Centre-half for Ireland's first International Championship win in 1914, Pat O'Connell was a well-travelled player and became an even better travelled manager and coach...Name: Patrick Joseph O’Connell
Born: 8 March 1887, Drumcondra, Dublin
Died: 27 February 1959, St. Pancras, London (England)
Height: 5.11 ft
Weight: 11.06 st
Position: Centre-Half
Representative Honours: Ireland: 5 Full Caps (1912-1914), 1 Victory Cap (1919).
Club Career:
Teams
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
Other
|
Frankfort
|
(Dublin)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Stranville
Rovers
|
(Dublin)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Belfast
Celtic
|
08/09
|
Aug-08
|
-
|
/5
|
-
|
/4
|
Sheffield
Wednesday
|
08/09-11/12
|
Mar-09
|
-
|
18/0
|
3/0
|
-
|
Hull
City
|
12/13-13/14
|
May-12
|
-
|
58/1
|
5/0
|
-
|
Manchester
United
|
14/15
|
Apr-14
|
£1,000
|
34/2
|
1/0
|
-
|
Rochdale
|
16/17
|
Dec-16
|
Guest
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Clapton
Orient
|
17/18
|
-
|
Guest
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Chesterfield
|
18/19
|
-
|
Guest
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Dumbarton
|
19/20
|
Aug-19
|
-
|
32/0
|
2/0
|
-
|
Ashington
|
20/21-21/22
|
c/s-20
|
-
|
19/1
|
-
|
-
|
TOTALS
|
-
|
£1,000
|
161/9
|
11/0
|
/4
|
|
Coaching Career:
Ashington player/manager 1921-1922
Racing Santander manager 1922-1929
Real Oviedo manager 1929-1931
Real Betis manager 1931-1935
Barcelona manager 1935-1938
Real Betis manager 1938-39
Sevilla manager 1942-1945
Racing Santander manager 1948-1949
Recreativo de Huelva scout 1949-1958
Biography:
An intelligent and stylish centre-half, Paddy O'Connell was a powerful opponent. While playing for Stranville Rovers and working at Boland’s Mills in Dublin he was signed by Belfast Celtic in August 1908, and played the full season with them, scoring 5 goals in the league and 4 in the City Cup. The highlight of his career at Belfast Celtic was scoring a hattrick in the 4-1 defeat of Linfield at Windsor Park in a City Cup match on the 31st October 1908.
In April 1909 O'Connell signed for Sheffield Wednesday and spent three seasons at the club without ever securing a regular place. He became a regular at Hull for two seasons and played in all three matches for Ireland when they won the International Championship for the first time in 1914. His displays in these matches was described as “steady as a rock”. In the final match, against Scotland, Paddy was injured in the first half but resumed after eight minutes with a bandaged left forearm. His re-emergence was key as Ireland also lost goalkeeper Fred McKee to injury and they battled from behind to claim a crucial 1-1 darw.
Manchester United signed O'Connell for £1,000 in May 1914 and appointed him captain. On Good Friday 1915 he missed a penalty in a match against Liverpool that was later revealed to be fixed, though he was not among the players banned. He played for Rochdale, Clapton Orient and Chesterfield during the war years, moving to Dumbarton in Scotland in August 1919 and subsequently to Ashington until he suddenly disappeared in June 1922, leaving a wife and young family behind him. He subsequently turned up in Spain, where he embarked on a coaching career that saw him in charge of several Spanish Clubs. He also coached the Spanish national side on a number of occasions.
In his later years O'Connell moved between Spain and a brother’s home in London. He was living in London when he died on 27 February 1959. On 6th June 2015 a plaque in his honour was unveiled at his former home in the Drumcondra area of Dublin.
Wikipedia
The Man Who Saved Barcelona Football Club
Belfast Celtic
BBC Story
Bronze Bust
Ireland Cap Details:
16-03-1912 Scotland H L 1-4 BC
19-01-1914 Wales... A W 2-1 BC
14-02-1914 England. A W 3-0 BC
14-03-1914 Scotland H D 1-1 BC
Summary: 5/0. Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 2.
Victory Cap Details:
22-03-1919 Scotland A L 1-2 VI
Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.
By George Glass with help from O'Connell's daughter and Colin Jose. Further information supplied by Robin Peake.
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