As you may all be aware, myself and my good friend Joe Doherty, have published a new book, that features every player to have played a competitive game for Finn Harps. The Book was launched earlier this month and is now only available on Amazon. UK & Northern Ireland buy off amazon.co.uk; Ireland & EU buy off amazon.de; and finally Worldwide amazon.com.
This snapshot in time was taken during the 1973/74 season. I am not sure when it was taken but was a photograph that was sent onto me when we planning the fortieth anniversary of the 1974 FAI Cup Final win. It is a great shot of Charlie Ferry.
Charlie Ferry was born in Co. Donegal but moved to Derry at a young age. Charlie played junior, intermediate and senior football for Finn Harps.
When Harps got into the League of Ireland, Charlie was signed with Coleraine, and signed for Harps from them. A dead ball specialist, Charlie scored the first penalty kick for Harps v Dundalk in the Shield in 1969. He also scored from three penalty kicks v Home Farm in January 1974. He also scored direct from two corner kicks during his time with Harps.
When Harps won the 1974 FAI Cup, Charlie scored in every round of the Cup, a record that stands to this day. In his eleven years with Harps he won three runners up medals in the League, 1974 FAI Cup winners’ medal, Dublin City Cup winners’ medal and played in all Harps European ties Europe and scored once v Bursaspor. He also won a League title, while on loan at Sligo Rovers, in 1977. Charlie was capped once for the Republic of Ireland amateur team in 1975 v Czechoslavakia.
I interviewed Charlie in February 2004 and when I pressed him to name his most memorable match he names a few, obviously the 1974 Cup Final “I had scored against St Pats two weeks previously in a League game from a free kick. Tom Lally, the St Pats keeper, told us afterwards that he had worked on free kicks all week leading up to the match and putting two in the wall so he could see where the ball was going to go. We got a free kick after only a couple of minutes and I stepped up and blasted the ball into the net. You know I scored in every round of the cup and along with Paddy McGrory, we were the only survivors from the first team that was my biggest achievement.”
He also recalled the game against Bursaspor in Turkey, and claims he scored the best goal of his career that night. “The goal I got in Turkey, I wouldn’t bum about it but it was a cracker of a goal” and he breaks into laughter “It was scored from about thirty five yards out and flew into the net. He goes onto recall “we had a pretty good side that year with Paul McGee, who went on to play for the Republic, Chang Smith, Hilary Carlyle and the other goal scorer Brendan (Bradley). Back at Finn Park we peppered them but we couldn’t score, their keeper was unbelievable and we hit the bar a couple of times but couldn’t score.”
Charlie Ferry made 263 appearances scoring 47 goals.
