38 Facts About Terry Conroy

Gerard Anthony Francis Conroy was born on 2 October 1946 and is an Irish former professional footballer.

Terry Conroy scored two goals and won 27 caps for the Republic of Ireland in a seven-year international career from 1969 to 1977.

Terry Conroy spent 12 years with Stoke, scoring 67 goals in 333 league and cup appearances.

Terry Conroy was a popular figure with Stoke fans due to his creative flair and dribbling ability, as well as his distinctive pale skin, bright ginger hair and sideburns.

Terry Conroy moved to Hong Kong to play for Bulova in 1979.

Terry Conroy returned to England the following year to join Crewe Alexandra in the Fourth Division.

Terry Conroy signed with Irish club Waterford in September 1981, moving on to Limerick United in November 1982, where he ended his career.

Terry Conroy later ran his own insurance business and worked for Stoke City and the Football Association of Ireland.

Gerard Anthony Francis Terry Conroy was born in Dublin to John and Esther Terry Conroy, and was one of ten siblings: Alphonsus, Laurence, John, Rita, Peter, Michael, Vincent, Paul, and Marie.

Terry Conroy's mother held two jobs: as a factory worker and an office cleaner.

Terry Conroy later credited his ball control skills to the many years he spent playing football with large numbers of other children in the tight streets of Cabra.

Terry Conroy began his career with Home Farm, where he won four Irish youth caps.

Terry Conroy played for the Home Farm under-13s at the age of ten, at a time when Home Farm were considered the best youth team in the country.

However, Terry Conroy was determined to go beyond playing in the League of Ireland and was determined to play as a professional in the English Football League.

In 1964, Terry Conroy was offered a contract at Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers.

Terry Conroy received a league winner's medal despite leaving the club before the end of the season.

Terry Conroy had played for Home Farm in a friendly match against Stoke City at the age of 17 and impressed City manager Tony Waddington, who continued to track Terry Conroy's progress via his local scout George Eastham, Sr.

Waddington did, though sometimes prefer to play John Mahoney to Terry Conroy, using Mahoney as an extra defensive midfielder to make Stoke more solid defensively.

Terry Conroy was a key figure in the semi-final decider at Old Trafford against West Ham, as he won a penalty in the first half and then scored the winning goal on 49 minutes with a 25-yard volley.

Terry Conroy underwent surgery to remove more cartilage from his knees and as a result, lost some of his natural pace and strength, making him a less effective player for the remainder of his career.

However, Terry Conroy again struggled with injuries and was limited to just 16 league appearances.

Terry Conroy played most of these games as a centre-forward, as regular striker John Ritchie missed much of the season with a broken leg and Geoff Hurst was nearing the end of his career and was unable to play every game.

Terry Conroy later blamed complacency on the part of the players, admitting that he "never conceived" that Stoke could be relegated after their successes earlier in the decade.

Terry Conroy was offered a contract by Worcester City and spoke with Tranmere Rovers manager John King, but instead joined Hong Kong club Bulova on a free transfer in 1979.

Terry Conroy signed with Crewe Alexandra in a move that reunited him with Tony Waddington, his former manager at Stoke City.

Terry Conroy retired at the end of the season to attempt to launch a career in coaching.

Terry Conroy later played at a semi-professional level in Ireland, joining Waterford United in September 1981, and then Limerick in November 1982.

Terry Conroy returned to the international fold though in 1981, when he was appointed as assistant to the manager Eoin Hand.

Hand's contract was not renewed in 1985, and Terry Conroy left his role soon before new manager Jack Charlton took charge.

Terry Conroy was a firm fan favourite amongst Stoke City supporters due to his ability to create something out of nothing and his distinctive pale skin, bright ginger hair and sideburns.

Terry Conroy described himself as having "the classic winger's role; a trick, then head down and go, hit the byline and cross".

Terry Conroy got up took the return pass and after battling down the wing he flicked the ball past Tommy Lawrence with the outside of his boot.

Terry Conroy met Sue at The Place nightclub in Hanley in 1970, and the pair got married on 13 May 1972.

Terry Conroy later ran an insurance business in Ashton-under-Lyne and later supervised industrial cleaning contract work at exhibitions and shows.

Terry Conroy returned to former club Stoke City in 1997 to work in the hospitality department at the new Britannia Stadium.

Terry Conroy later worked as a PA matchday announcer at the ground.

Terry Conroy was appointed welfare officer by the Football Association of Ireland in 2008, giving him the responsibility to look after Irish youngsters who came to the UK to join academy scholarship programmes.

In March 2011, Terry Conroy fell seriously ill with a suspected vascular aneurysm.