Born on this day in 1966 in Belfast is Anthony Gerard Patrick Rogan, commonly known as Anton.
Hailing from the West Belfast area of Lenadoon, Anton learned his football trade as a youth at St Oliver Plunkett FC, while also playing Gaelic football for St Paul’s, and joined the big time with Distillery. Despite suffering two leg breaks, his career progressed and he achieved his boyhood dream of playing for Celtic when he signed on May 9th 1986, aged just 19. His debut came the following January, when Hamilton Academicals were beaten 8-3. Usually a left back, he also played on the left side of central defence, and his 128 League games included those that helped the Bhoys take the League and Cup double in their centenary year of 1988. During his Celtic days he won his first caps for Northern Ireland, but the fact that he played for Celtic meant that he faced sectarian abuse and chants from so-called fans when he played. When Neil Lennon faced similar problems, Anton commented that he silenced the "boo boys" with his first tackle against Poland - "my first tackle put a poor Polish lad a mile high". He only managed one international goal, but it went in at the wrong end as he opened the scoring for Spain in a World Cup Qualifier in December 1988.
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