Vinny Arkins

Arkins scored 15 goals as Dundee United's youth team made it to the Scottish Youth Cup Final in 1989. After signing for Noel King for £12,000 he made his League of Ireland debut for Shamrock Rovers against Bohemians on 15 October 1989 in a 3–1 win. Arkins went on to score 35 goals in 86 total appearances for The Hoops. He won the Player of the Year award in his first season as well as sharing the PFAI Young Player of the Year award and was top club goalscorer that season and in 1990–91. He was also the first player to score at Rovers rented ground, the RDS Arena, on 14 October 1990. Despite agreeing personal terms with Liam Brady to join Celtic in November 1991 the deal fell through as it was conditional on Celtic offloading some of their seven strikers. This deal would have been worth £80,000 to Rovers with the bonus of home and away friendlies between the clubs. In his last game for Rovers he scored against Galway at the RDS Arena Arkins joined St Johnstone for a reputed transfer fee of £40,000 with additional bonuses based on appearances in November 1991 Under the terms of the transfer fee to Rovers in 1989 Dundee United were entitled to half of this transfer fee. He scored his first goal at Ibrox Stadium in December in a 3–1 defeat. He returned home to sign for Shelbourne in 1993 and made his European bow in the 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup at FC Karpaty Lviv. Arkins was named on the best league XI for the 1994–95 League of Ireland Premier Division season after…

Arkins won representative honours with the League of Ireland XI and the Irish League XI, as well as eight Republic Ireland U21, one B, four schoolboy and three youth caps. Arkins scoring the winner against Turkey in October 1990.

Irish League Portadown 2001/2002 Irish Cup: 2 Portadown 1998/99, 2004/05 Mid-Ulster Cup: 3 Portadown 1997/1998, 2001/2002, 2002/2003 Irish FA Charity Shield Portadown 1999/2000 LFA President's Cup: Shelbourne 1993 PFAI Young Player of the Year: Shamrock Rovers – 1989/1990 SRFC Player of the Year: Shamrock Rovers – 1989/1990 Ulster Footballer of the Year Portadown 1999/2000 Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Player of the Year:2 Portadown 1999/2000, 2001/2002