Gavin Donoghue
Personal information
Full name	Gavin Donoghue
Date of birth	3 March 1989 (1989-03-03) (age 24)
Place of birth	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Height	1.82 metres (6 ft)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Sunderland
Number	36
Youth clubs
1994–1998 1999–2004	Rathcoole Boys Cherry Orchard
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2005-2008	Sunderland	00 (0)
National team
2005–2007 2007–	Republic of Ireland U17 Republic of Ireland U19	5 (0) 2 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Gavin Donoghue (born 3 March 1989 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish footballer. He played as a central defender for Sunderland in the Premier League. However he was released at the end of the 2007/2008 season on a free transfer.^[1]

He has played organised football since 1994, when he was five years old. He played previously for the Ratcoole Boys Club and Cherry Orchard; Sunderland's former manager (Mick McCarthy) brought him to the team. He was part of the Sunderland U18 team that played in the F.A. Premier Academy U18 in 2007, and has also played for Ireland at the junior level, as well as having played Gaelic football in Ireland.

Early careerEdit

Donoghue began playing with the Rathcoole Boys Club, a schoolboy team, at the age of five (1994). He continued with the team for five seasons before moving to Cherry Orchard in Ballyfermot, Dublin.^[2]

He played with Cherry Orchard beginning at the under-nine level and finishing at the under-16 level. He was also part of the 2001 DDSL (Dublin and District School Boys League) Kennedy Cup team and has played for Ireland at the junior level, including playing as captain. Donoghue is also a Gaelic football player. He played with Round Tower GAA Club and St. Judes GAA Club whilst in his early teens. At one stage, he turned out for both the under-13 Dublin Gaelic team and the under-13 DDSL team.

Following trials with Leeds United, Manchester City, Charlton Athletic, and Preston North End, he decided to move to Wearside in favour of Premier League clubs, and signed on a Youth Training Scheme contract with Sunderland in 2004.^[3] Donoghue was nominated for the Under-16 FAI/eircom player of the year for the 2006–07 season.^[4]

.

SunderlandEdit

Following his first season at Sunderland—he played regularly for the under-18 and reserve team sides. He crushed his fifth metatarsal in his left foot while playing in a reserve match against Newcastle United in 2006. Following his recovery, he broke this bone again in early November 2006 and was sidelined for eight months, eventually needing a bone graft and metal pins to repair the damage.^[5]

Donoghue's hard work and determination were rewarded by Roy Keane, who extended his YTS contract with the club until December 2007 to prove his worth. He was included in the 2007 first team tour of Ireland, and played in a 4–0 friendly win against Galway United and was an unused substitute in the 1–0 win over Bohemian F.C.^[6][7][8]

Donoghue has been playing regular reserve team football during the 2007–08 season for Sunderland and has scored two goals to date—a header against Newcastle United, and a 25 yard shot against Wearside Football League team Wolviston, in the Newton Moor Durham County Challenge Cup.^[9][10]

Donoghue was in the Sunderland first team squad and only even remained on the fringes of the first team, most of his football came mostly in the Sunderland U18's and reserves teams.^[11] He wears squad number 36 for Sunderland.^[12] Donoghue named on Sunderland's squad of sixteen for the first time in the 3–0 defeat to Luton on 28 August, 2007 at Kenilworth Road, he was an unused sub.^[13]

Sunderland under-18sEdit

Donoghue was part of the Sunderland U18's that reached the F.A. Premier Academy U18 final, against Leicester City in front of 5,000 supporters on 20 May 2007 at the Stadium of Light, missing a penalty in the shoot-out after the match ended 2–2.^[14][15]

International careerEdit

Donoghue has represented his country at the under-15, under-17, and under-19 levels, making his debut for the under-17 team in a 2–0 win over England under-17 team on 7 August 2005 at the Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavik in the under-17 Nordic tournament.^[2][16]

He played in a 1–0 win over Holland under-17 team in the Algarve tournament on 1 March 2007 with Cillian Sheridan scoring the only goal.^[17]

He also featured in both 2–1 defeats against Chile under-19 team, the first match being on 7 August 2007 at Athlone Towns's Lissywoolen Stadium,^[18] and the second match was played on 9 August 2007, also at the Lissywoolen Stadium.^[19] He has been involved in the under-19 squad for the two matches against the Czech Republic under-19 team on the 5th and 7th of January at Drogheda.^[20]

ReferencesEdit