Eddie McCallion
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edward McCallion | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Right back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Derry City | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
Edward McCallion (born January 25 1979, Derry, Northern Ireland), commonly known as Eddie McCallion, is a defender playing with Derry City F.C. in the Football League of Ireland. McCallion, who wears the number two jersey for Derry City, plays in the right back position and stands at 1.68 meters tall.
Career
Blackburn Rovers
Having played with local Derry and District League club, Foyle Harps Y.F.C., as a youth from 1995, McCallion was spotted by Blackburn Rovers in 1997 and moved to the English club that same year. Spending just a year at Ewood Park, he never managed to break into the first-team whilst there.
Derry City
McCallion signed for his home town club from Blackburn Rovers in 1998 and made his debut away to Cork City on 6 September, 1998. He has made the right-back spot his own since then and has also performed at centre-back when required.
Dropped from the side for Damian Brennan at the start of the 2005 season, he showed impressive commitment to fight his way back into the team and by the end of the season he was the first choice right back, helping his club to a second-place finish in the league. He weighed in with a vital goal against Kildare County in the FAI Cup that same season and his over-lapping runs offer Derry City F.C. another attacking option.
McCallion often deputises in the role of captain if Peter Hutton is absent. McCallion had captained the side on 13 occasions by the end of the 2006 season - one of the most notable of these being Derry City's UEFA Cup First Round 0-0 draw against Paris Saint-Germain at the Brandywell Stadium on 14 September, 2006.
The player made 52 appearances in all competitions during the 2006 season, the most of any City player that season, and, once again, helped the club finish as runners-up in the league for a second season running, consolidating his position as a firm fan-favourite.
The defender is one of the few brothers to have played in a winning FAI Cup side, as he appeared with brother Tommy in the 2002 final team.
Honours
- FAI Cup: 2
- 2002, 2006
- FAI League Cup: 3
- 1999-2000, 2005, 2006