John Martin (footballer, born 1999)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Paulstown, County Kilkenny, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shelbourne | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vale Wanderers | |||
| New Oak | |||
| Belvedere | |||
| Shelbourne | |||
| 2015–2016 | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| 2017 | Waterford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Waterford | 78 | (20) |
| 2019 | → Bray Wanderers (loan) | 7 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Dundalk | 63 | (8) |
| 2024– | Shelbourne | 37 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| 2016 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017 | Republic of Ireland U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:40, 31 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
John Martin is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club Shelbourne.
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]Martin was born on 5 January 1999 in Paulstown, Ireland. His first club was Vale Wanderers in Leighlinbridge, before he moved to New Oak in Carlow. He subsequently played youth football with Belvedere, Shelbourne, St Patrick's Athletic, and Waterford.[1]
Waterford and Bray Wanderers
[edit]Martin's senior career began at Waterford in the 2017 League of Ireland First Division. He made his professional debut at home to Longford Town in May 2017.[2] The club were promoted at the end of that season, and he played the following 4 seasons with the club in the Premier Division. He spent the second half of the 2019 season on loan at Bray Wanderers back in the First Division.
Dundalk
[edit]In 2022, Martin joined Premier Division side Dundalk. His first goal for the club was a late winner against Shelbourne in the league.[3] During his tenure at Dundalk, he made 73 appearances and scored 10 goals.
Shelbourne
[edit]In December 2023, Martin signed for Shelbourne. Manager Damien Duff praised Martin for his "hunger to score goals and win games" and noted that his versatility — capable of playing both as a centre‐forward and on the wing — made him a perfect fit for the team's style of play.[4] After the club won the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division title, Duff praised Martin's contribution and, in particular, his mentality and workrate.[5]
International career
[edit]Martin has represented the Republic of Ireland at U17, U18, and U19 level.
Personal life
[edit]Martin has a twin brother, Paul, who is also a professional footballer and is who plays for Wexford.[6] They played together at Waterford and for the Republic of Ireland U17 in a friendly against Switzerland U17 in March 2016. They have also faced each other in an FAI Cup tie in 2022, with Paul's Waterford side gaining victory over John's Dundalk.[7]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played on 28 March 2025[8]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Waterford | 2017 | LOI First Division | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[c] | 0 | 16 | 4 | |
| 2018 | LOI Premier Division | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 0[c] | 0 | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 1 | 9 | 1 | ||||
| 2020 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 4 | |||||
| 2021 | 31 | 10 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 1[d] | 0 | 36 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 78 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | 90 | 24 | |||
| Bray Wanderers (loan) | 2019 | LOI First Division | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | |||
| Dundalk | 2022 | LOI Premier Division | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 34 | 2 | |||
| 2023 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 4[e] | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 39 | 8 | |||
| Total | 63 | 8 | 5 | 0 | – | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 10 | |||
| Shelbourne | 2024 | LOI Premier Division | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | – | 3[g] | 0 | 0[f] | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0[h] | 0 | 0[i] | 0 | 7 | 1 | |||
| Total | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 185 | 35 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 213 | 41 | ||
- ^ Includes FAI Cup
- ^ Includes League of Ireland Cup
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ Appearance in the 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division Promotion/Relegation Play-off
- ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ Appearance(s) in the UEFA Conference League
- ^ Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in the President of Ireland's Cup
Honours
[edit]- Waterford[9]
- Shelbourne[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Cribbin, Robert. "Paulstown star joins Dundalk ahead of new League of Ireland season". kilkennypeople.ie. Kilkenny Live. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Extratime.com player profile". extratime.com. Extratime. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Rogers, James. "O'Donnell hopes Shels goal kick-starts Martin's Dundalk career". independent.ie. Irish Independent. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ O'Connor, Seán. "Damien Duff bolsters Shelbourne squad with signings of John Martin and John O'Sullivan". independent.ie. Irish Independent. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ O'Keeffe, Shane. "High Praise for Local Football Stars John Martin and Pádraig Amond". kclr96fm.com. KCLR. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Rogers, James. "John Martin could face his twin brother in Dundalk's FAI Cup clash with Waterford". independent.ie. Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "A 'weird' night for the Martin twins as Blues prevail". rte.ie. RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Republic of Ireland - J. Martin - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
- ^ a b John Martin at Soccerway. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- 1999 births
- Living people
- People from Paulstown
- Association footballers from County Kilkenny
- Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Waterford F.C. players
- Bray Wanderers F.C. players
- Dundalk F.C. players
- Shelbourne F.C. players
- League of Ireland players