Two New Zealanders have played for Northern Ireland in the past: George Moorhead (born in Christchurch) when Northern Ireland ("Ireland" 1922-1950) was the only recognized team in the 1920's and Billy Walsh (immigrated here after his British playing career) who played for both Northern Ireland and the Republic in the 1940's.
According to Roy Pilott, former Deputy Editor of the Waikato Times:
"The first player from New Zealand to appear in the Football League was Northern Ireland international George "Barney" Moorhead. who played in the 1920s... he had left this country as a two-year-old."
Moorhead was born in 1895 in Christchurch and played in England for Southampton and then Brighton & Hove Albion.
A colourful character: see this biographical site for Northern Ireland internationals:
- Hall of Fame - By Club - By Birth Place -
- 9 November 2008
(From:
http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2008/11/george-barney-moorhead.html
Name: George Moorhead
Born: 27 May 1895, Christchurch (New Zealand)
Died: 1976, Lurgan
Position: Centre-Half
Representative Honours: Ireland: 4 Full Caps (1923-1929); Irish League: 9 Caps (1924-1928).
Club Honours: (with Linfield) Irish League Champion; Irish Cup Winner 1922/23; Runner-Up 1925/26; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1922/23, 1928/29; City Cup Winner; Gold Cup Winner.
Club Career:
Teams.............. --Seasons-- Signed League FACup
Glenavon
Royal Ulster Rifles
Southampton........20/21.............9/ 0 .4/ 0
Brighton & Hove Alb22/23.............1/ 0
Linfield ........................ 1922
Glenavon
Linfield
Heart of Midlothian .................. 0/ 0
Biography:
One of the biggest names in the Irish League during the 1920s, George "Barney" Moorhead won four Ireland caps despite being born in New Zealand. Raised in Lurgan from the age of two, he worked as a ticket collector at Lurgan railway station until the age of 70.
Moorhead served with The Royal Irish Rifles during the Great War, during which time he played with the regimental team. With hostilities over he joined Southampton but found himself suspended for a year due to an "irregularity covering amateurs". When the suspension expired he joined Brighton but returned to Ireland within a few months.
Signed by Linfield in 1922, Moorhead was to become one of their all-time greats. Sadly the Blues were suffering a hangover from their 1921/21 clean-sweep campaign and struggled to reach those heights through Moorhead's nine year association with the club. He won a solitary Irish Cup winner's medal, Glentoran defeated 2-0 in the 1923 Final. For the 1930 Final he reportedly asked to be left out of the side in favour of Jack Jones.
An extremely consistent performer, Moorhead seldom missed a match despite walking from his Lurgan home to Windsor Park on match days in what he referred to as "a morning dander". Capped four times, three against Scotland, it was felt he was deserving of more international recognition. In addition Moorhead played nine times at inter-league level, only once avoiding defeat.
Ireland Cap Details:
03-03-1923 Scotland H L 0-1 BC
21-02-1928 France.. A L 0-4 FR
25-02-1928 Scotland A W 1-0 BC
23-02-1929 Scotland H L 3-7 BC
Summary: 4/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 3.
Billy Walsh: Probably the most high-profile player to immigrate to NZ - former Man City and Ireland midfielder who came out around the same time as Ken Armstrong in the 1950's:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Walsh_(Irish_footballer)
"Between 1944 and 1948 Walsh played six times for the IFA XI [Northern Ireland]. On 9 September 1944 he played for the IFA XI in an 8–4 defeat against a Combined Services XI at Windsor Park. This team was basically a Great Britain XI and featured, among others, Matt Busby, Stanley Matthews, Tommy Lawton and Stan Mortensen. [10] Walsh helped the IFA XI gain some respectable results, including a 2–0 win against Scotland on 4 October 1947, a 2–2 draw with England at Goodison Park on 5 November 1947 and a 2–0 win against Wales on 10 March 1948."
Played for Eastern Suburbs and the Auckland rep team in NZ, including a famous 3-0 thrashing of Austrian champs FK Austria, the best Austrian team of the twentieth century, in 1957:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/art...
He turned out for NZ in 1961 in an unofficial match vs. an English FA XI.
Former Manchester City player 1938 - 1950 and international for both Republic and Northern Ireland.
A very high-profile player, he played for the Republic side that defeated England 2-0 at Goodison Park in 1949, becoming the first non-British team to beat England at home:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_v_Ireland_(19...
Video of Ireland v England 1949:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY5i1NBBxzU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1b-SHCUSP0
English embarrassment lead to propaganda for decades that the defeat vs. Hungary in 1953 was "the first defeat on home soil." Most records have been corrected now.
Billy Walsh's ashes are interred at the Garden of Remembrance at the City of Manchester Stadium.
