When you think of modern St Patrick’s Athletic legends, one name always rises to the top, Christy Fagan. The Dublin born striker didn’t just score goals, he scored the goals that mattered most.
From firing the Saints to their long-awaited league title in 2013 to etching his name into history with two goals in the 2014 FAI Cup final, Fagan’s legacy is one of big moments, loyalty, and quality. To the Inchicore faithful, he’s more than a centre forward, he’s the man who delivered glory days they had dreamed of for decades.
Early Career.
Fagan was born in Dublin in May 1989, starting his career at Home Farm. When he turned 16 years old, he signed a schoolboy contract with Manchester United, making regular appearances for their youth teams. He won the FA youth cup in the 06-07 season with the Red Devils. Fagan made 2 appearances for the reserves, scoring against Middlesbrough after coming on for fellow Irishmen John O’Shea. Fagan made his senior team debut for United in a 2-0 win against Oldham Athletic in the Manchester Senior Cup. Fagan was later released at the end of the 07-08 season due to poor performances.
Fagan later went onto have spells at Huddersfield Town and Hamilton in Scotland before landing a deal with Lincoln City in 2009. He never made an impact for the Imps, and would later be released in 2010.
Homecoming.
Upon his release from Lincoln, Fagan was called by Pat Fenlon to play for Bohemians in 2011, coming up to the new League of Ireland season. He scored his first goal for Dublin’s Originals in his league debut from the penalty spot against Bray Wanderers. He netted 11 goals in 23 games during an injury affected season, noticeably scoring in the UEFA Europa League against Olimpija Ljubljana from Slovenia.
Fagan would eventually sign for St Pats in 2012. Fagan replaced Danny North as St Pats’ new number 9 and instantly became a fan favourite, getting MOTM against Cliftonville in the first round of the Setanta Cup. Scoring goals against rivals like Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers, Fagan was adored by the Pats faithful instantly. He scored many European goals, such as against Legia Warsaw to get an infamous 1-1 draw in Poland.
Glory Days.
Fagan was unfavored after a goal drought at the start of the 2013 season, being benched for Anthony Flood. However, with Flood getting the flu, Fagan made the most of it and scored 2 against Shelbourne and regained his starting spot.
The following season, Fagan had another successful season, but most noticeably scoring the 2nd goal in the FAI cup final against Derry City, where Pats lifted the cup. Fagan became a hero from then on.
Retirement.
Fagan started to suffer with knee problems around June 2018 and had surgery. By the time he recovered, he was out of contract with Pats. This led to Fagan’s unfortunate retirement at the age of 30, ending the legacy of one of the greatest strikers to play for the Saints.
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