Irish Footballer that Played for Man Utd – Chris McGrath

Chris McGrath – Introduction

Chris McGrath was born on 29 November 1954 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He had joined Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager and had made 38 appearances for the North London club as well as 15 appearances for Milwall on loan. It was something of a surprise when Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty paid Spurs £30,000 for the winger.

Chris McGrath & Manchester United

Chris McGrath made his Manchester United debut as a substitute on 23 October 1976 against Norwich City at Old Trafford. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with the United goals coming from Gordon Hill and Irishman Gerry Daly. McGrath made just seven first team appearances for United in that 1976/77 season – five as a substitute.

Under new Reds manager Dave Sexton Chris McGrath made his greatest number of appearances in a season – in 1977/78. He made 23 appearances in all competitions and also notched his one and only goal for the United first team. McGrath scored the only Man Utd goal in a 2-1 loss to West Ham United at Upton Park on 10 December 1977.

Chris McGrath played his last match for Manchester United on 23 August 1980 against Birmingham City at St Andrews in a 0-0 draw. This was only his fourth match in three seasons. In February 1981 McGrath went to the USA to play for Tulsa Roughnecks in the North American Soccer League – NASL.

Chris McGrath – Northern Ireland Career

Chris McGrath made his international debut for Northern Ireland on 11 May 1974 against Scotland. The Irish beat the Scots 1-0 in the British Home Championships. McGrath scored his first goal for Northern Ireland against Holland in a match that saw the return of George Best to the international fold. McGrath scored the first Irish goal in a 2-2 draw with the Dutch on 13 October 1976 in Rotterdam in a World Cup qualifier. Chris McGrath’s last goal for Northern Ireland was also in a World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park in a 3-0 victory over Belgium. His last match for Northern Ireland was as a substitute at home to England on 19 May 1979.

Chris McGrath – Manchester United & Northern Ireland Statistics

Trevor Anderson – Harry Baird – Billy Behan – George Best – Jackie Blanchflower – Robbie Brady
Derek Brazil Tommy Breen – Shay Brennan – Ronnie Briggs – David Byrne – Noel Cantwell
Johnny Carey Joe Carolan – Roy Carroll – Tom Connell – Gerry Daly – Bernard Donaghy – Mal Donaghy
Tony Dunne Pat Dunne – Jonny Evans – Sonny Feehan – Darron Gibson – John Giles – Keith Gillespie
Don Givens Harry Gregg – Ashley Grimes – Mickey Hamill – David Healy – Denis Irwin
Tommy Jackson Michael Keane – Roy Keane – Paddy Kennedy – Davy Lyner – Mick Martin
David McCreery Noel McFarlane – Pat McGibbon – Chris McGrath – Paul McGrath – Sammy McIlroy
Sammy McMillan Walter McMillen – Liam Miller – Kevin Moran – Tommy Morrison – Phil Mulryne
Jimmy Nicholl Jimmy Nicholson – Liam O’Brien – John O’Shea – Patrick O’Connell – John Peden
James Robinson Paddy Roche – Jackie Scott – Tom Sloan – Frank Stapleton – Billy Toms
Anthony Whelan Liam Whelan – Norman Whiteside

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