Noel McFarlane

William Noel McFarlane (20 December 1934 – 19 March 2019) was an Irish footballer who played as a forward. Born in Bray, County Wicklow, he played junior football in Ireland before moving to England to join Manchester United in 1952. After four years in England, he returned to Ireland with Waterford before briefly retiring due to illness, only to return to England to play non-league football with Altrincham.

Career McFarlane was born in Bray, County Wicklow, and played junior football in the area, earning a call-up to the Republic of Ireland Schoolboys national team. In April 1952, he signed for English club Manchester United, joining a youth team filled with players known as the Busby Babes after the club's manager, Matt Busby. McFarlane was a regular for the youth team during the 1952–53 season, and played in both legs of the inaugural FA Youth Cup final in 1953, scoring twice in a 7–1 win in the first leg, leading to a 9–3 victory on aggregate. A knee injury forced him to retire, but he did later return to play non-league football in the Manchester area with Altrincham and Hyde United.

Personal life Noel's son Ross was a professional golfer.