Joseph Thomas Gordan Shaughnessy (born 6 July 1992) is an Irish professional defender who plays for Dundee. Shaughnessy has previously played for
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team
The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland. The team played its first match in 1978 and has competed in the U ...
at international level.
Early and personal life
His younger brother
Conor
Conor is a male given name of Irish origin. The meaning of the name is "Lover of Wolves" or "Lover of Hounds". '' Conchobhar/Conchubhar'' or from the name ''Conaire'', found in Irish legend as the name of the high king Conaire Mór and other hero ...
is also a professional footballer with
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
.
Club career
Aberdeen
Shaughnessy signed for
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
in June 2009, having previously played for Irish club
Salthill Devon
Salthill Devon Football Club is an Irish association football club originally based in Salthill, Galway. Their senior team currently plays in the Galway & District League. They have previously played in the Connacht Senior League, the A Champi ...
as a youngster. Shaughnessy made his debut on 14 May 2011 against Hibernian. A few days before making his debut, he signed a contract extension on a two-year deal.
On 30 August 2011, Shaughnessy went on loan to Forfar Athletic until January, along with Nicky Low. Shaughnessy made his debut for the club on 11 September 2011 in a 1–0 win against
Brechin City
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club ...
. He then scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–2 win over
Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...
on 17 September 2011. Shaughnessy would score twice in two games; in a 4–3 loss against East Fife on 1 October 2011 and another in a 1–1 draw against Arbroath on 15 October 2011.
Ahead of the
fourth round
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
of the Scottish Cup, a tie against his parent club, manager Dick Campbell says he wouldn't put Shaughnessy and Low in the match against his parent club. Aberdeen won 4–0 and progressed to the next round. After impressing on loan, he went back to Forfar until the end of the 2011–12 season. He went on to make 26 appearances and scored three times.
Ahead of the 2012–13 season, manager Craig Brown believed Shaughnessy and Low had performed well at Forfar Athletic and considered him using them in the first team in the near future. In pre-season friendly matches, Shaughnessy scored twice in a 12–0 win over VfB Alstatte and a 2–1 win over Manchester United as part of
Neil Simpson
Neil Alexander Simpson (born 15 November 1961) is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Aberdeen, Newcastle United, Motherwell and Scotland.
Simpson, nicknamed "Simmie", was born in London to Scottish parents who soon moved back to Ne ...
testimonial on 14 August 2012. On 7 December 2012, Shaughnessy signed a contract extension with Aberdeen until 2015. He scored his first competitive goal for Aberdeen four days later in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Motherwell.
In the 2013–14 season, Shaughnessy played in the right-back position at the start of the season. Shaughnessy was even compared to
Richard Gough
Charles Richard Gough (born 5 April 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Gough played in the successful Dundee United team of the early 1980s, winning the Scottish league title in 1982–83 and reachi ...
, due to his playing style. Shaughnessy scored his first goal of the season, in the
third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
of the Scottish League Cup, in a 5–0 win over Falkirk. He then received a red card in a 2–0 win over Motherwell on 30 October 2013. It was his first red card of his professional career and this resulted in him missing some matches. Shaughnessy subsequently had his first team opportunities limited, as Shaleum Logan or Ryan Jack were preferred in the right-back position.
Shaughnessy did not start a game for Aberdeen in the early part of the 2014–15 season and was loaned out to Falkirk. He made his debut on 6 September 2014, as Falkirk lost 1–0 against Stranraer in the Scottish Challenge Cup. After making nine appearances for the club, it was announced that Shaughnessy would return to his parent club on 3 January 2015. Following his return, Shaughnessy made two more appearances, including making his first start, in a 1–0 loss against St Johnstone in the last game of the season.
On 14 May 2015, Shaughnessy was named as one of seven players who would be leaving Aberdeen at the end of the season, having not been offered a new contract.
St Johnstone
Shaughnessy signed a pre-contract agreement with St Johnstone on 20 May 2015, agreeing a two-year deal. In October 2017, he was named as St Johnstone captain, replacing Steven Anderson in the role. He left St Johnstone at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Southend United
After a trial spell with Southend United, he subsequently signed a one-year deal with the Shrimpers on 1 August 2019. He made 21 appearances during one season with the club, which triggered an extension to his contract, but he was released by Southend on 2 July 2020.
St. Mirren
On 20 July 2020, Shaughnessy signed a two-year deal with St. Mirren. He was named vice-captain in October, before becoming the captain in January following the departure of Sam Foley. On 21 May 2021 Shaughnessy signed a contract extension with the club lasting until 2023.
Dundee
On 2 June 2023, Shaughnessy joined
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
club captain
The team captain of an association football team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavi ...
by manager
Tony Docherty
Tony Docherty (born 24 January 1971 in East Kilbride) is a Scottish football player and coach.
Career
Docherty's short career began in 1987 with Dunfermline Athletic before moving to English side Cambridge United. In the early 1990s, Doche ...
in July. He would make his competitive debut in an away
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
In May 2010, he was called up to the Republic of Ireland Under-18 squad.
In January 2013, Shaughnessy was called up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad.