By Gavan Bergin
Harry Duggan made his Republic of Ireland debut against Italy at Lansdowne Road on April 23rd 1927. And, although he was on the losing side in that game, he played well and got a good report in the Irish Independent, which praised his “hard work, splendid combination play and clever tricking.” With Ireland, he usually played on the right wing, passing and crossing and setting up goals for legendary players such as Joe Bambrick, Billy Gillespie, Bob Fullam and John Joe Flood.
Jimmy Dunne, the supreme Irish goalscorer, thrived on Harry’s presence in the Ireland team and the pair of them made a great attacking partnership. Over the years Harry and Jimmy linked up brilliantly for the Republic of Ireland, who never lost a game when they played together. That didn’t happen as many times as it should have, because Leeds United too often refused to release Harry for international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
It was a shame that he missed out on so much international football in his prime. It was football association politics. It wasn’t until the mid-1930s that things changed somewhat, when the FA in London began to be more accommodating to the FAI in Dublin.
It was six years before Harry played again for the Republic of Ireland, against Hungary in Budapest on May 3rd 1936. He was 33 years old at the time but he played like he was ten years younger, whizzing up the wing, leaving defenders standing, whipping in crosses for Jimmy Dunne to knock in. His outstanding play was integral to Ireland’s impressive 3-3 draw in that game. And three days later against Luxembourg in Luxembourg he was dynamite again, helping Dunne score another couple of goals in a 5-1 win which was the Republic’s first away win in more than four years.
He had been selected by Ireland again when he was in the First Division with Leeds United. Then he left them to join Newport County of the Third Division. At that stage it looked like his days in high level football were over for club and country. But he wasn’t finished. He flourished in his new role as captain of Newport. His success there earned him another international recall to play for the Republic of Ireland against Norway at Dalymount Park in Dublin on November 7th 1937. This wasn’t just any old game; it was the second leg of a qualification playoff for the 1938 World Cup finals. Norway had won the first leg in Oslo by 3-2, which meant that Ireland needed to win by at least two goals to go through. It was probably the most important match they had ever played. It was also the first time Harry had played an international match in Dublin since 1927.
From the start Harry seemed unstoppable, breaking down the right wing, getting to the by-line and sending cross after cross into the box. He didn’t always stay out wide, he made Ireland’s first chance when he broke from inside-right to hit a shot from the edge of the box that was blocked by a defender. Then, in the 10th minute, he made a lightning fast run down the right wing and into the penalty area, where he met an incoming cross from the left and, with a leap and a flick of his head, he sent the ball back into the box for Jimmy Dunne, who headed it into the goal. Goal for Ireland! That made the score 3-3 on aggregate.
The crowd exploded with cheering and they roared the Irish team to the heavens. And there was no easing up now from Harry. He went on leading his marker a merry dance by moving from the wing to inside-right and back again. Then he made another break into the area, again timing his run to catch a left wing cross with a snap-shot that was only just kept out, thanks to a top drawer save from Norway’s goalkeeper. A minute later, Harry burst into the box again and fired another fierce strike which flew just wide of the post. At that stage, a second score seemed imminent for Ireland, they were running the show and the crowd was loving it.
Norway held on and they equalised in the 17th minute, making the score in the tie 4-3 overall. Ireland needed to score two goals to qualify. And then just before the half hour mark, Ireland were caught out and in a matter of seconds Norway had scored again and they were ahead in the tie by 5-3. Ireland now needed three unanswered goals, yet still their heads didn’t drop. But four minutes into the second half the Irish defence slipped up and Norway scored again, making the match score 3-1. That goal left Ireland’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread. They were down but not out – the tie might be lost but the match was not.
Harry and the other forwards kept hammering away at Norway, and just after the hour they forced the door open a little with a goal by O’Flanagan to make it 3-2! For the next thirty minutes they were relentless in attack as they searched for goals to save the day. But with each second defeat loomed larger and closer. The 86th minute came and went, as did the 87th and 88th minute, with no goal. Then, in the 89th minute, with defeat and despair approaching, Harry ploughed forward, hurtled into the box, got onto the ball and lashed it into the goal. The equaliser! Seconds later the final whistle went: Ireland 3, Norway 3. The Republic had missed out on the World Cup but they had refused to be beaten and they fought to the end. The Evening Herald: said “Goals are the pearls of football, and with six for a shilling at Dalymount Park the majority of the crowd went home satisfied, though a little sad at heart that there will be no World Cup for our boys next year. Harry Duggan played a grand game; he did some fine shooting and was the most purposeful of the Irish forwards. He made the first goal in the 10th minute, went near equalising with a great drive just after Norway went ahead and scored a grand third goal to equalise in the 89th minute.”
That was a good review for Harry. And the match turned out to be the last of his international appearances.
A couple of years later, Harry retired from playing. He finished his career at Newport, and then he moved back to his adopted home of Leeds and spent the rest of his life there. He was often welcomed back to Elland Road, where generations of Leeds United supporters remembered him as ‘the one and only right winger.’
