Francis Raymond O'Connor (28 January 1913 – q4 1980), generally known as Raymond O'Connor but also as Frank O'Connor, 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 lea ...

who played as a

right half In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

and

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

. He was on the books of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

without playing League football for them, and also played

non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

for

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. Historically in County Durham, it is on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. The 2011 census area classed Hebburn and the Boldons as ...

and Gillingham.

Life and career

O'Connor was born in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. After two seasons playing football for his hometown club, he signed for

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

club

. He stayed with the club for two seasons, and although he played regularly for their junior teams in the Southern League midweek section and the

London Combination The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is ...

, he never appeared in

. Described as "an attacking type of wing half hohas also appeared at

inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

", he signed on a free transfer for

of the

Third Division South The Third Division South 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 North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

in 1937. He played regularly for Mansfield's league side in the first half of the season, helping them win the Nottinghamshire County Cup as a member of what was described as a full-strength team, and finished the campaign with 18 league appearances. Harry Parkes, who had signed him for Mansfield and then left midway through the season to manage

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...

, wanted to recruit O'Connor to his new club, but he refused the offer of terms, preferring to return to his native north-east of England and join Northern Section club

. He played 19 league games during the 1938–39 season, then went south and signed for Gillingham shortly before the Southern League was abandoned for the duration of the Second World War. O'Connor was a grandson of Alderman Terence O'Connor, who was Mayor of Jarrow in 1938. He died in 1980 at the age of 67.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Raymond 1913 births 1980 deaths Footballers from Jarrow English men's footballers Men's association football wing halves Jarrow F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Darlington F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Southern Football League players English Football League players 20th-century English sportsmen