Anglesey/Ynys Môn football greats past and present – No11 Corrig McGonigle
He is in just his sixth season of senior football, but has already amassed 264 career goals at the age of only 21.
The name Corrig McGonigle is synonymous throughout North Wales football and beyond for mainly one thing – finding the back of the net.
As a schoolboy, his goal-getting feats in the Anglesey Youth and Junior League were legendary.
Sometimes, prolific marksmen in youth football don’t always cut the mustard when it comes to stepping up to senior combat, but Corrig adapted in no time.
After grabbing 33 goals in his debut campaign in men’s football with Anglesey League club Llangoed and District, the Llansadwrn-based hitman switched to Pentraeth of the Welsh Alliance.
He notched 28 goals in his first season at Bryniau Field before in 2015/16 he really made his mark, scoring 64 times for in all competitions for a Pentraeth outfit which finished fifth in Welsh Alliance Division Two.
This magical haul secured him the Bob Brodie Trophy for the leading goalscorer in senior Anglesey football.
Corrig was snapped up in summer 2016 by Huws Gray Alliance champions Caernarfon Town.
Despite showing promise at The Oval, his stay there was short and he moved to Glantraeth of the Welsh Alliance.
McGonigle made a stunning impact at the Bodorgan club, piling up 59 goals in 35 starts as the Anglesey side won the Welsh Alliance Division One title and Cookson Cup double.
Corrig also chalked up back-to-back Bob Brodie trophies – making him the only player to lift the prize twice in a row.
He was looking forward to testing his skills in the Huws Gray
Alliance, but at the end of the campaign Glantraeth decided not to
accept promotion to the second-tier as the club felt unable to meet the
strict ground criteria – so McGonigle decided to sign for ambitious
Welsh Alliance club Conwy Borough.
And the 2017/18 season was another huge success for McGonigle, as he banged in another 59 goals for a Boro team which scooped the treble of Division One title, FAW Trophy and Cookson Cup.
That made it five trophy winners’ medals in two seasons for the striker.
This season has seen Conwy return to the Huws Gray Alliance.
It has been an up-and-down experience so far, including after a winless run the departure of manager Gareth Thomas, who delivered the treble last season, but under new boss Warren Gibbs the ship has been steadied.
And McGonigle is flying, currently second-top scorer in the league with 16 goals, a hat-trick in the Huws Gray Cup putting him on 19 in all.
Corrig McGonigle is already an established name in Welsh football and at his current rate he is going to be setting some awesome new goal-scoring records in years to come.
CORRIG McGONIGLE – SENIOR CAREER GOALS
2018/19 – Conwy Borough (Huws Gray Alliance) 19 (L 16 LC 3)
2017/18 – Conwy Borough (Welsh Alliance) 59
2016/17 – Glantraeth (Welsh Alliance) 59/Caernarfon Town (Huws Gray Alliance) 2
2015/16 – Pentraeth (Welsh Alliance) 64
2014/15 – Pentraeth (Welsh Alliance) 28
2013/14 – Llangoed and District (Anglesey League) 33
TOTAL = 264 (up to and including 9/3/2019)