Jon O'Connor
{{short description|English footballer (born 1976)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Jon O'Connor
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Jonathan O'Connor
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1976|10|29}}
| birth_place = Darlington, England
| height = {{convert|1.78|m|ftin|order=flip}}{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/1041/Jon-O%27Connor/overview |title=Jon O'Connor: Overview |publisher=Premier League |accessdate=22 June 2020}}
| position = Centre back, right back
| youthyears1 = 1993–1995 | youthclubs1 = Everton
| years1 = 1995–1998 |clubs1 = Everton |caps1 = 5 |goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1998 |clubs2 = → Sheffield United (loan) |caps2 = 0 |goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1998–2000 |clubs3 = Sheffield United |caps3 = 4 |goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2000–2002 |clubs4 = Blackpool |caps4 = 11 |goals4 = 0
| totalcaps = 20 | totalgoals = 0
| nationalyears1 = 1992–1993 | nationalteam1 = England U16 | nationalcaps1 = 11 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1993–1995 | nationalteam2 = England U18 | nationalcaps2 = 11 | nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 1996 | nationalteam3 = England U21 | nationalcaps3 = 3 | nationalgoals3 = 0
}}
Jonathan O'Connor (born 29 October 1976) is an English former footballer who played as a defender in the Premier League for Everton and in the Football League for Sheffield United and Blackpool. Internationally, he represented England at levels up under-21.
Club career
O'Connor was born in 1976 in Darlington, County Durham.{{Hugman|14820|accessdate=15 June 2020}} At 14, he was accepted into the Football Association's National School of Excellence at Lilleshall, and went on to join Everton (in preference to Leeds United and Barnsley) as a trainee.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103763913/jon-oconnor-at-16/ |title=Kick start to the big time |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=11 January 1993 |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}} Manager Joe Royle had been impressed by his temperament.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/branch-profits-from-his-roots-1359364.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623013117/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/branch-profits-from-his-roots-1359364.html |archive-date=23 June 2020 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |title=Branch profits from his roots |first=Norman |last=Fox |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=20 October 1996 |accessdate=15 June 2020}} He signed his first professional contract in October 1993, and made his first-team debut in February 1996 against Manchester United at Old Trafford playing out of position at right back. Although Everton lost 2–0, O'Connor made a good impression. In his column in the Liverpool Echo, Everton's goalkeeper, Neville Southall, wrote that "facing Ryan Giggs on your debut is about as tough as it can get", but that O'Connor was not daunted and played very positively.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103764300/neville-southall-on-jon-oconnors-debut/ |title=United 'curse' a lesson for Jon! |first=Neville |last=Southall |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=24 February 1996 |page=47 |via=Newspapers.com}} He kept his place for the next two matches{{snd}}two wins, no goals conceded{{cite news |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tyias-browning--brendan-galloway-9580645 |title=Will Tyias Browning & Brendan Galloway become a Michael Ball or a Jon O'Connor? |first=David |last=Prentice |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=3 July 2015 |accessdate=15 June 2020}}{{snd}}and was then replaced by the newly arrived Swiss international right back Marc Hottiger. O'Connor's 89th-minute appearance as a substitute in that match was his last of the season.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/atkinson-sticks-to-the-same-old-tricks-1341430.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625171441/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/atkinson-sticks-to-the-same-old-tricks-1341430.html |archive-date=25 June 2020 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |title=Atkinson sticks to the same old tricks |first=Jon |last=Culley |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=11 March 1996 |accessdate=15 June 2020}}
A groin problem worsened after he played at the Toulon Tournament, and he had a hernia operation in pre-season, followed by a thigh injury which meant he played no first-team football in 1996–97.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103764920/jon-oconnor-recuperating/ |title=Overplaying the medical jokes |first=Paul |last=Joyce |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=10 March 1997 |at=Evertonian supplement page 7 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103764754/jon-oconnor-injuries/ |title=Young Blue O'Connor ruled out for season |first=Paul |last=Joyce |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=14 February 1997 |page=72 |via=Newspapers.com}} He signed a three-year contract in February 1997,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103765177/jon-oconnor-contract-1997/ |title=Ebbrell's on the brink |first=Paul |last=Joyce |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=25 February 1997 |page=47}} but by the end of the season, Royle had been replaced by Howard Kendall. Now fit but not in the team, O'Connor attracted offers from teams wanting to take him on loan, but Kendall felt unable to let him leave.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103765390/jon-oconnor-cant-go-on-loan/ |title=Same again says delighted Kendall |first=David |last=Prentice |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=24 October 1997 |page=72 |via=Newspapers.com}} In November, he came off the bench for 15 minutes against Aston Villa, but when another vacancy arose, against Chelsea in January 1998, Graham Allen was preferred.{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/english-premiership-previews-1.125504 |title=English Premiership Previews |newspaper=Irish Times |date=17 January 1998 |accessdate=16 June 2020 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-fergusons-power-punishes-careless-chelsea-1139526.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614201836/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-ferguson-s-power-punishes-careless-chelsea-1139526.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |title=Ferguson's power punishes careless Chelsea |first=Guy |last=Hodgson |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=19 January 1998 |accessdate=16 June 2020}}
In early February, he joined First Division club Sheffield United on loan, but before he could take the field, the move was made permanent. O'Connor was valued at an estimated £250,000 in a part-exchange deal that reunited Kendall with Don Hutchison.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-the-spent-force-of-goodison-1188538.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624220457/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-the-spent-force-of-goodison-1188538.html |archive-date=24 June 2020 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |title=The spent force of Goodison |first=Glenn |last=Moore |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=1 December 1998 |accessdate=16 June 2020}} He made his debut the next day, as an 89th-minute substitute against Bradford City, and appeared just once more for the first team that season, again from the bench. He was part of the reserve team that won the 1998 Central League Cup, but his time at the club was disrupted by injury.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/million-pound-players-and-european-champions-what-happened-sheffield-uniteds-reserve-cup-winning-team-1998-2549435?page=2 |title=Million-pound players and European champions – What happened to Sheffield United's reserve cup-winning team of 1998? |first=Danny |last=Hall |newspaper=The Star |location=Sheffield |date=27 April 2020 |accessdate=22 June 2020}} He played twice in the league in December 1998, and his sole appearance in that season's FA Cup was his last for Sheffield United's first team.
After a string of trials with clubs including Chester City,{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A66340331/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=cc536f0e |title=This week's transfers |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |page=26 |date=4 March 2000 |accessdate=15 June 2020 |via=Gale General OneFile |url-access=subscription}} Scunthorpe United, Cambridge United, Darlington,{{cite web |url=https://www.toffeeweb.com/season/99-00/diary/index.php |title=Everton Season Diary 1999–2000 |website=Toffeeweb |accessdate=15 June 2020}} Hartlepool United,{{cite news |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7131686.pool-keen-sign-sharp/ |title=Pool keen to sign up Sharp |newspaper=The Northern Echo |location=Darlington |date=30 August 2000 |accessdate=15 June 2020}} and Lincoln City,{{cite web |url=https://www.11v11.com/players/jon-oconnor-9688/ |title=Jon O'Connor |website=11v11.com |publisher=AFS Enterprises |accessdate=22 June 2020}} O'Connor signed for Third Division club Blackpool in October 2000. He played regularly for a couple of months, and made 14 first-team appearances in the 2000–01 season, but eventually retired due to "persistent glandular fever problems."
International career
O'Connor made eleven appearances for England at under-16 level in 1992 and 1993, and captained the side.{{cite web |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/MatchRsl/MatchRslTmU16pg2.html |title=Match results under 16: 1990–2000 |website=England Football Online |publisher=Chris Goodwin & Glen Isherwood |date=6 January 2021 |accessdate=15 June 2022}} He moved up to the under-18s, and played in qualifiers for three consecutive editions of the European Championships. England reached the finals in the first of the three, in 1993, but O'Connor was not selected in the squad for the tournament.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/jun/29/forgotten-story-england-under-18-1993 |title=The forgotten story of... England's class of '93 |first=Rob |last=Smyth |newspaper=The Guardian |date=29 June 2009 |accessdate=22 June 2020}} He received his first call-up for the under-21 team in April 1996 for a warm-up match against Croatia at Roker Park, Sunderland, ahead of the 1996 Toulon Tournament. He started against Croatia, and was named in the squad for Toulon, where he played in two of the four group matches.{{cite web |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/MatchRsl/MatchRslTmU21pg2.html |title=England's Matches: the under 21s: 1990–2000 |website=England Football Online |publisher=Chris Goodwin & Glen Isherwood |date=26 April 2014 |accessdate=22 June 2020}}
Career statistics
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|FA Cup !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="4"|Everton
|1995–96{{soccerbase season|5917|1995|accessdate=22 June 2020}} | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1996–97{{soccerbase season|5917|1996|accessdate=22 June 2020}}
|Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997–98
|Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0 | ||||||||||
| rowspan="4"|Sheffield United
|1997–98{{soccerbase season|5917|1997|accessdate=22 June 2020}} | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1998–99{{soccerbase season|5917|1998|accessdate=22 June 2020}}
|First Division | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000{{soccerbase season|5917|1999|accessdate=22 June 2020}}
|First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!4||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||5||0 | ||||||||||
| Blackpool
|2000–01{{soccerbase season|5917|2000|accessdate=22 June 2020}} |11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 1{{efn|Appearance in Football League Trophy}} | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| colspan=3|Career total
!20||0||3||0||0||0||1||0||24||0 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Jon}}
Category:Footballers from Darlington
Category:English men's footballers
Category:England men's youth international footballers
Category:England men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Sheffield United F.C. players
Category:Blackpool F.C. players