Joe Connor

Name: Michael Joseph O'Connor*
Born: 26 September 1877, Philipstown, Kings County (now Daingean, Co. Offaly)
Died: August 1934, West Bromwich (ENG)
Height:
Weight:
Position: Centre-Forward

Representative Honours: Ireland: 3 Full Caps / 1 Goal (1903-1904).

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Gordon Highlanders	97/98	-	-	-	-	-
West Bromwich Albion	97/98-98/99	Jan-1898	Amateur	10/ 0	-	-
Walsall	99/00-00/01	May-1899	-	48/14	5/2	-
Bristol City	01/02	Jun-1901	-	25/ 8	2/1	-
Woolwich Arsenal	02/03	May-1902	-	14/ 2	2/1	-
Brentford	02/03	Dec-1902	-	11/ 3	(Southern League)
New Brompton	03/04	May-1903	-	4/ 1	(Southern League)
Fulham	03/04	Oct-1903	-	11/ 1	(Southern League)
Small Heath Reserves	04/05	Sep-1904	-	-	(Birmingham & District League)
National Football Agency	-	Sep-1905	-	-	-	-
Treharris	-	c/s-1906	-	-	(Western League)
Ton Pentre	08/09	Aug-1908	-	-	(Wales)
Wednesbury Old Athletic	-	Oct-1909	-	-	-	-
Cannock Town	-	Oct-1910	-	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£-		123/29	9/4	-

Biography:
Joe Connor, the son of a serving soldier, was born in 1877 in Philipstown, Kings County, Ireland. He remained in Ireland with the Gordon Highlanders until 1892, when the regiment moved to England. In 1898 while playing for the Gordon Highlanders he was signed by West Bromwich Albion as an amateur, turning professional the following month. In a little over a season with Albion he played ten games on the right-hand side of attack, winning praise for his grace and methodical approach.

Normally an inside-right at club level, all three of Connor's Irish caps were earned leading the attack. He scored within nine minutes of his debut in a 2-0 win over Scotland in March 1903, and retained his place for the next two Home Nations matches. His first two international appearances came whilst on the books of Brentford, and his final cap while a Fulham player.

In September 1905 Connor signed-up to John Tagg's National Football Agency, a body that was at odds with the FA. Tagg arranged a "team of English internationals" to travel to the continent, among them was Connor. On his return from the tour he was served with a ban, before resuming his playing career.

Connor's football career spanned many clubs, however his home base was West Bromwich as he had married while playing there and his wife and two daughters were still living there. When he retired from football he settled permanently in West Bromwich and was the proud father of three daughters by the 1911 Census.
..
Ireland Cap Details:
21-03-1903 Scotland A W 2-0 BC 1 goal
28-03-1903 Wales... H W 2-0 BC
12-03-1904 England. H L 1-2 BC

Summary: 3/1. Won 2, Drew 0, Lost 1.

* Much work has been carried out by George Glass and Martin O'Connor to establish the exact details of "Joe Connor". He was first registered with the FA as "Michael Joseph O'Connor" on 1st January 1898 on signing for West Brom. Many sources list variations on his name and place of birth, but a cross-reference of various sources has led to the details as listed above. NIFG is incredibly grateful to George and Martin as ever for sharing their work.