Tony Folan

Tony Folan (born 18 September 1978 in Lewisham) was an Irish footballer during the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Ireland at every level up to Under-21 and "B".

Growing up in Salthill, Tony was a classmate of Colin Hawkins in St. Josephs College. At the age of 14, he signed schoolboy terms at Crystal Palace FC. He made steady progress at the club, appearing in a FA Youth Cup final against Leeds United in 1996/97. Soon after this, he made his first team debut in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Selhurst Park. He continued his progress and appeared that summer in the Intertoto Cup against Samsunspor. Unfortunately for Tony, he injured his groin and had to have an operation which kept him out for 6 weeks.

Terry Venables offered him a new contract but the terms weren't great so Tony turned it down. It was downhill from then on at the club and he soon moved to Brentford where he picked up a Third Division winners medal after beating Cambridge United on the last day of the 1998/1999 season. The next season was a disaster for Folan as he broke his foot and missed 6 months. Tony struggled to regain his place in the team. Rumours abounded that his hot-headed attitude and quick temper kept him from the team and in October 2001, he returned to Ireland and signed for Pete Mahon's Bohemians.

He made his debut for Bohemians in a big televised Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers but he ended up on the losing side as Rovers won 1-0. Within weeks, Mahon was sacked and Folan never really fitted in at Bohs. He joined hometown club Galway United from Bohs in 2002 and is currently playing non-league football in Galway.

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