Paddy Bradshaw

Bradshaw was born in a poor part of Dublin and left school at an early age to help supplement his family income, working mainly on the docks. His football talents soon brought him to prominence and proved a help in gaining employment. A hard, tenacious striker with a strong body swerve and great pace, he could beat defenders with ease. Despite this, he turned down offers from several clubs in the League of Ireland and from Manchester City. At the end of the 1937–38 season, at the age of 26, he was at his peak. He played for an Ireland Junior team against a Birmingham FA XI at Dalymount Park and scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 defeat. A week later, he scored again for a Leinster Senior League XI in a 2–2 draw with Motherwell. The interest in him increased and he eventually signed for St James's Gate. On his senior debut for the club in August 1938, he scored five goals in a 10–2 win against Limerick. The next two seasons saw Bradshaw finish as top goalscorer in the League of Ireland, scoring 22 goals in 1938–39 and 29 in 1939–40. Bradshaw also had a spell with Shelbourne and finished as the club's top league goalscorer with 11 goals during the 1941–42 season.

St James's Gate League of Ireland: 1 1939–40 League of Ireland Shield: 1 1940–41 Dublin City Cup: 1 1938–39 Individual League of Ireland Top Scorer: 1938–39, 1939–40 Source: