Pat McGibbon

Infobox Football biography
playername = Pat McGibbon


fullname = Patrick Colm McGibbon
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1973|9|6
cityofbirth = Lurgan, County Armagh
countryofbirth = Northern Ireland
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = height|ft=6|in=2
position = Centre-back
currentclub = Lurgan Celtic (manager)
youthyears = ?-1991
youthclubs = Portadown
years = 1991-1992
1992-1997
1996
1997
1997-2002
2002
2002
2002-2004
2004-2006
clubs = Portadown
Manchester United
→ Swansea City (loan)
→ Wigan Athletic (loan)
Wigan Athletic
→ Scunthorpe United (loan)
Tranmere Rovers
Portadown
Glentoran
caps(goals) = 001 0(0)
000 0(0)
001 0(0)
010 0(1)
163 (11)
006 0(0)
004 0(0)
00? 0(4)
024 0(1)
nationalyears = 1994
1994-1999
1995-2000
nationalteam = Northern Ireland U-21
Northern Ireland B
Northern Ireland
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 0(0)
005 0(0)
007 0(0)
manageryears = 2006-
managerclubs = Lurgan Celtic

Patrick Colm "Pat" McGibbon (born 6 September 1973 in Lurgan, County Armagh) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer. His regular position was at centre-back.

He is currently managing his hometown club, Lurgan Celtic. [cite news |title=Small aiming for big things |url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/football?articleid=3120991 |publisher=NewsLetter.com |date=2007-08-17 |accessdate=2007-08-23 |quote=In Group A, Ards will be looking to consolidate their place at the top of the table when they entertain Pat McGibbon's Lurgan Celtic... ]

McGibbon began his career at his local Irish Premier League club, Portadown, signing a professional contract with them in 1991, aged just 18. A year later, he was signed by Manchester United for £100,000. He made his debut for the Red Devils in a League Cup tie against York City in September 1995; unfortunately, United lost the match 3-0 and McGibbon was sent off. McGibbon made no further appearances for United, despite being named on the substitutes bench a number of times, and was loaned out to Swansea City and Wigan Athletic during the 1996-97 season.

McGibbon made ten appearances for the Latics during his loan spell at Springfield Park, and even scored the goal that guaranteed Wigan's promotion to Division Two. Wigan signed McGibbon on a permanent deal in the summer of 1997, paying Manchester United £250,000 for the defender's services (a fee which would eventually rise to £380,000).cite web |url=http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2007/08/pat-mcgibbon.html |title=Pat McGibbon |accessdate=2007-08-24 |author=jcd |date=2007-08-02 |publisher=Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats ]

In his five years at Wigan, McGibbon made over 150 appearances and scored 11 goals for the Latics. However, he was granted a transfer request in 2001, and began to fall out of favour with manager Paul Jewell towards the end of his tenure at the Lancashire club. In February 2002, he was loaned out to Scunthorpe United for two months with a view to a permanent deal. However, McGibbon could not agree personal terms with Scunthorpe, and he returned to Wigan. Nevertheless, he was released that summer, and was soon picked up by Tranmere Rovers, managed by McGibbon's former boss at Wigan, Ray Mathias.

However, McGibbon only stayed at Tranmere for a month, and moved back to Portadown in September 2002. Two years later, he signed for Glentoran and picked up an Irish Premier League winner's medal in his first season there. McGibbon did not complete a second season at The Oval, as he retired from professional football to go back to his physiotherapy business in Portadown in March 2003. Injury was originally cited as the reason for McGibbon's retirement, but after he went on record with major criticisms of the Glentoran board, it became apparent that there were deeper reasons for his departure.

McGibbon made only seven appearances for the senior Northern Ireland team in a very on-off five-year international career. He also made five appearances for the Northern Ireland B team, highlighting his status as very much a fringe player in the national set-up.

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