Paddy Bradshaw
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Patrick Joseph Bradshaw | ||
| Date of birth | 16 March 1912 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 11 March 1963 (aged 50) | ||
| Place of death | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1938–1941 | St James's Gate | ||
| 1941–19xx | Shelbourne | ||
| 1943–1944 | St James's Gate | ||
| International career | |||
| 1938–1939 | Ireland (FAI) | 5 | (4) |
| 1938–1940 | League of Ireland XI | 3 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paddy Bradshaw (16 March 1912 –11 March 1963)[1] was an Irish footballer who played for St James's Gate and Shelbourne in the League of Ireland. Bradshaw was something of a late bloomer, making his League of Ireland debut at the age of 26, before then going onto enjoy a brief but meteoric career during the seasons approaching the Second World War. A month after making his senior league debut, he made his international debut for Ireland and went on to make 5 appearances and score 4 goals during the 1938–39 international season. He was also the top goal scorer in the League of Ireland for two consecutive seasons, helping St James's Gate win the league title in 1940.
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.[2] 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.[3] Bradshaw also had a spell with Shelbourne and finished as the club's top league goalscorer with 11 goals during the 1941–42 season.[4]