:George O'Boyle

{{Short description|Northern Irish footballer and manager (born 1967)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = George O'Boyle

| image =

| caption =

| fullname =

| height =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|12|14|df=y}}

| birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland

| position = Striker

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1984–1985

| years2 = 1985–1986

| years3 = 1986–1987

| years4 = 1987–1989

| years5 = 1988–1989

| years6 = 1989–1990

| years7 = 1990–1994

| years8 = 1994–2001

| years9 = 2001

| years10 = 2001

| years11 = 2001–2002

| years12 = 2002–2003

| years13 = 2003–2004

| years14 = 2004–2006

| years15 = 2006

| years16 = 2006–2008

| clubs1 = Manchester City

| clubs2 = Distillery

| clubs3 = Linfield

| clubs4 = Bordeaux

| clubs5 = → Linfield (loan)

| clubs6 = → Dunfermline Athletic (loan)

| clubs7 = Dunfermline Athletic

| clubs8 = St Johnstone

| clubs9 = Raith Rovers

| clubs10 = Brechin City

| clubs11 = Queen of the South

| clubs12 = Glenavon

| clubs13 = Ards

| clubs14 = Bo'ness United

| clubs15 = Kelty Hearts

| clubs16 = Carnoustie Panmure

| caps1 = 0

| goals1 = 0

| caps2 = 24

| goals2 = 4

| caps3 = 22

| goals3 = 12

| caps4 = 3

| goals4 = 0

| caps5 = 24

| goals5 = 9

| caps6 = 28

| goals6 = 3

| caps7 = 67

| goals7 = 26

| caps8 = 146

| goals8 = 64

| caps9 = 5

| goals9 = 0

| caps10 = 5

| goals10 = 2

| caps11 = 7

| goals11 = 3

| caps12 = 33

| goals12 = 9

| caps13 = 9

| goals13 = 0

| caps14 = 64

| goals14 = 24

| caps15 = 0

| goals15 = 0

| caps16 = 4

| goals16 = 0

| totalcaps = 441

| totalgoals = 156

| nationalyears1 = 1994–1998

| nationalyears2 = 1998

| nationalteam1 = Northern Ireland

| nationalteam2 = Northern Ireland B

| nationalcaps1 = 13

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| nationalcaps2 = 1

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| manageryears1 = 2015–2016

| managerclubs1 = Albert Foundry

| manageryears2 = 2016–2019

| managerclubs2 = Distillery (joint-manager)

| manageryears3 = 2019

| managerclubs3 = Harland & Wolff Welders (joint-manager)

}}

George O'Boyle (born 14 December 1967 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and now manager.

Playing career

=Club football=

O'Boyle, a striker, began his career in 1984 as a youth-team player with Manchester City. He was part of the Maine Road club's youth academy before earning a two-year contract.[http://www.linfieldfc.com/interview.aspx?id=2689 "Alex Mills interview with George O’Boyle in Sunday Life"] – Linfield F.C., 30 September 2018

After being released by City when he reached the age of 18, he returned to his native Belfast, finding a home on the Shankill Road, to join Distillery, then managed by Roy Welsh, in November 1985. The club won the County Antrim Shield in his first season.[https://www.banbridgeleader.co.uk/sport/football/distillery-new-management-set-out-to-let-the-good-times-roll-1-7399875 "DISTILLERY: New management set out to let the good times roll"] – Bainbridge Leader, 25 May 2016

He moved to Linfield in 1986.

O'Boyle left Northern Ireland in 1988 to join French club Bordeaux.

He returned to Linfield on loan in 1989.

In 1989 he joined Dunfermline Athletic,{{cite tweet|number=624306014716739584|user=officialdafc|title=Throwback Thursday: George O'Boyle joins Ross Jack celebrate during the 1989/90 season. #TBT|date=23 July 2015}} initially on loan for a year, before signing permanently for £250,000.

In 1994, he was signed by St Johnstone manager Paul Sturrock for a tribunal-decided £200,000 fee. He reached both the high and low points of his career during his seven years at McDiarmid Park. However, injury struck again; O'Boyle once more ruptured a cruciate ligament, while he required two operations on a groin problem.

O'Boyle played in the 1998 Scottish League Cup final defeat by Rangers.

On 5 January 2001, O'Boyle and St Johnstone teammate Kevin Thomas were sacked following drug-taking allegations. The two players, it was alleged, were found using an unidentified white powder (allegedly cocaine) at the club's Christmas 2000 party in Perth's That Bar.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/1102136.stm O'Boyle sacked by St Johnstone – BBC Sport] The SPL attempted to overturn the sacking but it was over-ruled by the SFA.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/st_johnstone/1371689.stm O'Boyle and Thomas lodge court appeal – BBC Sport][http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/scotland/1354639.stm Sacked pair talk of drug scandal – BBC Sport]

After leaving St Johnstone, O'Boyle joined Raith Rovers for four months, before moving on to Brechin City and Queen of the South, with whom he finished his professional career.

He returned to Northern Ireland to play for Glenavon[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/2827125.stm BBC Sport's Northern Ireland page] and Ards, only to return to Scotland in 2004 to play for junior clubs Bo'ness and Kelty Hearts. He failed to make an appearance for the latter club, due to injury.

=International football=

O'Boyle's international career spanned four years. In 1996, he scored his only Northern Ireland goal in a 1–1 draw with Germany in his hometown of Belfast.

=Honours=

Distillery

County Antrim Shield: 1986

Linfield

NIFL Premier Intermediate League: 1986–87, 1988–89
Gold Cup: 1988–89
Irish League Cup: 1986–87

Dunfermline Athletic

Scottish Football League First Division: 1988–89

St Johnstone

Scottish Football League First Division: 1996–97

Coaching career

O'Boyle managed Carnoustie Panmure, the final club for which he played.

He would leave football altogether until 2015, when he became assistant to manager Colin McIlwaine at Northern Amateur Football League club Albert Foundry.[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GEORGE+O'Boyle+h+Scot+great+memor+of+a+careerthat+pit+him+against+the...-a0397138821 GEORGE O'BOYLE: SHANKILL MAN A DUNFERMLINE AND ST JOHNSTONE LEGEND.] In the summer of 2016 O'Boyle followed McIlwaine to Lisburn Distillery, again taking up the role of assistant.[http://www.banbridgeleader.co.uk/sport/football/distillery-new-management-set-out-to-let-the-good-times-roll-1-7399875 DISTILLERY: New management set out to let the good times roll] The duo resigned in April 2019.[https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lisburn-distillery-announce-resignations-management-16085864 "Lisburn Distillery announce resignations of management team Colin McIlwaine and George O’Boyle"] – BelfastLive, 5 April 2019

O'Boyle and McIlwaine became the new joint-managers of NIFL Championship side Harland & Wolff Welders just a couple of days after departing Distillery.[https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/harland-wolff-welders-new-management-16089326 "Harland and Wolff Welders new management team announced"] – BelfastLive, 6 April 2019 They both left the club in December, seven months after their appointments.[https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/sport/hw-welders-part-company-management-17391554 "H&W Welders part company with management team Colin McIlwaine and George O'Boyle"] – BelfastLive, 9 December 2019

References

External links

{{Soccerbase}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060510013302/http://www.qosfc.com/01prof.htm Profile at Queen of the South (archived version)]
{{NeilBrownPlayers|player6/georgeo'boyle|George O'Boyle}}

Category:1967 births

Category:Ards F.C. players

Category:Men's association football forwards

Category:Bo'ness United F.C. players

Category:Brechin City F.C. players

Category:Carnoustie Panmure F.C. managers

Category:Carnoustie Panmure F.C. players

Category:Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players

Category:Expatriate men's association footballers from Northern Ireland

Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France

Category:FC Girondins de Bordeaux players

Category:Association football managers from Northern Ireland