John Ferguson Connor (born 25 July 1934 in

Maryport Maryport is a town and civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, historically in Cumberland. The town is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, at the northern end of the former Cumberland Coalfield. Locatio ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

, died 6 March 2010 in

Formby Formby is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 22,419 at the 2011 Census. Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under "For ...

) was a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a defender for

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

and

before becoming a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

at Everton.

Football career

Huddersfield Town

Connor (I miss you) signed for

in October 1952, aged 18, but due to

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

he could not commit to the club and sign professional forms until 1954. He made his first-team debut in February of that year in a 3–1 top-flight defeat by

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Leeds Road Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...

seen by 31,408. He made a total of 94 appearances for Huddersfield Town, scoring ten goals. The first of these was in a First Division game against

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

in September 1955. Connor was

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for Huddersfield in the legendary 1957 Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield match where the visitors were 5–1 up with less than half an hour remaining yet lost 7–6. Huddersfield became the first, and still the only, team to score six goals in a professional football match and still be on the losing side.

Bristol City

Connor joined

in October 1960 in an exchange deal which brought Scottish striker John McCann to Huddersfield. He went on to play 408 times and score 10 goals for the club before retiring from professional football in 1971, making him their 13th top appearance maker.

Formby

Connor signed for

, his local non-league side, in September 1973, and ten weeks later was in the biggest game in the club's history, an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

first round tie against

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

. He was a regular in the first team until he retired from playing at the end of the 1975–76 season, aged 41.

Everton

Moving into coaching, Connor became reserve team manager at Everton.

Death

He died in his adopted home town of Formby on 6 March 2010. His funeral was held in the town on 15 March.

References

External links

* 1934 births 2010 deaths People from Maryport Men's association football defenders English men's footballers English Football League players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Formby F.C. players Footballers from Cumbria {{England-footy-defender-1930s-stub