Ian Bermingham (born 6 June 1989 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer that played 13 seasons with League of Ireland Premier Division club, St Patricks Athletic, where he was club captain and is the all-time appearance record holder. He previously spent two seasons at UCD and a season at Shamrock Rovers.
Club career
Early career
Raised in Ballyfermot, Bermingham began playing football with his local side Ballyfermot United. His form with his local club was good enough to earn a move to fellow Dublin club Lourdes Celtic where he played alongside future League of Ireland players including a future St Patrick's Athletic teammate Derek Foran, as well as earning his first Republic of Ireland Underage callups.
UCD
Bermingham was signed by UCD manager Pete Mahon in April 2007. At Belfield Park he went straight into the first team squad and made his debut as a late substitute against Waterford United on 6 April 2007. Bermingham made his first start for the club in a League of Ireland Cup game against Kildare County later that month and was a first team regular from then, solving UCD's long-term search for a left back. His first goal came on 3 September 2007 when he scored in a 1–0 win away to soon to be champions Drogheda United at United Park. His displays impressed other clubs as well, and both Stockport County and Gretna expressed an interest in signing him. Stockport were rumoured to have signed him, but Bermingham ended months of speculation by signed a new contract and retained his left back berth at UCD going into the 2008 season. He made 26 appearances in all competitions over the season, in a year that saw his side finish bottom of the league, relegated to the League of Ireland First Division. Following UCD's relegation, Bermingham opted to leave the club, with his preference being to play in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Shamrock Rovers
He signed for Shamrock Rovers on 23 February 2009. He made his debut on 6 March 2009 in a 0–0 draw away to Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds. Bermingham made 18 appearances for the Hoops in their inaugural season in Tallaght Stadium including the historic first game, and against Real Madrid, a game in which he marked Cristiano Ronaldo and prevented him from scoring on his debut for the club.
St Patricks Athletic
2010 season
Bermingham signed for St Patrick's Athletic on 6 January 2010, signed by his former UCD manager Pete Mahon. He made his debut on 26 February 2010, in a 1–1 draw with Linfield in the Setanta Sports Cup. Bermingham scored his first goal for Pat's in a 2–0 win over his old club Shamrock Rovers in the Dublin derby on 16 March 2010, securing Pat's first ever win at Tallaght Stadium. He was part of the side that reached the 2010 Setanta Cup Final, including playing the full 90 minutes as Pat's were defeated 1–0 by Bohemians at Tallaght Stadium on 15 May 2010. Bermingham's next goal came on 27 August 2010, scoring in a 2–0 win over Belgrove in the FAI Cup. His first season with the Saints saw them finish in 5th place in the league, while in the FAI Cup, they missed out on a place in the first ever final at the Aviva Stadium when they were narrowly beaten by Shamrock Rovers after a replay at the Semi Final stage. He made 35 appearances in all competitions over the season, scoring 2 goals.
2011 season
He signed a new contract with the Inchicore club on 6 December 2010 to stay for the 2011 season. Due to the demise of Sporting Fingal, Pat's stepped into their place, allowing Bermingham see his first taste of European football. He featured in all 6 games of the club's UEFA Europa League campaign as his side knocked out ÍBV of Iceland and Shakhter Karagandy of Kazakhstan, before being knocked out by Karpaty Lviv of Ukraine in the Third Qualifying Round. He made 2 appearances in the Leinster Senior Cup which Pat's won on 10 October 2011, beating Bohemians in the final at Dalymount Park, resulting in a first career medal for Bermingham. Pat's finished up in 4th place, securing UEFA Europa League football for the next season, while they were once again knocked out of the FAI Cup at the Semi Final stage after a replay, this time against Dublin rivals Shelbourne. Bermingham made 41 appearances over the season.