Northern Irish Footballers With Links To The Channel Islands

In our ongoing series on Northern Irishmen who played for other countries (and vice versa), it’s time for The Channel Islands. What are the Northern Irish links to the likes of Brecqhou, Sark, Lihou, Herm, Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey etc.? Previous articles include –

Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For Australia
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For Canada
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For New Zealand
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For USA
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For Scotland
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For England
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For Wales
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For The Kong
Northern Irish Footballers Who Played For The Dominican Republic
Welsh-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Lithuanian-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Indian-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
English-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Zambian-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
German-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Spanish-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Scottish-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Canadian-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
USA-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland
Norwegian-born Footballers Who Played For Northern Ireland

These lists are constantly needing to be updated so if any players have been missed or any stats are wrong, please get in touch with us!

1.Ryan Zico Black

Northern Ireland caps – Under 18 – 1, Under 21 – 2.
Guernsey caps – 6 caps, 2 goals.
Position – Midfielder.
Clubs – Scumdogs, AFC Bournemouth, Morecambe, PLymouth Argyle, Exeter City, Northwich Victoria, Glenavon, Lancaster City, Kettering Town, Barrow, Bamber Bridge, Sunshine George Cross, Morwell, Pegasus, AFC Fylde, Rossendale United, San Fulgencio, Vale Recreation.
Northern Ireland link – Da.
Claim Till Fame – Scored at the Maracana (https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/25550890)
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan-Zico_Black

Ryan Zico Black is a nuts one for a teaser and usually goes unsolved. The footballer who was capped by two different countries, was at clubs in 5 countries (2 of whom have won the World Cup – Spain and England), scored at the Maracana, played for Gazza, played against his namesake Zico and has a Da with a link to Bobby Sands!

2000	Northern Ireland U18	1	(0)
2002	Northern Ireland U21	2	(0)
2005–	Guernsey	6	(2)

2.Chris Tardiff

Northern Ireland caps – Under 19 – 1.
Guernsey caps – 12 caps.
Position – Nets.
Clubs – AFC Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Havant & Waterlooville, Newport (IOW), Oxford United, Basingstoke Town, Maidenhead United, Farnborough, Bognor Regis Town, Saint Martin’s AC, Vale Recreation.
Northern Ireland link – Loophole loyal. British Overseas Citizen.
Claim Till Fame – Chris has played in two international tournaments for Guernsey – the 2011 Island Games and the Muratti Vase (which he has finished 1st and 2nd in).
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Tardif

Tardiff is an odd one as he didn’t actually have any link – he was loophole loyal. As none of the Channel Islands are affiliated to FIFA — although have county football association status within England’s Football Association — and Tardif was born in Guernsey, he was therefore eligible to play for any home nation, and represented Northern Ireland at U19 level. He was called into the U21 squad in September 2001, for a European Championship qualifier against Malta, but did not play.

3.David Waterman

Northern Ireland caps – Under 21 – 14.
Guernsey caps – uncertain.
Position – Defender and Midfielder.
Clubs – Belgrave Wanderers, Portsmouth, Northerners, Oxford United, Weymouth, Bognor Regis Town, Gosport Borough.
Northern Ireland link – Ma.
Claim Till Fame – His only ever professional goal was away at AFC Bournemouth.
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Waterman

Waterman played 14 times for Northern Ireland U21, for whom he qualified for through his mother. It’s no big coincidence that a lot of these lads played for clubs on the English south coast and Waterman played for a bunch – he even weighed in with his first professional goal on the south coast against the Cherries. Most of the other prominent Channel Islanders do that – Matt Le Tissier (Eastleigh and Southampton), Graeme Le Saux (Southampton) and Brett Pitman (Bournemouth).

4.Trevor Wood

Northern Ireland caps – 1 full level, 1 B level.
Jersey caps – uncertain.
Position – Nets.
Clubs – Walsall, Brighton and Hove Albion, Port Vale, Hereford United, Saint Patrick’s Athletic.
Northern Ireland link – Loophole loyal. British Overseas Citizen.
Claim Till Fame – Trevor is the only goalkeeper in Northern Ireland’s history to never concede an international goal. He played just twice (1A, 1B).
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Wood

Trevor Wood is also a nuts one! He once kept a clean sheet against Celtic in the Champions League, as well as playing twice for Northern Ireland and not conceding a goal – he played 45 minutes of a 4-0 win at Liechtenstein in 1995, and for Northern Ireland B Team a year later in a 3-0 win over Coleraine! He also won the TNT Cup when he was at Port Vale, and they played against Dutch Team Go Ahead Eagles. Wood also won the Republic of Ireland league twice! Quite the career for a lad who had no actual link to Northern Ireland!

Red Herrings

These lads are red herrings – they don’t have a link to The Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, but almost.

1.Matthew Le Tissier

In 1994, when Matt Le Tissier was arguably at his peak, Bryan Hamilton gave the lad a bell and asked him to play for Northern Ireland. He declines of course, but the story made the back page of the Belfast Telegraph for a night. Nice dream.

“It’s only Matthew Le Tissier who can score goals like that” – BBC Commentator.

2.Daryl Clare

This lad was born in Jersey but later represented Republic of Ireland.

3.Michael Spillane

This lad was also born in Jersey but represented Republic of Ireland. He was also involved in the Luton Town crazy story, as he played for them in the Wembley FA Trophy Final.

4.Davy Wells

Portsmouth-born Davy Wells spent some time in the Channel Islands and represented Northern Ireland at under 21 level.