |
| Shamrock Rovers | |
6 August 2014 | 3 July 2016 | 69 | 36 | 19 | 14 | 52.17 | |
| Total | 478 | 254 | 114 | 110 | 53.14 | ||||
- 1. This table shows only the league record.
Honours and Awards
Pat Fenlon has won many awards and titles throughout his career as both a player and a manager.
As a Player
- St Patrick's Athletic
- League of Ireland Premier Division (1): 1989–90
- Bohemians
- FAI Cup (1): 1991–92
- Leinster Senior Cup (1): 1993
- Linfield
- Irish League (1): 1993–94
- Irish Cup (2): 1993–94, 1994–95
- Shamrock Rovers
- Leinster Senior Cup (1): 1997
- Shelbourne
- League of Ireland Premier Division (2): 1999–00, 2001–02
- FAI Cup (1): 1999–00
As a Manager
- Shelbourne
- League of Ireland Premier Division (3): 2003, 2004, 2006
- Bohemians
- League of Ireland Premier Division (2): 2008, 2009
- FAI Cup (1): 2008
- Setanta Sports Cup (1): 2009–10
- League of Ireland Cup (1): 2009
- Hibernian
- Scottish Cup
- Runners-up (2): 2011–12, 2012–13
Individual Awards
- PFAI Players' Player of the Year (2): 1991–92, 1999–2000
- SWAI Personality of the Year (2): 2004, 2006
