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Jack O'Connell (English footballer)

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Jack O'Connell
O'Connell playing for Brentford in 2015
Personal information
Full name Jack William O'Connell[1]
Date of birth (1994-03-29) 29 March 1994 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back[4]
Youth career
2010–2011 Litherland REMYCA
2011–2012 Blackburn Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Blackburn Rovers 0 (0)
2012–2013 → Rotherham United (loan) 3 (0)
2013 → York City (loan) 18 (0)
2013–2014 → Rochdale (loan) 38 (0)
2014–2015 → Rochdale (loan) 17 (3)
2015–2016 Brentford 16 (1)
2015 → Rochdale (loan) 12 (2)
2016–2023 Sheffield United 166 (7)
Total 270 (13)
International career
2012 England U18 1 (0)
2012–2013 England U19 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jack William O'Connell (born 29 March 1994) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

O'Connell began his career at Blackburn Rovers and came to prominence after captaining Rochdale to promotion from League Two in the 2013–14 season. He joined Championship club Brentford in February 2015, and remained there until July 2016 when signing for Sheffield United of League One. O'Connell was capped by England at under-18 and under-19 level, captaining the latter team.

Early and personal life

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O'Connell was born in Liverpool, Merseyside,[5] and was raised by his mother along with his three brothers.[6] He moved to Málaga, Spain, with his family during his childhood, where he lived for four years before returning to England.[7] He was a boyhood fan of Liverpool[8] O'Connell is in a relationship with women's footballer Alex Greenwood, the two having met at Cardinal Heenan High School where O'Connell was attending sixth form.

Club career

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Early years

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O'Connell began his career with the youth team at Liverpool County Premier League Premier Division club REMYCA United at the age of 16.[9] He made seven appearances in the first team before being named their Youth Player of the Year for the 2010–11 season.[10][11]

Blackburn Rovers

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After having trials with Premier League clubs Everton and Blackburn Rovers, O'Connell was signed by the academy of the latter on a two-year contract in the summer of 2011.[12][13] A left-sided centre-back and left-back,[14] he made 35 appearances and scored three goals for the academy and reserve teams during 2011–12 and was part of the academy team which reach the finals of the FA Youth Cup and the Premier Academy League.[15] O'Connell signed a two-year professional contract with Rovers in May 2012.[14]

After impressing on loan away from Ewood Park during the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, O'Connell signed a new two-year contract in the summer of 2014.[16] O'Connell received his maiden call into the first team squad on 12 August 2014, being named in the starting line-up for a League Cup first round match versus Scunthorpe United.[17] He played the full 90 minutes of the 1–0 defeat.[18] He was called into the squad for the club's next two Championship matches, before departing on loan.[17] After his return,[19] O'Connell's final involvement with the first team came on 3 January 2015, when he remained an unused substitute for a 2–1 FA Cup third round victory over Charlton Athletic.[17] He departed Rovers on 2 February 2015,[20] after making just one first team appearance in three and a half years at Ewood Park.[21] He made 49 appearances and scored three goals for the club's reserve and academy teams.[15]

Rotherham United (loan)

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On 22 November 2012, O'Connell signed on loan for League Two club Rotherham United until 5 January 2013.[22] O'Connell made the first senior appearance of his career on 24 November 2012, replacing Courtney Cameron in the 89th minute of a 1–0 away win against Exeter City.[23] He made five appearances for Rotherham before returning to Blackburn.[23]

York City (loan)

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O'Connell playing for York City in 2013

O'Connell joined another League Two team, York City, on a one-month loan on 24 January 2013.[24] He made his debut two days later in a 1–1 draw away to Gillingham.[23] The loan was extended until the end of 2012–13 on 25 February 2013.[25] O'Connell made 18 appearances for York before returning to Blackburn after his loan expired.[23]

Rochdale (loans)

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O'Connell signed for League Two team Rochdale on 22 July 2013 on a six-month loan.[26] Consistently good displays saw manager Keith Hill extend O'Connell's loan until the end of 2013–14 in December 2013.[27] He was also named captain by Hill.[28] O'Connell made 45 appearances[29] as Rochdale earned automatic promotion to League One after finishing third in League Two.[30]

On 1 September 2014, O'Connell rejoined Rochdale on a loan running until 3 January 2015.[31] He scored the first senior goal of his career with a header in a 3–0 win over Yeovil Town on 25 October 2014.[32][33] O'Connell returned to Blackburn Rovers after his loan expired,[19] having made 19 appearances and scored three goals during his spell with Rochdale.[32] Across his two spells at Spotland, O'Connell made 64 appearances and scored three goals.[21]

Brentford

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On 2 February 2015, O'Connell signed for Championship club Brentford on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[20] After a spell away on loan, he was an unused substitute on four occasions before the end of 2014–15.[17] O'Connell made his long-awaited debut with a start at left back in Brentford's second match of 2015–16, a 4–0 League Cup first round defeat to Oxford United.[34] A suspension to Harlee Dean in late November saw O'Connell come into the team and he headed his first Brentford goal to level the score at 2–2 in a West London derby with Fulham on 12 December.[35] Despite the departure of first-choice centre-back James Tarkowski in January 2016,[36] O'Connell remained as third-choice centre-back after being usurped by Yoann Barbet.[37] He made sporadic appearances through to the end of the season and finished with eighteen appearances and one goal.[34]

Return to Rochdale (loan)

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O'Connell playing for Rochdale in 2015

On 10 February 2015, O'Connell returned to League One team Rochdale on loan until the end of 2014–15.[38] He made his third debut for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Peterborough United four days later.[32] He made 12 appearances and scored two goals before being recalled by Brentford on 28 March.[32][39] Earlier in the day he had celebrated the 100th professional appearance of his career with the winner in a 2–1 victory over Yeovil Town.[40][41] Over the course of his three spells with Rochdale, O'Connell made 76 appearances and scored five goals.[21]

Sheffield United

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O'Connell signed for then League One club Sheffield United on 8 July 2016 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[42] He scored his first goal for Sheffield United in an EFL Trophy tie against Grimsby Town on 9 November 2016.[43] O'Connell made 50 appearances, scoring 6 goals,[44] as Sheffield United were promoted to the Championship as League One champions.[45] On 15 November 2017, O'Connell signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Sheffield United, keeping him at Bramall Lane until June 2022.[46] On 28 April 2019 he saw his second promotion in three seasons with United, this time to the Premier League.[47] As part of manager Chris Wilder's system, O'Connell would play as an outside centre-back, overlapping the wing-back to get into a crossing position.[48][49]

Retirement

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On 21 July 2023, O'Connell announced via his social media accounts that he would be retiring from football at the age of 29.[50] O'Connell cited his knee injuries as the main reason for his retirement, among other complex reasons and decisions, and stated that "Walking away from football will leave a void in my life – but I have made peace with it. And I am grateful for the games I have played, the moments I lived out on the pitch, and to my team-mates – many of whom will be friends for life. It was all a dream come true."

International career

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O'Connell was capped once by the England under-18 team, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–0 friendly victory over Poland on 7 March 2012.[51] He made his debut for the under-19s in a 3–0 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification win over Estonia on 26 September 2012.[51] O'Connell won four further caps during the qualifying round,[52] including three as captain.[53] He won eight caps at under-19 level.[51]

Career statistics

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As of end of 2020–21 season
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Blackburn Rovers 2012–13[23] Championship 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0
2014–15[32] Championship 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Total 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Rotherham United (loan) 2012–13[23] League Two 3 0 2 0 — — 5 0
York City (loan) 2012–13[23] League Two 18 0 — — — 18 0
Rochdale (loan) 2013–14[29] League Two 38 0 4 0 1 0 2[a] 0 45 0
2014–15[32] League One 29 5 — — 2[a] 0 31 5
Total 67 5 4 0 1 0 4 0 76 5
Brentford 2014–15[32] Championship 0 0 — — 0 0 0 0
2015–16[34] Championship 16 1 1 0 1 0 — 18 1
Total 16 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 18 1
Sheffield United 2016–17[44] League One 44 4 2 1 1 0 3[b] 1 50 6
2017–18[54] Championship 46 0 1 0 1 0 — 48 0
2018–19[55] Championship 41 3 0 0 1 0 — 42 3
2019–20[56] Premier League 33 0 2 0 0 0 — 35 0
2020–21[57] Premier League 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
2021–22[58] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 166 7 5 1 3 0 3 1 177 9
Career total 270 13 12 1 6 0 7 1 296 15
  1. ^ a b Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

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Sheffield United

References

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  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 18th May 2019: Sheffield United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 33. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Jack O'Connell". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Jack O'Connell". Sheffield United F.C. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Jack O'Connell". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Jack O'Connell: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  6. ^ Hall, Danny (8 September 2019). "Sheffield United: 'In, year, out, see ya' – New book brings story of Blades' Premier League promotion season to life". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Jack O'Connell – Well Red". Sheffield United F.C. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  8. ^ Rayner, Stuart (31 December 2019). "Liverpool FC fan Jack O'Connell has a job to do at Anfield – 'I won't be touching any signs!'". The Yorkshire Post. Leeds. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ^ Fitzpatrick, Scott (22 July 2013). "Former player joins Rochdale". Pitchero. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Remyca Utd youth product captains England U19s". Pitchero. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  11. ^ Evans, David (13 February 2012). "Jack gets England call!!". Pitchero. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  12. ^ Evans, David (13 May 2011). "Jack of the Rovers". Pitchero. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Rovers pair land England call". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  14. ^ a b "Rovers reward O'Connell". Sky Sports. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Jack O'Connell". Blackburn Rovers F.C. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015.
  16. ^ Wheelock, Paul (1 July 2014). "Jack O'Connell signs two-year contract with Blackburn Rovers". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  17. ^ a b c d "Jack O'Connell". ESPN FC. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  18. ^ "Blackburn Rovers 0–1 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Cywka & O'Connell leave Spotland". Vital Dale. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  20. ^ a b Wickham, Chris (2 February 2015). "Brentford sign Jack O'Connell from Blackburn Rovers". Brentford F.C. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  21. ^ a b c "Jack O'Connell". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  22. ^ "Rotherham sign Liam Ridehalgh and Jack O'Connell on loan". BBC Sport. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  24. ^ "York City sign Blackburn Rovers defender Jack O'Connell". BBC Sport. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  25. ^ Flett, Dave (25 February 2013). "York City extend loan deal for Blackburn defender Jack O'Connell". The Press. York. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  26. ^ "Rochdale: Jack O'Connell joins on loan from Blackburn Rovers". BBC Sport. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  27. ^ "Rochdale: Jack O'Connell and Graham Cummins extend loans". BBC Sport. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  28. ^ "Sky Sports Scout, in association with Wyscout, reports on young defender Jack O'Connell". Sky Sports. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  29. ^ a b "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  30. ^ "League Two: 2013/14: League table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  31. ^ "Defender returns to Dale". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  33. ^ "Yeovil Town 0–3 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  34. ^ a b c "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  35. ^ Street, Tim (14 December 2015). "Brentford defender hoping Fulham strike will help cement his place ahead of Cardiff trip". Get West London. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  36. ^ Moore, Tom (12 March 2016). "Brentford defender Yoann Barbet pumped up for QPR trip". Get West London. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  37. ^ Brett, Ciaran (19 February 2016). "Jack O'Connell: "When I get my chance I need to take it"". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  38. ^ Wickham, Chris (10 February 2015). "Brentford defender Jack O'Connell joins Rochdale on loan". Brentford F.C. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  39. ^ "Jack O'Connell recalled by Brentford". Rochdale A.F.C. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  40. ^ O'Keeffe, Greg (27 March 2015). "Liverpool-born footballer Jack O'Connell makes 100 league appearances before 21st birthday". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  41. ^ "Rochdale 2–1 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  42. ^ "Sheffield United sign Jack O'Connell and John Fleck". BBC Sport. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  43. ^ "Grimsby Town 2 Sheffield United 4: Blades go out of Checkatrade Trophy with a bang". The Star. Sheffield. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  44. ^ a b "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  45. ^ "League One: 2016/17: League table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Jack O'Connell: Sheffield United defender signs contract extension". BBC Sport. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  47. ^ "Sheffield United promoted to Premier League after Leeds draw". 28 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  48. ^ Wallace, Sam (22 November 2019). "Jack O'Connell interview: Growing up in Spain, going out with an England star and why Sheffield United's overlapping centre-backs work so well". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  49. ^ "Key Sheffield United man Jack O'Connell ruled out for the season with injury". The Athletic. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  50. ^ Jack O'Connell [@jackoconnell22] (21 July 2023). "Announcement 💭" – via Instagram.
  51. ^ a b c "Jack O'Connell". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014.
  52. ^ "J. O'Connell: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  53. ^ Wheelock, Paul (17 May 2014). "Blackburn Rovers starlet Jack O'Connell tipped for first-team breakthrough". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  54. ^ "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  55. ^ "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  56. ^ "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  57. ^ "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  58. ^ "Games played by Jack O'Connell in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  59. ^ Anderson, John, ed. (2017). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2017–2018. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 326–327. ISBN 978-1-4722-3397-4.
  60. ^ Anderson, John (2019). Football Yearbook 2019–20. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 320–321. ISBN 978-1-4722-6111-3.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jack O'Connell (association football player).
  • Profile at the Sheffield United F.C. website
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