A Beautiful Friendship

Christy Fagan and Conan Byrne were both on the scoresheet in St. Patrick’s Athletic’s 3-2 over Drogheda United on Friday night, taking their league goal tallies to 19 and 16 respectively. It’s the first time that two teammates have scored sixteen goals each since Eugene Davis (23) and Michael O’Connor (16) for Athlone Town in 1980/81.

The only other top flight players with 15 goals or more since then were Shelbourne duo Stephen Geoghegan (16) and Pat Morley (15) in 1996/97. With 35 goals, Fagan and Byrne have equalled the record Premier Division tally by Bohs pairing Glen Crowe and Trevor Molloy in 2000/01.

One more from either of them would make it the best top flight partnership since Liam Buckley and Alan Campbell (pictured below) combined for 38 goals in Shamrock Rovers’ 1983/84 season. Remarkably, three Dolphin players scored 16 goals in 1935/36. Ray Rogers (23), James Leonard (17) and Eddie Carroll (16) scored 56 of their side’s 66 goals between them that season.

Dundalk’s Pat Hoban (19) and Richie Towell (11) are on 30 goals at the moment. The First Division wrapped up on Sunday with strike partners David O’Sullivan (21) and Gary Shaw (13) finishing the campaign on 34 goals for champions Longford Town.

Shamrock Rovers duo Billy ‘Juicy’ Farrell (25) and Bob Fullam (20) in 1924/25 and Austin Noonan (27) and Donal Leahy (20) in 1959/60 are the only colleagues to each hit 20 goals in a League of Ireland season. Leahy and Noonan terrorised defences for years, combining for at least 30 goals in five consecutive seasons for Evergreen United and Cork Celtic from 1957/58 to 1961/62.

47 – Cork Celtic 1959/60 – Austin Noonan (27) and Donal Leahy (20)
45 – Shamrock Rovers 1924/25 – Billy Farrell (25) and Bob Fullam (20)
44 – Cork 1935/36 – Jimmy Turnbull (37) and Andy Percy (7)
43 – Waterford 1954/55 – Jimmy Gauld (30) and Jack Fitzgerald (13)
40 – Shelbourne 1922/23 – Ralph Ardiff (26) and Stephen Doyle (14)
40 – Dolphin 1935/36 – Ray Rogers (23) and James Leonard (17)
40 – St. James’s Gate 1939/40 – Paddy Bradshaw (29) and George Jackson (11)
39 – Shamrock Rovers 1925/26 – Billy Farrell (24) and Bob Fullam (15)
39 – Shelbourne 1927/28 – Sammy McIlvenny (22) and John McMillan (17)
39 – Waterford 1937/38 – Tim O’Keefe (21) and Hughie O’Donnell (18)
39 – Athlone Town 1980/81 – Eugene Davis (23) and Michael O’Connor (16)
38 – Cork 1931/32 – Pearson Ferguson (21) and Peter Cunningham (17)
38 – St. James’s Gate 1937/38 – Willie Byrne (25) and Mattie Geoghegan (13)
38 – St. Patrick’s Ath 1955/56 – Shay Gibbons (21) and Paddy O’Rourke (17)
38 – Finn Harps 1975/76 – Brendan Bradley (29) and Terry Harkin (9)
38 – Shamrock Rovers 1983/84 – Alan Campbell (24) and Liam Buckley (14)
37 – Shamrock Rovers 1922/23 – Bob Fullam (27) and Bob Cowzer (10)
37 – St. Patrick’s Ath 1954/55 – Shay Gibbons (28) and Johnny Cassidy (9)
37 – Cork Hibernians 1971/72 – Tony Marsden (22) and Miah Dennehy (15)
37 – Athlone Town 2000/01 – Andy Myler (29) and Stephen Mullen (8) – FD *
36 – Shelbourne 1930/31 – Alexander Hair (29) and Jimmy Howieson (7)
36 – Cork United 1944/45 – Sean McCarthy (26) and Jackie O’Driscoll (10)
36 – Drumcondra 1960/61 – Dan McCaffrey (29) and Jimmy Morrissey (7)
36 – Bohemians 1973/74 – Terry Flanagan (18) and Turlough O’Connor (18)
36 – Bohemians 1977/78 – Turlough O’Connor (24) and Joe Salmon (12)
36 – Cork City 2011 – Graham Cummins (24) and Davin O’Neill (12) – FD
35 – Shamrock Rovers 1931/32 – Paddy Moore (18) and David Byrne (17)
35 – Shelbourne 1954/55 – Rory Dwyer (19) and Dermot Curtis (16)
35 – Waterford 1958/59 – Alfie Hale (18) and Peter Fitzgerald (17)
35 – Finn Harps 1971/72 Brendan Bradley (18) and Terry Harkin (17)
35 – Bohemians 2000/01 – Glen Crowe (25) and Trevor Molloy (10)
35 – Sporting Fingal 2009 – Conan Byrne (20) and Eamon Zayed (15) – FD *
35 – St. Patrick’s Ath 2014 – Christy Fagan (19) and Conan Byrne (16)
34 – Waterford 1931/32 – Jack Forster (21) and Johnny Middleton (13)
34 – Waterford 1935/36 – Samuel Gill (19) and Waltie Walsh (15)
34 – Sligo Rovers 1936/37 – Harry Litherland (19) and Lewis Hughes (15)
34 – Waterford 1940/41 – Johnny Johnstone (17) and Tim O’Keefe (17)
34 – Waterford 1972/73 – Alfie Hale (20) and Johnny Matthews (14)
34 – Finn Harps 2001/02 – Kevin McHugh (27) and Jonathan Speak (7) – FD
34 – Longford Town 2014 – David O’Sullivan (21) and Gary Shaw (13) – FD
33 – Cork Celtic 1960/61 – Donal Leahy (21) and Austin Noonan (12)
33 – Cork Celtic 1961/62 – Donal Leahy (18) and Austin Noonan (15)
33 – Waterford 1971/72- Alfie Hale (22) and Dave Kirby (11)
33 – Athlone Town 1981/82 – Michael O’Connor (22) and Denis Clarke (11)
33 – Shelbourne 2004 – Jason Byrne (25) and Glen Fitzpatrick (8)
32 – Bohemians 1923/24 – Dave Roberts (20) and Christy Robinson (12)
32 – Dolphin 1931/32 – Jimmy Shiels (18) and Johnny Somers (14)
32 – St. Patrick’s Ath 1951/52 – Shay Gibbons (26) and John Breen (6)
32 – Waterford 1968/69 – Alfie Hale (16) and John O’Neill (16)
32 – Shelbourne 1925/26 – John Simpson (18) and Fran Watters (15)
32 – Finn Harps 1970/71 – Brendan Bradley (20) and Ray Gaston (12)
32 – Finn Harps 1972/73 – Terry Harkin (20) and Joe Nicholl (12)
32 – Shamrock Rovers 1979/80 – Alan Campbell (24) and Ray Treacy (10)
32 – Shamrock Rovers 1981/82 – Liam Buckley (21) and Alan Campbell (11)
32 – Shelbourne 2011 – Philly Hughes (17) and David Cassidy (15) – FD

*Includes 2 playoff goals for Myler and Zayed, 1 for Byrne