#7 Shane LONG
Former clubs:
Cork City, Reading, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City
Early years
Born in Gortnaheo, County Tipperary, Ireland, Shane Long was also a talented hurler during his early days of football. He started his career with St Kevin’s FC in 1994, and spent eight years coming through their youth setup before joining St Michael’s in 2002.
After two years with St Michael’s, Pat Dolan brought him to Cork City on a scholarship in July 2004. He made the step up to the first-team squad for the 2005 season, and made his League of Ireland debut in March 2005.
Dolan’s brother Eamonn was at Reading, and after consultation he made bids to sign both Long and Kevin Doyle from Cork City. Long completed his move in Jun 2005.
Joining Reading
Long scored three goals in 11 appearances as Reading won promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2005/06 campaign. His form earned him international recognition with the Republic of Ireland’s Under-19s, winning four caps.
After impressing in the Premier League, he earned his first full cap in February 2007, as he helped Reading to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League, making 21 appearances and scoring two goals.
Long would make 32 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals, the following year as Reading were relegated back to the Championship. Three seasons back in the Championship followed for Long, and after scoring 21 league goals in 44 appearances, he earned a move back to the Premier League.
Moving to the Baggies
Long signed for West Bromwich Albion on 9th August 2011 and immediately made an impact, contributing eight goals in 32 appearances in the Premier League. He repeated the feat the following season, finding the back of the net eight times in the league, and 11 times in total across 37 games.
The striker continued to impress and represent his country, netting his ninth goal for Ireland in a 1-1 draw with England at Wembley in May 2013. Midway through the 2013/14 campaign, and with three goals to his name in 15 appearances, he joined fellow Premier League side Hull City.
After half a season with the Tigers, in which he scored four times in 15 games, Long joined Ronald Koeman’s Southampton side on 14th August 2014.
Starting with Saints
In his first season with the Saints, Long made 39 appearances and scored seven goals, including the spectacular strike in the 6-1 thrashing of Aston Villa at St Mary’s that won the 2014/15 Goal of the Season award.
Long enjoyed a much more successful season season with the club, including a brace against Arsenal in a 4-0 win on Boxing Day 2015. The striker's form was rewarded in the summer, following a positive UEFA EURO 2016 with Ireland, as he signed a new four-year contract.
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