Shane O'Connor (footballer)
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Shane O'Connor (born 14 April 1990) is an Irish former 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 ...
. A graduate of the Liverpool F.C. Academy, he signed professionally with Ipswich Town in July 2009. He represented the Republic of Ireland at under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels. He joined Port Vale on a six-week
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
spell in November 2011, though he did not make a first-team appearance. He left Ipswich in January 2012 and subsequently had spells signed with
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
,
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 ...
,
Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...
,
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
, Cobh Ramblers,
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 ...
and Longford Town. He helped the
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 ...
to win
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as champions of the
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 ...
in 2017. He spent the first half of 2018 with Longford Town, rejoining Cobh Ramblers in July 2018.


Club career


Early career

O'Connor played for Wilton United and Rockmount before joining the Liverpool Academy as a 16-year-old. He started playing regularly for the under-18 side in the early 2008–09 Premier Academy League season.


Ipswich Town

In July 2009, after a short trial O'Connor signed a one-year deal with
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side Ipswich Town, who were managed by his boyhood hero,
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...
. O'Connor made his debut for Ipswich in the League Cup away against
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
, replacing Jack Ainsley as a substitute at
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; the "Tractor Boys" went on to win the match on penalties following a 3–3 draw. He made his first league start for Ipswich on 20 February, in a 1–0 win over
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at Hillsborough. He played a further eleven league games for Ipswich in 2009–10; he impressed in midfield against
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, though gave away a penalty in a draw at home to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
. At the end of the campaign he was handed a new two-year deal, which he eventually signed. However, experienced player Mark Kennedy was also signed for a £75,000 fee, and was expected to battle O'Connor for the left-back spot. He appeared in five of the club's first six games of
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
. He was then dropped from the first-team after suffering from a tore
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on international duty, and did not play again until a three-game spell in December. He set up Jason Scotland for Ipswich's third in a 3–0 win over
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
at
Portman Road Portman Road is a association football, football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C., Ipswich Town since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one E ...
on 18 December. However, he ruptured and dislocated his shoulder
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, and so did not appear again until 25 January, in a 3–0 League Cup semi-final defeat to
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at the
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. This was his last contribution to the campaign, and he was not selected again under Paul Jewell's stewardship, with whom he had a poor relationship. At the start of the 2011–12 season, he rejected a six-month
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
deal at
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
. However, he did not feature for Ipswich, and so in November 2011, he joined Crawley's League Two rivals Port Vale on loan. He saw the loan as an opportunity to win a permanent
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away from Portman Road. He played a number of
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
games, but never made a matchday squad at
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
before his loan spell ended in January; he felt disillusioned upon his arrival at the club when
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Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
asked him what position he played. He then had a trial with Southend United, also of League Two, before leaving Ipswich Town by mutual consent on 20 January. He later admitted he struggled with depression and
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after leaving the English professional football scene, and as a result lost 50% of the footballing ability he had at Ipswich.


League of Ireland

He was linked with a move into Irish football, as both
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
and
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 ...
expressed an interest in acquiring his services. He was revealed as a
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
player on 2 February 2012. He made only five league appearances for the "Leesiders". He went on trial at
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
in July 2012. O'Connor signed for Shamrock Rovers on 31 July. He made his competitive debut for Rovers in the final of the 2012 Leinster Senior Cup, which ended in a 1–0 win over St Patrick's CY. He made his
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
debut against Bohemians the following week, and made a total of five appearances for the "Hoops". O'Connor signed with
Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...
in October 2013. He spent the
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season with
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
, playing 11 League of Ireland Premier Division games. He dropped into the
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 ...
to play for Cobh Ramblers in January 2015. He was voted the club's Player of the Year for the
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
season. He went on to score nine goals in 26 league appearances during the
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campaign. In January 2017, he signed for First Division rivals
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 ...
. He also began working machinery operative at
Dublin Port Dublin Port () is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximately two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the island of Ireland. Locatio ...
. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat at Athlone Town on 24 February. He scored his first goal for the "Blues" in a 1–1 draw at Shelbourne on 30 June. On 21 July, O'Connor scored twice against former side Cobh Ramblers in a 4–0 win that put Waterford nine points clear of Cobh Ramblers and UCD at the top of the table with just seven games to play in the division. O'Connor continued his run of form with the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over UCD on 18 August. Waterford were crowned First Division champions following a 3–0 victory over
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 ...
, finishing eight points ahead of second-placed Cobh Ramblers, and promoted back to the Premier Division. O'Connor finished the
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
season with 26 appearances and four goals to his name, and was voted as the club's Player of the Year by the members of the Blues Supporters Club. On 18 January 2018, O'Connor signed a one-year contract with First Division side Longford Town. Injury restricted him to just three appearances before he left Strokestown Road in June 2018. He then relocated to work as a courier for the
Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) () is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005. The current director-general is Berna ...
. He re-joined Cobh Ramblers in July 2018 and featured four times in the
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
season, including an appearance in the 2018 League of Ireland Cup final defeat to Derry City at Brandywell Stadium; his penalty was saved by Gerard Doherty in the last kick of the game and the score ended as 3–1 to Derry.


International career

He made his debut appearance for the Republic of Ireland national under-21 team on 26 March 2011, in what ended as a 2–1 defeat to
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at the Estádio Municipal de Águeda; he was replaced by Ipswich teammate
Conor Hourihane Conor Geraroid Hourihane () (born 2 February 1991) is an Irish Football coach (association football), football coach and former Football player, player who played as a central midfielder, midfielder. He is currently the head coach of club Barns ...
at half-time. He previously appeared for the under-17 and under-19 side.


Career statistics


Honours

Waterford *
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 ...
:
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
Cobh Ramblers *
League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...
runner-up:
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
Individual * Cobh Ramblers Player of the Year:
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
*
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 ...
Player of the Year:
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Shane 1990 births Living people Association footballers from Cork (city) Men's association football fullbacks Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Rockmount A.F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Cork City F.C. players Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Portadown F.C. players Limerick F.C. players Cobh Ramblers F.C. players Waterford F.C. players Longford Town F.C. players English Football League players League of Ireland players 21st-century Irish sportsmen NIFL Premiership players