Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan McLoughlin has sadly passed away at the age of 54.
He had announced that he was battling cancer in March, having first been diagnosed with a kidney tumour in 2012.
The tumour was removed, but he then confirmed that he was battling cancer again in a statement in 2019.
It was McLoughlin who scored the goal that took the Republic of Ireland to the 1994 World Cup, when he netted in a qualifier against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast.
He was part of Jack Charlton's squad at the tournament in the US, and won 42 caps for the Irish in total between 1990 and 1999.
He played most of his club career for Portsmouth, having started out as a trainee at Manchester United, where he failed to make it into the first-team.
Manchester-born, McLoughlin went on play over 100 times for Swindon as he made his way in the game as a young player, before spells at Torquay, Southampton and Aston Villa.
It was at Portsmouth where he would come to spend the bulk of his club career though, appearing over 300 times for Pompey between 1992 and 1999.
He had later spells at Wigan, Rochdale and Forest Green Rovers before retiring in 2003 and taking up local media work in Portsmouth.
He joined Portsmouth's Academy as a coach in 2011, and moved up to first-team coach in 2013 when he assisted manager Guy Whittingham.
He would later have a spell as a coach at Swindon's Academy which lasted until the start of this year.
