Alex O'Hanlon (born 24 April 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for St Mochta's in the Leinster Senior League. He has previously played for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...

Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, Northern Ireland, that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 major honours. They are one of three Northern Iris ...

, Shelbourne &

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

Career

Early career

A native of

Blanchardstown Blanchardstown () is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern Counties of Ireland, county of Fingal, Ireland. Located northwest of Dublin city centre, it has developed since the 1960s from a small village to a point where Greater Blanchards ...

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

, O'Hanlon played with top

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

youth football clubs St Kevin's Boys, the club that produced

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

internationals

Liam Brady William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer and pundit. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for ...

Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player. He is the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C., Shelbourne. He began his pro ...

Stephen Carr Stephen Carr (born 29 August 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a right-back, sometimes deputising at left-back or centre back. He started his career with Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur in 1993 and remained wi ...

Ian Harte Ian Patrick Harte (born 31 August 1977) is an Irish football agent and former professional footballer who played as a left back. He was best known for his ability to score goals from long range, including being a free kick specialist. He be ...

Robbie Brady Robert Brady (born 14 January 1992) is an Irish professional association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, left-back or left wing-back for club Preston North End F.C., Preston North End and the Republic of Ireland national footba ...

and

Jeff Hendrick Jeffrey Patrick Hendrick (born 31 January 1992) is an Irish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Derby County F.C., Derby County. He will become a free agent on 1 July 2025. Hendrick spent his child ...

among others. O'Hanlon excelled at underage level playing at left back and in May 2011, at the age of 15, he was snapped up by

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

, despite interest from Premier League rivals

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, Chelsea, as well as Spanish giants

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

, with comparisons in playing style being made with

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

international

Gareth Bale Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional Association football, footballer who played as a right winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, and the Wales national ...

. After playing at left-back, O'Hanlon moved into midfield and his performances in the centre midfield earned him his first professional contract at the end of the 2012–13 season. He followed that up with seven goals in 28 games in 2013–14 season, helping him break into

Alex Inglethorpe Alexander Matthew Inglethorpe (born 14 November 1971) is an English former footballer who played as a forward for Watford, Leyton Orient, Exeter City and Barnet. He is now the Academy Director at Liverpool FC. Playing career Born in Epsom, E ...

's U21s setup. O'Hanlon made 5 appearances in his side's

2014–15 UEFA Youth League The 2014–15 UEFA Youth League was the second season of the UEFA Youth League, a European youth club football competition organised by UEFA. It was contested by the under-19 youth teams of the 32 clubs qualified for the group stage of the 2014–1 ...

campaign. During his time as first team manager,

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed until h ...

included him in his first team squad for

games against

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

and

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

. In March 2016, first team manager

Jürgen Klopp Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...

included him in the first team squad on their training camp in

La Manga Club La Manga Club is a sports and leisure resort located in the south-eastern region of Spain, Murcia, south of La Manga, and bordered by the Mar Menor and Calblanque Regional Park. The resort complex opened in 1972 and covers an area of 1,400 ...

, Spain. In April 2016, O'Hanlon was offered a new contract with the club but opted to turn down the offer as he looked elsewhere for first team football. During this spell he went on trial with

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

in search of a contract After he left Liverpool, he went on trial at

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...

, where he strangely went on to play over 10 games as a trialist and still didn't sign a full professional contract with the club.

St Patrick's Athletic

O'Hanlon returned home to

and signed for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

side

on 9 January 2017 on a 2-year contract ahead of the 2017 season, alongside Barry Murphy and

Kurtis Byrne Kurtis Byrne (born 9 April 1990) is an Irish former professional footballer who plays for Collinstown FC. He is the son of former Celtic and Southend United player Paul Byrne. Career Hibernian Byrne was a member of the Hibernian under-19 si ...

. On 31 January 2017 O'Hanlon made his Pats debut away to

Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers Football Club are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''Bray Wanderers A.F.C.'' It was elect ...

in the Leinster Senior Cup, scoring the fourth goal in a 4–0 win for the Saints at the

Carlisle Grounds The Carlisle Grounds is a football stadium in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided ...

. He began the season alternating between left wing and attacking midfield roles, impressing Pats supporters and media in the

derby wins over

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...

and

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

. On 17 April, O'Hanlon scored a penalty in a 5–3 shootout win over

in the League Cup following a 0–0 draw after extra time. O'Hanlon scored his first league goal at senior level on 16 June 2017 when he opened the scoring in a 3–1

derby defeat at home to

. In the months after that, with the team struggling in a relegation battle, O'Hanlon lost his place in the starting 11 and was limited to the occasional substitute appearance. He scored his third goal of the season against Firhouse Clover amongst an experimental lineup in a 2–1 Leinster Senior Cup Quarter-final win, looping a shot over the goalkeeper from 25 yards.

Glentoran

Despite having another year left on his contract with Pat's, O'Hanlon and the club came to the decision to terminate his contract by mutual consent after he failed to nail down a spot in the starting team or even the bench in the second half of the season. He went on trial with newly promoted

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

for pre-season, playing in a friendly vs

but he was not offered a contract by the club. On 31 January 2018, O'Hanlon signed for

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

club

, of the

NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football L ...

. On 17 July 2018, O'Hanlon played for

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...

on trial in their pre-season game with

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

Shelbourne

On 18 December 2018, it was announced that O'Hanlon had signed for

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

club Shelbourne ahead of their

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

. He made 9 appearances over the season as his side won the league, gaining promotion to the

. 2020 saw O'Hanlon play in all but one of Shels' 18 league games, as well as the League of Ireland promotion/relegation play-off as his side were relegated back to the

in what was a shortened season due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Wexford loan

O'Hanlon signed for fellow

club

on a season long loan on 25 February 2021. After making just 7 appearances for the club, he departed Wexford and left Shelbourne, opting to play amateur football.

St Mochta's

O'Hanlon signed for Leinster Senior League side St Mochta's in July 2021 during their pre-season. He appeared in their 2021 FAI Cup campaign, setting up an extra-time winner for Alan Byrne in a 2–1 win over Ulster Senior League side

Cockhill Celtic Cockhill Celtic Football Club is an Irish association football (soccer) club based in Buncrana, County Donegal. The club's senior men's team plays in the Inishowen Football League. History The club was founded as 'Westbrook Celtic' on 28 Oct ...

in the Qualifying Round on 10 July 2021. On 25 July he played the full 90 minutes as his side reached the Second Round of the

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

, beating fellow Leinster Senior League side Crumlin United 2–1 away from home.

International career

O'Hanlon has played international football for the

all the way up from Under 15s level to Under 21s. He made his Under 21 debut on 11 February 2017 against the Ireland Amateurs squad.

Career statistics

''Professional appearances – correct as of 31 August 2021.''

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:OHanlon, Alex O'Hanlon 1996 births Living people Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Liverpool F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players League of Ireland players Men's association football midfielders Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Glentoran F.C. players NIFL Premiership players Shelbourne F.C. players Wexford F.C. players Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Leinster Senior League (association football) players Association footballers from County Dublin 21st-century Irish sportsmen