Joseph Haverty (17 February 1936 – 7 February 2009) was an Irish footballer who played as a winger. He was capped 32 times for the Republic of Ireland.
Haverty played for Home Farm and St Patrick's Athletic before signing for Arsenal in July 1954.[3] He almost immediately made his debut, while still only 18, against Everton on 25 August 1954, though he only managed another six matches that season, and eight the one after that.[4]
His breakthrough in the Arsenal side came in 1956–57, as he became the Gunners' first choice left-winger, playing 32 times and scoring 9 goals. By now he had also made his debut for the Republic of Ireland, against the Netherlands on 10 May 1955.[4][5]
Haverty also played in the London XI that contested the inaugural edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He played against Lausanne Sports in the semi-finals (and scored a goal in the 3–2 aggregate win), he did not make the cut for the final against Barcelona, which London lost 6–1 on aggregate.[5]
Back trouble meant he missed some of Arsenal's matches during this time,[2] but put in 37 appearances and 8 goals in 1959–60,[4] his best season for the club.[5] However, the next season he was made to share the left wing position with Alan Skirton. Haverty was unhappy with the lack of a regular first-team place, and put in a transfer request; he was sold to Blackburn Rovers in August 1961 for £25,000. In all, he played 122 matches for Arsenal, scoring 26 goals.[3]
Haverty spent a single season with Blackburn, before having spells in the lower divisions with Millwall and Bristol Rovers, with a brief spell at Celtic in between.[1][5] He moved back to his native Ireland to play for Shelbourne, with whom he won the last of his 32 full international caps.[5][4] In 1967 he went to the United States to play for Chicago Spurs (later Kansas City Spurs) in the NASL,[6] and then returned to sign for Shamrock Rovers in 1969,[5] for whom he made two appearances in the European Cup Winners' Cup.[7] In August 1971 he signed for Drogheda.[8]
He went on to scout for Arsenal in Ireland.[5] In 2000, he was inaugurated into the Football Association of Ireland's Hall of Fame.[2] He died on 7 February 2009, in Dublin, aged 72.[1]
Meagan also announced signing on Joe Haverty, another former Shamrock Rovers player, and he is included in the Drogheda panel for Sunday's game.