Martin Henry McDonnell (27 April 1924 – 7 April 1988) was an English

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 ...

who played as a

centre half 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 ...

. He made 412 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

, playing for

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

and

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

. McDonnell was born in Newton-le-Willows, which was then in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, in 1924. He played local football for Haydock C&B before joining Everton in 1942. After seven appearances in the wartime leagues spread over the next three seasons, he returned to local football with Earlestown, from where he joined

in August 1946, before the Football League resumed after the war. After one season Harry Storer signed him for

as deputy for Ted Duckhouse. Two years later, Storer, now managing

, signed him again, and McDonnell remained at the club for six seasons and played 250 games in all competitions. When Storer took over as manager of

, he promptly signed McDonnell for the third time. After three seasons with Derby, where he played more than 100 games in all competitions and helped the club win the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

title in 1956–57, McDonnell finished off his professional career at

. He died in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

in 1988.

Honours

Derby County *

: 1956–57

References

1924 births 1988 deaths People from Newton-le-Willows Footballers from Merseyside Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens English men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Everton F.C. players Southport F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players English Football League players Earlestown F.C. players {{England-footy-defender-1920s-stub