Vinny Faherty

Early career

Born in Galway, Faherty began his career as a youngster with Salthill Devon. While playing for the Galway representative team, he broke Kevin Doyle's scoring record in the under-18 FAI Youth Interleague competition with 21 goals. As captain of Salthill Devon's under-21 team, he opened the scoring in the 2006 Dr Tony O'Neill Cup semi-final against Sligo Rovers F.C., and led his side to victory in the final, beating Cork City 2–1 to become the first club without a team in the League of Ireland to succeed at that level. In early 2007, Faherty spent two spells on trial with Ipswich Town of the English Championship. He scored twice against Millwall in a friendly, and played for the reserve team against Luton Town, but no contract ensued.

Galway United

After three years with Salthill Devon, Faherty chose to defer going to college and, despite interest from clubs including Ipswich Town and Coventry City, joined Galway United, his hometown team, in July 2007. Described by the Galway Advertiser as having "impressed when introduced for his debut" against Cork City, he appeared regularly for the remainder of the season, sometimes in the starting eleven but more often as a substitute. Faherty's first senior goal for the club coincided with Jeff Kenna's first game as manager, as Galway lost 3–2 at home to Bray Wanderers in April 2008. He finished the 2008 season as the clubs second highest goal scorer behind Jay O'Shea and finished with the clubs most…

Faherty's performances for Salthill earned him selection for the Republic of Ireland at various levels. He played for the Irish amateur team against Northern Ireland in March 2007, scoring twice and creating a third, in an amateur international against Scotland in April, and for the Under-21 representative team in the 2007 Four Nations Tournament. In 2010, Faherty played for the Republic of Ireland under-23s in a training match against the senior national squad.