Patrick O'Connell (footballer)
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Patrick Joseph O'Connell | ||
Date of birth | 8 March 1887 | ||
Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
Date of death | 27 February 1959 | (aged 71)||
Place of death | St Pancras, London, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
Position(s) |
Wing half | ||
Youth career | |||
Frankfort | |||
Stranville Rovers | |||
Liffey Wanderers | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1905–1909 | Belfast Celtic | ||
1909–1912 | Sheffield Wednesday | 18 | (0) |
1912–1914 | Hull City | 58 | (1) |
1914–1919 | Manchester United | 34 | (2) |
1915 | → Clapton Orient (guest) | ||
1918–1919 | → Rochdale (guest) | ||
? | → Chesterfield (guest) | ||
1919–1920 | Dumbarton | 31 | (0) |
1920–1922 | Ashington | 19 | (1) |
International career | |||
1912–1919 | Ireland | 6 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1921–1922 | Ashington | ||
1922–1929 | Racing Santander | ||
1929–1931 | Real Oviedo | ||
1932–1935 | Real Betis | ||
1935–1940 | Barcelona | ||
1940–1942 | Real Betis | ||
1942–1945 | Sevilla | ||
1947–1949 | Racing Santander | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Patrick Joseph O'Connell (8 March 1887 – 27 February 1959), also known as Paddy O'Connell or Patricio O'Connell, was an Irish
As an international, he captained
Early life
O'Connell was born in 11 Jones Terrace, Dublin, now the entrance to Hill 16 at Croke Park. From the age of 14, he worked at Boland's Mill and became a foreman at the age of 15. He also played junior football with several local Dublin clubs, including Frankfort, Stranville Rovers and Liffey Wanderers, before joining Belfast Celtic.[3] In March 1909, O'Connell and left-back Peter Warren were transferred to Sheffield Wednesday for a combined fee of £50.[4]
Playing career
Club
Sheffield Wednesday
A terrific performer in the heart of the defence, O'Connell made his English First Division debut for Sheffield Wednesday against Bury on the last day of the 1908–09 season. However, in subsequent seasons, he was unable to establish himself as a regular in the Wednesday first team, due to competition from English McConnell, Jimmy Spoors and Bob McSkimming. As a result, he made just 21 senior appearances, 18 in the league and three in the FA Cup. However, while with Wednesday, O'Connell made two of his six international appearances for Ireland.[4]
Hull City
O'Connell left Sheffield Wednesday for Hull City in March 1912, and subsequently made 58 Second Division appearances for City during the 1912–13 and 1913–14 seasons. While with City, he also made a further three appearances for Ireland.[4]
Manchester United
O'Connell's impressive performances with Ireland attracted the attention of Manchester United, for whom he signed in May 1914 for a fee of £1,000.[3] During the 1914–15 season, he served as United team captain, made 34 First Division appearances and scored twice. He also played one further game for the club in the FA Cup. He made his league debut and scored his first goal for the club on 2 September 1914 in a 3–1 home defeat against Oldham Athletic. He scored his second goal on 10 April 1915 in a 2–2 home draw with Middlesbrough, and made his final English league appearance for the club on 26 April in a 1–0 home win against Aston Villa.[5] [6]
O'Connell's time at United saw the club finish third from bottom in the First Division, narrowly avoiding relegation by a single point. He also became embroiled in the infamous
Dumbarton
In August 1919, O'Connell moved to Dumbarton; during the 1919–20 season, he made 31 league appearances and played twice in the Scottish Cup. He made his Scottish League debut as a right-half in a 1–1 draw with Ayr United on 16 August 1919, the opening day of the season. His first three appearances for Dumbarton were at right-half, while all the rest were at centre-half, with the exception of the home game against Hamilton Academical on 27 September 1919, when he again played at right-half. He made his final appearance for Dumbarton in a 4–3 away defeat against Aberdeen on 24 April 1920.[10]
Ashington
O'Connell finished his playing career with
International
Between 1912 and 1919, O'Connell played six times for
Managerial career
Racing de Santander
In 1922, O'Connell succeeded
Real Oviedo
From September 1929 until May 1931, O'Connell managed Real Oviedo in the Segunda División.[17]
Real Betis
Between 1931 and 1935, O'Connell managed
FC Barcelona
O'Connell's success with
During the 1936–37 season,
Due to the financial success of this tour, Barcelona cleared their debts and saved the club; however, O'Connell returned to Spain with only four players, after the others chose to go into exile in Mexico and France. By the 1937–38 season, the Republican area was reduced in size, and a second Mediterranean League was impossible to organise. However, a Lliga Catalana, featuring just Catalan teams, was organised. Despite a depleted squad, O'Connell and Barcelona won both the Lliga Catalana and the Campionat de Catalunya.[21][22]
Sevilla FC
O'Connell went on to manage
Legacy
A bust commemorating O'Connell's league title achievement with Real Betis was installed at the club's Estadio Benito Villamarín in 2017. It was organised by the Patrick O'Connell Memorial Fund, Alan McLean, Fergus Dowd and Simon Needham. A documentary about O'Connell and the Fund, by Michael Andersen was released in May 2018, with the support of the Memorial Fund. O'Connell's new memorial was installed by the fund in April 2016.[24]
The monument commemorates Real Betis's only La Liga title; while it includes reference to their title winning manager, it misspells O’Connell's name.
Honours
Player
Ireland
- 1914
Manager
Racing Santander
- Cantabrian Champions: 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29
Real Betis
Barcelona
- Mediterranean League: 1937
- Lliga Catalana: 1937–38
- Campionat de Catalunya: 1935–36, 1937–38
References
- ^ "The coming of the big ball: the Second Division: Hull City". Athletic News. Manchester. 18 August 1913. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Irish Footballers : Manchester United : players from Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland : Played for Man Utd". Soccer-Ireland.com. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Jcd (23 February 2008). "Pat "Don Patricio" O'Connell". Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d The Men Who Made Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (2007) Tony Matthews
- ^ Manchester United fansite [dead link]
- ^ Manchester United – The Complete Record (2007) Andrew Endlar
- ^ The Ball Is Round (2007) David Goldblatt
- ^ Don Patricio O'Connell: An Irishman and the Politics of Spanish Football (2008) Jimmy Burns pg. 1
- ^ The Man Utd Miscellany (2007) Andy Mitten
- ^ "scottishleague.net • View topic – Patrick O'Connell – Dumbarton 1919/20".
- ^ "Ashington AFC – The Official Website". Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- ^ Scotland results Archived 6 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ England results Archived 26 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Don Patricio O'Connell: An Irishman and the Politics of Spanish Football (2008) Jimmy Burns pg. 1
- ^ a b La Liga stats
- ^ a b Don Patricio O'Connell: An Irishman and the Politics of Spanish Football (2008) Jimmy Burns pg. 3
- ^ telecable. "telecable: TV-Telefonía fija-Internet-Telefonía Móvil". Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- ^ www.fcbarcelona.cat
- ^ "FC Barcelona – Complete International Record".
- ^ "The Year in American Soccer – 1937". Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- ^ Don Patricio O'Connell: An Irishman and the Politics of Spanish Football (2008) Jimmy Burns pg. 4
- ^ Barça: A People's Passion (1998), Jimmy Burns
- ^ www.sevillafc.es Archived 19 September 2004 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Patrick O'Connell: Spanish football's Irish hero honoured". BBC News. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.