Shane Long pays heartfelt tribute to Irish academy director Eamonn Dolan who sadly passed away

Very sad news.

Eamonn Dolan passed away on Monday evening aged 48 after a battle with cancer. Born in Galway, Dolan moved to London as a child and was the twin brother of Pat Dolan, the former St. Patrick's Athletic manager. He had worked as the academy director at Reading for the past 12 years. Dolan is credited with helping bring through Shane Long and Kevin Doyle, Steve Sidwell and Wales' striker Hal Robson-Kanu. He represented the Republic of Ireland at U-21 level five times, but his playing career was cut short aged just 26 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer Dolan underwent chemotherapy last summer after having surgery to remove a tumour on his bladder. Long and Sidwell offered their support at the time. https://twitter.com/sjsidwell/status/631953835276283904 Dolan was caretaker manager for Reading's 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2013, and worked closely with Reading managers such as Brendan Rodgers and Steve Coppell during his tenure. Ireland strikers Long and Doyle paid tribute to Dolan on Wednesday evening. https://twitter.com/ShaneLong7/status/745316832232472576 https://twitter.com/KevinDoyle1983/status/745283349850300417 The club have released a statement on Dolan's passing, with some of it reading:

"His energy for football was infectious. His enthusiasm for the sport we all love was evident in his every compelling word he uttered. The pride in his work was enviable. And each young player who Eamonn carefully nurtured through our Academy ranks and into professional football will today stand tall as testament to one great man’s total dedication and unassuming but single-minded commitment to his job. Eamonn led by shining example. And most notably, his love for this club was overwhelming. "That love was mutual. Everyone who worked with him at Reading respected and admired a man who will be desperately missed by staff, managers, coaches and players – both past and present throughout his 12 years as a Royal. "Eamonn was one of the good guys. He will be so sorely missed by so many. We will never forget him."