KATIE TAYLOR IS a born winner.
If she was to hang up her gloves tomorrow, the Bray boxer would go down as one of Ireland’s greatest-ever sports stars for her achievements in the ring — both as an amateur and a professional.
Taylor was also a talented footballer in her day and represented Ireland at senior international level before opting to concentrate on one sport.
Thanks to Derek Kavanagh, who runs popular Facebook page Keepitonthedeck, footage has emerged of a 12-year-old Taylor lining out for Wicklow club Newtown Juniors.
The match in question saw her side take on an all-conquering Cherry Orchard outfit in The Lawns in Ballyfermot back in 1998.
In the short clip, Taylor shows she can more than hold her own in the schoolboy game with a full-blooded tackle on opponent Kenny Hammond.
Kavanagh, who was playing for the Orchard, writes: “Young and foolish, as we stepped out for the game we spotted a young lady in the opposition side. Kids will be kids so the thought was ‘handy one they have a girl playing’. As kids back then we knew no better, admit it or not, it was rare to see a girl mixing with boys football back then.
“That day the young girl in the opposition side went by the name of Katie Taylor and she kicked us up and down the pitch and gave as good as she got.”
https://www.facebook.com/Keepitonthedeck/videos/1974273882602805/
Former League of Ireland footballers Shane McFaul (DSK Shivajians) and Gary Dicker (Kilmarnock) both featured for the home team on that Saturday morning and tweeted their memories:
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