DANNY TRAINOR

Born: 12 July 1944

Came from: Crusaders   Went to: Waterford

First game: 17 August 1968   Last game: 30 November 1968

Appearances: 17 (16/1)   Goals: 3

Born in Belfast, Trainor was a prolific goalscorer in Irish football. He began his career with Lisburn Distillery and Coleraine without breaking into the first team before moving to Crusaders.

He spent five years at Seaview, winning the Irish Cup in both 1966-67 and 1967-68, as well as the County Antrim Shield in 1964-65. He scored more than 30 goals during the club's successful 1967-68 campaign.

Having won two caps at amateur level between 1965 and 1967, Trainor was selected for the Northern Ireland under-23 side to face Wales in February 1967. Although bad weather forced the match to be abandoned with Northern Ireland leading 2-1, he had done enough to earn his only full international cap. That came in a 0-0 draw against Wales at Windsor Park in April 1967.

His goalscoring record and international recognition brought him to the attention of Argyle, and he signed for the club under former Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham.

During the summer of 1967, Trainor also played as a guest for the Detroit Cougars, who were in fact Glentoran playing under a different name as part of the short-lived United Soccer Association. The competition featured several European clubs competing under American identities before being replaced the following year by the first North American Soccer League (NASL). He made eight appearances and scored two goals.

Trainor signed for Argyle in 1968 and made an immediate impression with his unusually long throws, still something of a novelty at the time. However, he struggled to establish himself and scored just three goals in 17 appearances before returning to Ireland within six months.

He joined Waterford, then the Republic's pre-eminent side, scoring on his debut and finishing with 12 goals as the club won the 1968-69 League of Ireland title.

Two years later, Trainor moved to St Patrick's Athletic, where he played between 1969 and 1970. He later had spells back in the North, at Crusaders and with Bangor before finishing his career back in the Republic, with Drogheda United.

Although he was not retained by Drogheda at the end of the 1973-74 season, Trainor was travelling with several former teammates after a pre-season training camp during the first week of August 1974 when they were involved in a head-on collision near Ballymoney. Trainor was killed instantly, while the occupants of the other car, a husband and wife, also lost their lives. He had celebrated his 30th birthday only a month earlier.