 O'Connor playing for Walsall (September 2022) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Francis Edward O'Connor[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-11-20)20 November 1984 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2004 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2005 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 2004 | →Port Vale (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2005 | →AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | AFC Bournemouth | 39 | (1) |
| 2006–2012 | Doncaster Rovers | 215 | (4) |
| 2012–2014 | Derby County | 22 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | →Bristol City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Walsall | 109 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Kidderminster Harriers | 43 | (3) |
| Total | 450 | (11) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019 | Kidderminster Harriers (caretaker) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Francis Edward O'Connor (born 20 November 1984) is an English former professionalfootballer andmanager.
O'Connor played as a played as adefender. He won theFA Youth Cup with theAston Villayouth team, and played onloan atPort Vale, before making his name withAFC Bournemouth in the 2005–06 season. He was brought to Doncaster Rovers for a £130,000 fee in May 2006. He established himself as an essential first-team player for the club, helpingSean O'Driscoll's side to theFootball League Trophy in2007 andpromotion out of theLeague One play-offs in2008. Voted Player of the Season at the club in 2009–10, he lost his first-team place underDean Saunders during the 2011–12relegation campaign as Doncaster were relegated to League One. In August 2012, he joinedDerby County for an undisclosed fee. He wastransfer listed in May 2013 and loaned out toBristol City from September 2013 until January 2014. He signed withWalsall in June 2014 and remained at the club for three seasons. He dropped intonon-League football withKidderminster Harriers in October 2017 and was appointedcaretaker manager there in April 2019. He retired as a player in November 2019, having made 503 league and cup appearances in a 15-year playing career, scoring 13 goals.
O'Connor went toWheelers Lane Boys' School inBirmingham between 1996 and 2001.[4] He joined theAston 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 started in the2002 FA Youth Cup final win againstEverton. A traffic collision early in the year had ruled him out for several weeks, and he missed the first leg of the semi-final but returned to help his side resist an Everton attack fronted byWayne Rooney in the final. Turning professional withAston Villa in 2004, later in the year, he enjoyed a three-monthloan spell atLeague One sidePort Vale to gain first-team experience.[5] He played 15 games forMartin Foyle's "Valiants" in2004–05. After returning toVilla Park and featuring heavily in the Premier League Reserves title-winning team, he joinedAFC Bournemouth on loan for the remainder of the season in League One.[6]
After a successful loan spell, he joined Bournemouth permanently at the end of the2004–05 season after Villa agreed to an undisclosedtransfer.[7] O'Connor quickly became an integral part of the team, making his name as an energetic and pacey player, playing in either one of the full-back positions.[8] He scored his first and only goal for the "Cherries", a thumping halfvolley, from 25 yards (23 m) out; in a 2–2 draw withScunthorpe United atGlanford Park on 8 April 2006. Recovering from a hand injury,[9] he helpedmanagerSean O'Driscoll to keep theDean Court club five points above the League Onerelegation zone in2005–06.
In May 2006, he was sold toDoncaster Rovers for £130,000 due to Bournemouth's financial difficulties, after managerDave Penney offered him a three-yearcontract.[10] Only four months into his career at theKeepmoat Stadium, his former bossSean O'Driscoll was installed into the management position at Doncaster. O'Connor made a solid start to his Rovers career in the2006–07 season with consistent performances throughout the season in defence. Hecapped a fine season by helping the club toFootball League Trophysuccess following a 3–2 win overBristol Rovers at theMillennium Stadium, where he was namedman of the match. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 away win atBrentford. In the2007–08 season, O'Connor began to excel in the right-back slot, providing width and speed to the Rovers attacks and playing his part as a key player in a solid defence. He recovered from ahernia operation in February to play a vital part in the club'spromotion campaign.[11] O'Connor was again named man of the match as Doncaster beatLeeds United in theLeague One play-off final atWembley Stadium.[12] Not long after this he pledged his future to Doncaster by signing a new three-year contract.[13]
During thefollowing season, O'Connor helped Doncaster to secure a 14th-place finish in theChampionship. Along the way, he scored the only goal in their win againstSheffield United atBramall Lane. O'Connor was awarded all three of the club's available supporters awards, including Player of the Season, for the2009–10 season after a succession of good performances at right-back and centre-half.[14] He scored his only goal of the season away at Brentford in theFA Cup third round. He started the2010–11 season by scoring Doncaster's first goal of the season in a 2–0 win overPreston North End atDeepdale. He went on to make 37 starts despite an injury-hampered season, with one of the highlights being his second goal of the season against local rivalsScunthorpe United in a 3–1 win atGlanford Park. O'Connor continued to be a vital part of the Rovers team until he lost his first-team place a few months afterDean Saunders took charge of the club in September 2011,[15] and watched from the sidelines as "Donny" were relegated out of the Championship in last place in2011–12.
On 1 August 2012, O'Connor joinedDerby County for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year contract with an option for a further year.[16] O'Connor made his debut atPride Park in a 2–2 draw withSheffield Wednesday on 18 August, coming on forNathan Tyson as a 74th-minutesubstitute.[17] He made his first start three days later, in a 2–0 defeat toBolton Wanderers at theReebok Stadium.[18] Two days after the Bolton match, Derby managerNigel Clough praised O'Connor by saying; "With only two [league] games played this season, we've seen the value of James already. He can play anywhere across the back four and he just slots in with no fuss whatsoever. He's a good, competent Championship player and there aren't too many about like him who can come in and do a job in so many positions; he's a very good and important player to have in the camp."[19] He scored his first goal for the "Rams" in a 2–0 home win overBarnsley on 6 November.[20] O'Connor covered at left-back for the injuredGareth Roberts in December 2012, after he fell behindJake Buxton andMark O'Brien in the pecking order in central defence. In February 2013, it was reported that O'Connor had picked up a knee injury.[21] In March, he returned to full first-team training, with a scheduled return to the match-day squad for Derby's game on Good Friday, 29 March.[22] However, he did not make a first-team appearance before the end of the campaign and ended the2012–13 season with 23 appearances. In May 2013, O'Connor was informed that he would not figure regularly at Pride Park during the upcoming2013–14 season and was allowed to look for a move elsewhere.[23] In August, it was reported the O'Connor was training withBristol City of League One with the view of a permanent transfer.[24]
On 2 September 2013, O'Connor signed a loan deal until 13 January with Bristol City, again linking up withSean O'Driscoll with a view to a permanent transfer.[25] However, he soon picked up a career-threatening ruptured thigh injury in just his fourth appearance.[26] He was ruled out for the remainder of the2013–14 season and was released in the summer by new managerSteve McClaren.[27]
On 21 June 2014, O'Connor signed a one-year contract with League One sideWalsall.[28] "Saddlers" managerDean Smith had this to say: "In James, we have signed an extremely reliable and solid defender. There were a lot of teams interested in him when he left Derby County, but I am delighted that he has chosen to come here. It certainly is a big bonus for us and I look forward to working with him."[29] He was surprisingly not named in the starting lineup for the2015 Football League Trophy final atWembley Stadium, a 2–0 defeat toBristol City, but denied rumours that he and Smith had fallen out over the issue.[30][31] He was frequently used at right-back during the2014–15 season, but returned to centre-back for the final stretch of the season as he helped Walsall to steer clear of the relegation zone,[32] and led to him being nominated for theLeague One Player of the Month award.
O'Connor was a key player in the Saddlers2015–16 campaign, where they missed out on automatic promotion by a single point. He scored two goals that season, including a goal against Premier League championsChelsea in theLeague Cup fourth round. He dedicated the goal to his late grandad, who had died hours before. In March 2016, he signed a two-year extension to his contract to keep him at the club until summer 2018.[33]Interim managerJon Whitney stated that "he's been one of our most consistent performers this year and his experience is invaluable, on and off thepitch".[34] Walsall struggled at the start of the2016–17 season, before a switch to a 3–5–2formation helped to shore up the defence.[35] O'Connor left the club by mutual consent on 31 August 2017 after he was told that he did not feature in manager Jon Whitney's first-team plans.[36]
On 2 October 2017, O'Connor signed forNational League North clubKidderminster Harriers on a three-year contract.[37] His signing was seen as a big coup by managerJohn Eustace as O'Connor turned down offers from Football League clubs to go toAggborough.[38][39] However, he was diagnosed with anAchilles problem in February and was ruled out of action for most of the rest of the2017–18 season.[40] Following the sacking ofMark Yates on 21 April, O'Connor was appointed caretaker manager for the final two matches of the2018–19 season.[41] He was appointed assistant manager in the summer of 2020.[42] When Penn was sacked in January 2024, O'Connor stayed in post so as "to provide some kind of transition between Penn and his successor".[43] However, new managerPhil Brown namedNeil McDonald as his assistant.[44]
Able to play across the back four,[21] O'Connor possessed vision, stamina and pace going forward whilst also remaining organised and disciplined whilst defending.[45]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2004–05[46] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Port Vale (loan) | 2004–05[46] | League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2004–05[46] | League One | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 2005–06[47] | League One | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 43 | 1 |
| Total | 45 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 1 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 2006–07[48] | League One | 40 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| 2007–08[49] | League One | 43 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[50] | Championship | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10[51] | Championship | 38 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 41 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11[52] | Championship | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12[53] | Championship | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 215 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 242 | 5 | ||
| Derby County | 2012–13[54] | Championship | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |
| 2013–14[55] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2013–14[55] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Walsall | 2014–15[56] | League One | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| 2015–16[57] | League One | 37 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3[b] | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| 2016–17[58] | League One | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 2017–18[59] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 109 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 122 | 3 | ||
| Kidderminster Harriers | 2017–18[60] | National League North | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[60] | National League North | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||
| Total | 43 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 450 | 11 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 503 | 13 | ||
Aston Villa
Doncaster Rovers
Walsall
Individual