Tommy Aherne
| Date of birth | 26 January 1919 |
| Place of birth | Limerick |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Position | Full back |
Aherne 'Bud' Aherne grew up in Limerick and joined the Irish Army at 21. He joined Belfast Celtic, having previously played for Limerick, at the age of 26 and his football career blossomed late.
In 1947, he was a member of the Celtic team that beat Glentoran 1-0 at Windsor Park, with Charlie Tully (later of Glasgow Celtic fame) scoring the only goal, to win the Irish Cup. It was to be the last time that Belfast Celtic were to win this trophy.
Whilst with Celtic, he started to accumulate representative and international honours.
He was chosen to play for the Northern Ireland Regional League against the League of Ireland in March 1946 - the first of 6 Inter-League honours that he would win before moving to England.
In June of that year he made his full international debut for Republic of Ireland against Portugal in Lisbon and three months later he was capped for (Northern ) Ireland against England.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Celtic | 01 Mar 1949 | ||
| Luton Town | 01 Mar 1949 | 30 Jun 1957 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-44 | League of Ireland | Inter League | 2 | ||||
| 1944-45 | League of Ireland | Inter League | 2 | ||||
| 1945-46 | Ireland | Victory | 2 | ||||
| 1945-46 | Northern Ireland Regional League | Inter League | 2 | ||||
| 1946-47 | Ireland | British Home Championship | 1 | ||||
| 1946-47 | Irish League | Inter League | 1 | ||||
| 1946-47 | Northern Ireland Regional League | Inter League | 1 | ||||
| 1947-48 | Ireland | British Home Championship | 1 | ||||
| 1947-48 | Irish League | Inter League | 1 | ||||
| 1948-49 | Ireland | British Home Championship | 1 | ||||
| 1948-49 | Irish League | Inter League | 1 | ||||
| 1949-50 | Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr 1947 | IRISH LEAGUE v SCOTTISH LEAGUE | L | 4-7 | INTER LEAGUE | |
| 22 Oct 1947 | IRISH LEAGUE v FOOTBALL LEAGUE | L | 3-4 | INTER LEAGUE | |
| 06 Nov 1948 | Irish League v Scottish League | L | 0-1 | Inter League | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-46 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1949-50 | Republic of Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1949-50 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 1950-51 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 3 | ||||
| 1951-52 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 4 | ||||
| 1952-53 | Republic of Ireland | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1953-54 | Republic of Ireland | FIFA World Cup | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 1946 | Portugal v Republic of Ireland | L | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 23 Jun 1946 | Spain v Republic of Ireland | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Sep 1949 | Republic of Ireland v Finland | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 5 |
| 21 Sep 1949 | England v Republic of Ireland | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Oct 1949 | Finland v Republic of Ireland | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 5 |
| 13 Nov 1949 | Republic of Ireland v Sweden | L | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | Group 5 |
| 10 May 1950 | Belgium v Republic of Ireland | L | 5-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Nov 1950 | Republic of Ireland v Norway | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 13 May 1951 | Republic of Ireland v Argentina | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 30 May 1951 | Norway v Republic of Ireland | W | 2-3 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Oct 1951 | Republic of Ireland v West Germany | W | 3-2 | International Friendly | |
| 04 May 1952 | West Germany v Republic of Ireland | L | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 07 May 1952 | Austria v Republic of Ireland | L | 6-0 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Jun 1952 | Spain v Republic of Ireland | L | 6-0 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Nov 1952 | Republic of Ireland v France | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Oct 1953 | Republic of Ireland v France | L | 3-5 | FIFA World Cup | Group 4 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.