John Nicholas O'Neill (8 September 1935 – 23 September 2012) was an Irish 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 lea ...

. He was a defender who started his career with Drumcondra in his native city before moving to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

in April 1958 along with team-mate Alan Kelly. He eventually went on to replace the legendary

Joe Walton Joseph Frank Walton (December 15, 1935 – August 15, 2021) was an American professional football player and coach who retired after 20 years as the head coach and creator of the football program at Robert Morris University. Walton played eight ...

at left back and played for Preston 50 times. O'Neill won his only cap for the

Republic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland Men's national football team () represents the Republic of Ireland in men's international Association football, football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). The team made their debut at the Ir ...

on 28 September 1960 against Wales at

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish language, Irish: ''Páirc Chnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a Association football, football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., ...

. O'Neill moved to Barrow in July 1963 for a £1,500 fee. He died on 23 September 2012, aged 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, John Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Preston North End F.C. players 1935 births English Football League players 2012 deaths Association footballers from Dublin (city) Barrow A.F.C. players Drumcondra F.C. players Men's association football utility players 20th-century Irish sportsmen