Aidan Forker
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 April 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Teacher[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aidan Forker (born 6 April 1992) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Sean McDermott's, Maghery, and the Armagh county team.[2]
Forker captained Armagh to the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, with Galway defeated in the final. He appears on the cover art of the video game Gaelic Football Laochra.[3]
Inter-county
[edit]Forker made his inter-county debut against Down in the 2012 Dr McKenna Cup.[4]
He made his championship debut in the 2012 Ulster SFC quarter-final loss to Tyrone.[contradictory][5]
Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney appointed Forker as team captain in 2024.[6] Thus, Forker was captain when Armagh won the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, with a 1–11 to 0–13 win over Galway in the final.[7] He won an All Star at the end of the 2024 season.[8]
At the time Armagh won the 2024 All-Ireland SFC, Forker was vice-principal of Our Lady's Primary School, Tullsaran, and he brought the Sam Maguire Cup there to show the children who were under his care.[9]
In the 2025 National League meeting of Armagh and Donegal at MacCumhaill Park, Forker headbutted Michael Murphy in the 44th minute.[10] This was within moments of Murphy's reintroduction (as a substitute) to inter-county football, and referee Sean Hurson sent Forker off.[11][12][13] Forker's headbutt of Michael Murphy was widely compared to Zinedine Zidane's headbutt during the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, though — unlike Zidane's opponent — Murphy stood firm and did not even move.[14][15][16]
Honours
[edit]- Armagh
- Individual
- All Star (1): 2024
References
[edit]- ↑ "Staff". ourladyspstullysaran.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ↑ "A profile: Armagh's new All-Ireland captain Aidan Forker". The Irish News. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ↑ "A NEW Gaelic football video game which captures the 'speed, skill and atmosphere' of the Irish sport is set to launch this month". Irish post. 7 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "McKenna Cup: Down too strong for Armagh". www.hoganstand.com. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ↑ "Tyrone 0–10 Armagh 0–13". RTÉ News. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ↑ "Forker "earned" captaincy says McGeeney". The Sideline Eye. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ↑ "Armagh: All-Ireland winners to be welcomed home by fans". BBC News. 29 July 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ↑ "Conroy and O'Donnell scoop Player of the Year awards". RTÉ News. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ↑ Macauley, Conor (19 September 2024). "Watch: Armagh captain brings Sam Maguire back to school". RTÉ News.
- ↑ "Forker red card 'a moment of madness', says Staunton". Hogan Stand. 18 February 2025.
- ↑ Bell Curran, Joshua (16 February 2025). "Forker Receives Ridiculous Red Card Moments Into Michael Murphy's Return". Balls.ie.
- ↑ "We let our discipline go — McGeeney". Hogan Stand. 17 February 2025.
- ↑ "Forker headbutt on Murphy 'didn't look good' — McConville". BBC. 17 February 2024.
- ↑ "Indo Sport podcast: Bits & Bobs — Forker's Zidane moment, McIlroy's 'ice age' putter, Ulster's Italian collapse". Independent.ie. 17 February 2024.
- ↑ Healy, Martin (17 February 2024). "Armagh star labelled 'stupid' by county legend for bizarre red card against Donegal".
- ↑ "Murphy dominates script after Forker loses his head". The Herald. 17 February 2025.