Jon Daly

Jonathan Marvin Daly (born 8 January 1983) is an Irish football coach and former player who played as a forward. He is currently the manager of St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland Premier Division. He began his senior career in England, where he played for Stockport County and Hartlepool United; he also had loan spells with Bury and Grimsby Town. He moved to Scottish football in 2007, when he signed for Dundee United. He spent over six years at the club, eventually becoming club captain, and won the Scottish Cup in 2010. He signed for Rangers in 2013, winning the League One title in his first season. He was described as the first Irish Catholic to join Rangers, a team with a Protestant identity. Released by Rangers in 2015, Daly ended his playing career with Raith Rovers and retired in January 2016. He became a coach at Heart of Midlothian, where he was interim manager twice. He was twice included in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year awards, for the Scottish Premier League in 2012 and for League One in 2014. In international football, Daly represented the Republic of Ireland at all youth levels up to the under-21 team. Club career Stockport County Born in Dublin, Ireland, Daly started his career at Irish amateur side Cherry Orchard, before signing for Stockport County in May 1998. At Stockport he scored regularly for the youth and reserve team. He began to make an impression on manager Andy Kilner during Stockport's pre-season tour of Scandinavia. He came on a substitute against Landskrona BoIS, and then started against Kristianstads, against whom he scored his first senior goal after lobbing the Kristianstad keeper.