Ireland
The Iranian Warhorse
The sole Irishman of the Dragoons, Dan began his football journey with Kingdom Boys in Ireland, winning several local league titles and a domestic cup. A highlight came in 2004 when the side reached the quarter-finals of the Helsinki Cup, losing on penalties to HJK Helsinki. Fun fact: his coach was Brian McCarthy, later a long-serving technical analyst for the Irish national team.
After a brief break to focus on studies, Dan played Biznesliga and FLS football in Kraków, where a miscommunication in nationality earned him the nickname “Iranian Warhorse.”
A true old-school centre back, Finnegan was a founding member of the Dragoons. He was present during the first meeting with Alex Băcica and Ash Asani in Sept 2015, featuring in the Sunday League side that would become the team it is today. Tough-tackling and no-nonsense, he scored his first Dragoons goal against Universum in 2019/20, rising like a salmon to head home from close range. One standout memory was the 7-1 demolition of WKS Wawel, where Dan netted the team’s sixth goal after a series of heroic attempts.
Off the pitch, Dan served as club treasurer and as his playing time began to diminish, he later stepped up as interim president after Alex Băcica stepped down, with his first real act happening during the infamous “lights out” Fenix Trophy game against FCUM. He made it clear his role was temporary, stepping down in 2024 as Hugo Cruz, Kuba Drobny, and Dave Burch helped look after the running of the club until Gareth Davis’ appointment.
