James O'Connor (footballer born 1984)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Francis Edward O'Connor[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 November 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2004 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2005 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 2004 | → Port Vale (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2005 | → Bournemouth (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Bournemouth | 43 | (1) |
| 2006– | Doncaster Rovers | 191 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:06, 24 September 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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James Francis Edward O'Connor (born 20 November 1984 in Birmingham) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Doncaster Rovers.
A former Aston Villa youth player, he also played on loan at Port Vale before making his name with Bournemouth in the 2005–06 season. Following this he was brought to Doncaster Rovers for a £130,000 fee, where he has established himself as an essential first team player.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Aston Villa
O'Connor went to Wheelers Lane Boys School in Birmingham between 1996 and 2001. He joined the Aston Villa youth set-up in 1997 after his P.E teacher Mr Alan Miller recommended O'Connor to the club as a creative midfield player. He instead established himself as a strong defender, and featured in the 2002 FA Youth Cup win. A car crash early in the year had ruled him out for a number of months and he missed the first leg of the semi-final, but returned to help his side resist an Everton attack fronted by Wayne Rooney in the final.
Turning professional with Aston Villa in 2004; later in the year he enjoyed a three month loan spell at League One Port Vale to gain first team experience.[2]
[edit] Bournemouth
Not making the grade at Villa, he joined Bournemouth on loan at the start of the 2004–05 season[3] and in January 2005 signed permanently, after Villa agreed to a free transfer.[4] O'Connor quickly became an integral part of the team, making his name as a tough tackler and promising player. He scored his only goal for the Cherries in a 2–2 draw against Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park.
[edit] Doncaster Rovers
In May 2006, he was sold to Doncaster Rovers for £130,000 due to Bournemouth's financial difficulties.[5] He made a solid start to his Rovers career in the 2006–07 season with consistent performances throughout the season in defence.
In the 2007–08 season, O'Connor began to excel in the right-back slot, providing width and speed to the Rovers attacks, as well as playing his part as a key player in a solid defence. O'Connor's first goal in his Doncaster career was the third of a resounding 4–0 victory away at Brentford in December 2006. He capped a fine season by helping the club to Football League Trophy success following a 3–2 win over Bristol Rovers at the Millennium Stadium.
In 2008, O'Connor was named Man of the Match as Doncaster beat Leeds United in the League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium.[6] Not long after this he pledged his future to Doncaster by signing a new three year contract.[7]
During the following season, O'Connor helped Doncaster to secure a fourteenth place finish in the Championship. Along the way he scored the only goal in their win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
O'Connor was awarded all three of the club's available supporters awards for the 2009–10 season after a succession of good performances playing at right-back and centre-half.[8] He scored his only goal of the season away at Brentford in the FA Cup Third Round.
O'Connor started the 2010–11 season by scoring Doncaster's first goal of the season in a 2–0 away win against Preston North End. He went on to make 37 starts despite an injury hampered season, with one of the highlights being his secondnd goal of the season against local rivals Scunthorpe United in a 3–1 win at Glanford Park.
[edit] Statistics
- As of 1 June 2011.
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 2004–05[9] | Aston Villa | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004–05[9] | Port Vale | League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 2004–05[9] | Bournemouth | League One | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2005–06[10] | Bournemouth | League One | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
| 2006–07[11] | Doncaster Rovers | League One | 40 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| 2007–08[12] | Doncaster Rovers | League One | 43 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| 2008–09[13] | Doncaster Rovers | Championship | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| 2009–10[14] | Doncaster Rovers | Championship | 38 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| 2010–11[15] | Doncaster Rovers | Championship | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| 2011–12[16] | Doncaster Rovers | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | England | 245 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 276 | 6 | |
| Career total | 245 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 276 | 6 | ||
- Football League Trophy statistics included in totals column.
[edit] Honours
- with Aston Villa
- FA Youth Cup winner: 2002
- with Doncaster Rovers
- Football League Trophy winner: 2007
- Football League One play-offs winner: 2008
[edit] References
- ^ "List of Temporary Transfers of Players under Written Contract Between 01/10/2010 and 31/10/2010" (PDF). The Football Association. http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/PlayerRegistrations/September%202010.ashx/September%202010.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
- ^ "Vale to sign Villa defender". BBC Sport. 2 September 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/3622390.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "O'Connor seals Cherries loan move". BBC Sport. 18 February 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/bournemouth/4278159.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "O'Connor seals Bournemouth switch". BBC Sport. 24 March 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/bournemouth/4379421.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Doncaster sign defender O'Connor". BBC Sport. 17 May 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/doncaster/4989190.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ Lewis, Aimee (25 May 2008). "Doncaster 1-0 Leeds". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/7418498.stm. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Doncaster tie up Mills transfer". BBC Sport. 31 July 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/doncaster/7532525.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Sharp, O' Connor & Roberts scoop awards". Doncaster Rovers Official Website. 26 April 2010. http://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10329~2035268,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- ^ a b c "Games played by James O'Connor in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=134. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=135. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=136. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=137. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=138. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=139. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=140. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Games played by James O'Connor in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=39345&season_id=141. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
[edit] External links
- James O'Connor career stats at Soccerbase
- James O'Connor player profile at doncasterroversfc.co.uk
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