Jamie Duffy (born: 20 November 1983) is a versatile winger who was part of the Shamrock Rovers squad which won the 2006 First Division title. Duffy had hit the League of Ireland stage a year earlier with Kilkenny City when he helped Pat Scully’s side from bottom to fourth. With just one win from the opening fifteen league games, Scully wielded the axe on his squad, however, Duffy was one of the few that survived the July transfer window clearout, before going on to help the club to accumulate 45 points from the last 21 games. In total, he made 21 appearances for the Cats during the campaign, with his first ever senior goal coming in the 5-0 thrashing of Dundalk in Kingspan Century Park on 28 July. He went on to score a further three, including a double strike in the 2-1 come-from-behind win over already crowned champions Sligo Rovers on the final day of the 2005 season.
 
His impressive performances for the Buckley Park outfit were rewarded when Scully took him to relegated Shamrock Rovers for their first ever season outside the top flight, and on his competitive debut for the Hoops, the Texas-born winger scored the equalising goal as Rovers came from 1-0 down to beat Dundalk 2-1 on the opening day of the season. He went on to play a key role in the league success with Rovers as he made 26 appearances, while he added to his strike against Dundalk with important goals against Athlone Town and Finn Harps.
 
On the back of those displays, Duffy was retained for Rovers’ return to the top flight, however, he was soon placed on the transfer list at his own request due to problems with some people within the club. Duffy was to put those issues aside, however, as he stayed for the start of the season and made eight appearances, before being loaned out to struggling Longford Town in the July transfer window. At Flancare Park, Duffy was vital to Longford coming within a single point of miraculously avoiding relegation with many fine displays in 13 outings (10 starts/3 subs), while he also got himself on the scoresheet with the third in the 3-0 home win over Bohemians on 4 August.
 
In the end, it was not enough for the midlanders to pull off the great escape, though Duffy still had an FAI Cup final to look forward to three weeks after that disappointment. The winger had played a big part in Longford reaching the decider as he scored in the 3-1 quarter-final win at home to Limerick, before assisting Robbie Martin for the only goal in the semi-final victory away to UCD. The final against Cork City was not to go the 24-year-old’s way, however, as, after Duffy came within inches of giving Longford a first-half lead only to be denied by a fine save, Cork went on to secure the cup through a Denis Behan diving header. With his loan deal up and having been already released by Shamrock Rovers along with ten others in mid-November, Duffy became a free agent and was quickly snapped up by John Gill for Dundalk’s 2008 First Division campaign.
 
Profile last updated: February 2008