 O'Connor in a Glenavonkit in 2020 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Joseph O'Connor[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-10-06)6 October 1987 (age 38)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland[3] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Glenavon (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Crewe Alexandra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2009 | Crewe Alexandra | 77 | (3) |
| 2009 | →Lincoln City (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2009–2012 | Scunthorpe United | 97 | (12) |
| 2012–2014 | Rotherham United | 64 | (7) |
| 2014–2016 | Port Vale | 70 | (10) |
| 2016–2018 | Notts County | 38 | (2) |
| 2018–2020 | Lincoln City | 56 | (3) |
| 2020 | Salford City | 8 | (1) |
| 2020–2023 | Glenavon | 70 | (11) |
| 2023 | Newry City | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 490 | (38) | |
| International career | |||
| Northern Ireland U15 | 7 | (0) | |
| Northern Ireland U17 | 13 | (6) | |
| Northern Ireland U18 | 1 | (0) | |
| Northern Ireland U19 | 10 | (0) | |
| 2007–2008 | Northern Ireland U21 | 3 | (2) |
| 2008–2013 | Northern Ireland | 11 | (0) |
| 2009 | Northern Ireland B | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2025– | Glenavon | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Michael Joseph O'Connor (born 6 October 1987) is afootball manager and former professional player who is the manager ofNIFL Premiership clubGlenavon.
O'Connor began his professional career atCrewe Alexandra in 2005 and soon established himself as a first-team regular. He wasloaned out toLincoln City in March 2009 and was sold toScunthorpe United in July 2009 for a £250,000 fee. He spent three seasons with the "Iron", two of which were in theChampionship, before he was allowed to sign withRotherham United in May 2012. He helped the "Millers" to win two consecutivepromotions, coming out ofLeague Two as runners-up in 2012–13, and then winning theLeague Oneplay-off final in2014. He signed withPort Vale in July 2014 and went on to be named the club'sPlayer of the Year in 2014–15. He signed withNotts County in June 2016 and stayed with the club for two years before joining Lincoln City in July 2018. He helped Lincoln to win the League Two title at the end of the 2018–19 season before he joinedSalford City in January 2020. He returned to Northern Ireland to sign with Glenavon in August 2020. He joinedNewry City as assistant manager in May 2023.
He was one of several Northern Irish footballers involved in a dispute between theIFA and theFAI concerning international eligibility. Having initially represented Northern Ireland up tounder-21 level, O'Connor was persuaded to switch to theRepublic of Ireland's under-21 squad for a brief period. However, he subsequently decided to revert permanently to theNorthern Ireland national team, to whom he became irrevocably committed.
He was appointed manager of Glenavon in October 2025.
O'Connor was spotted byCrewe Alexandrascouts as a young teenager playingyouth team football in Northern Ireland. In 2004, shortly after he turned 16, he signed scholarship terms. He was a prominent member of theAlexandra youth team that reached the semi-final of the 2004FA Youth Cup, and he latercaptained the side.[4] In July 2005 he signed a three-year professionalcontract. On 25 February 2006, aged 18, he made hisChampionship debut atGresty Road when he came on as a late substitute forGareth Taylor in a 2–1 win overBrighton & Hove Albion.[5] He made his second senior appearance for the "Railwaymen" in the club's final game of the2005–06 season againstMillwall on 30 April 2006, replacingLee Bell athalf-time he went on to set up two goals and hit the post with his oneshot.[6] He began the2006–07 season as a regular first-team player for Crewe, now inLeague One, undermanagerDario Gradi. He scored his first senior goal on 22 August, in theLeague Cup, with a "fierce shot" from 18 yards (16 m) in a 3–0 victory overGrimsby Town.[7] In all he made 34 appearances during the campaign.
O'Connor was not a regular first-team player under new bossSteve Holland in the first half of the2007–08 campaign, but won back his first-team spot in the second half of the season. He was named in the League One 'Team of the Week' in March 2008 for his performance in a 3–0 win overGillingham.[8] After scoring his first league goal for the club on 13 September 2008 in a 2–0 victory overColchester United, he went on to score in the next two games againstSouthend United and then againstLiverpool in a 2–1 League Cup defeat atAnfield.[9][10][11] However, he fell out of favour at Crewe under managerGuðjón Þórðarson after committing "breaches of discipline".[4][12][13] O'Connor joinedPeter Jackson'sLeague Two sideLincoln City on a one-month emergencyloan on 6 March 2009, a day before aLincolnshire derby against Grimsby, as a short-term replacement forLee Frecklington.[14] O'Connor returned fromSincil Bank on 18 April after he was suspended for picking up 10 yellow cards that season, and subsequently trained withScottish Premier League clubHibernian.[4][15]
In July 2009, Crewe accepted an undisclosed offer (later revealed to be £250,000) for O'Connor fromScunthorpe United, and he signed a three-year contract with the club.[16][17] He went on to make 36 appearances for Scunthorpe in the2009–10 campaign, helpingNigel Adkins's "Iron" to finish above theChampionshiprelegation zone.
Scunthorpe struggled in the2010–11 season following Atkins's departure, andIan Baraclough and thenAlan Knill failed to keep the club outside the relegation places. This was despite O'Connor significantly improving his goal tally, hitting nine goals in his 36 appearances.Premier League clubsWest Ham United andNewcastle United were linked with O'Connor during the Januarytransfer window, but Baraclough confirmed that no formal approaches were made.[18] In the summer the club rejected an undisclosed bid fromPeterborough United.[19] He played 36 games atGlanford Park in the2011–12 season as Scunthorpe laboured to a mid-table finish in League One. He was subject to an offer byHibernian in January 2012 but remained in England.[20] On 3 March, he wassent off after retaliating to afoul byCraig Eastmond in a 4–1 victory overWycombe Wanderers atGlanford Park.[21] He was released by the club in May 2012.[22]
O'Connor signed a two-year contract withRotherham United in May 2012.[23] He made his "Millers" debut on 18 August 2012, in a 3–0 win overBurton Albion at theNew York Stadium.[24] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win overBradford City on 1 September.[25] He scored again the following week in a 6–2 defeat toPort Vale.[26] On 29 September, he scored twice in a 3–1 win againstOxford United.[27] On 9 February, he was sent off for a stamp onJacques Maghoma in a 2–0 defeat atBurton Albion.[28] On 15 December, he was named in the League Two team of the week for his performance in a 1–0 win atAFC Wimbledon.[29] In all he scored six goal in 40 appearances as he helpedSteve Evans's side winpromotion out of League Two.
He made 34 appearances in the2013–14 campaign, helping the club to reach the League Oneplay-off final. He was an unused substitute atWembley Stadium as Rotherham secured promotion with apenalty shoot-out victory againstLeyton Orient.[30] He was released by the club in May 2014.[31]
O'Connor signed a one-year contract with League One club Port Vale in July 2014.[32] He scored his first goal for the club on 26 August, hitting the net from 40 yards (37 m) out in a 3–2 League Cup defeat toCardiff City atVale Park; this was one of the longest distance goals ever scored by a Vale player, and won him the club's Goal of the Season award.[33][34] Despite this effort the local newspaper reported that generally throughout the campaign "his contribution is industrious and effective without grabbing the headlines".[35] At the end of the2014–15 season he was named as the club'sPlayer of the Year, and also won the Supporters' Club's Trophy and was voted Players' Player of the Year.[34] He signed a new contract with the club in June 2015.[36]
He picked up a knee injury in2015–16 pre-season training and had to wait until October before returning to match fitness.[37] He then lost his first-team place in the new year due to athighstrain.[38] He retained his first-team place in the second half of the season, but stated that concerns over his contract running down and the daily commute from hisLincolnshire home were becoming a strain, and that he would consider offers from more local clubs in the summer.[39] He won a place on the Football League team of the week after providing anassist, scoring a goal and then having his free-kick deflected in for anown goal in a 3–1 home win overSouthend United on 26 February.[40] He was again named in the Football League team of the week after converting two penalties and putting in "a fine-all round performance" in a 4–1 home win overRochdale on 23 April.[41] He confirmed that he had rejected the offer of a new contract from the club in May 2016.[42]
O'Connor signed a two-year contract with League Two sideNotts County in June 2016.[43] He was named as club captain by managerJohn Sheridan.[44] On 10 December, he was sent off in stoppage time of a 2–0 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.[45] The "Magpies" struggled in the first half of the2016–17 season, but new managerKevin Nolan said O'Connor had been "pivotal in the turnaround" in the club's form alongside midfield partnerRobert Milsom.[46] However, on 17 April he ruptured hisanterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a 3–1 defeat toPortsmouth atMeadow Lane, and was ruled out of action for the rest of the calendar year.[47] Nolan gave him scouting tasks during his long recovery.[48] He managed to make a return to training in February before playing in the last six games of the2017–18 season to help County to secure a place in the play-offs.[49] He was offered a new contract by Notts County at the end of the 2017–18 season but turned it down in favour of a move elsewhere.[50][51]
On 20 June 2018, O'Connor signed a one-year contract with League Two Lincoln City.[52] In joining Lincoln he turned down offers from Notts County andGrimsby Town.[53] He played 45 times for the "Imps" as they secured promotion as League Two champions at the end of the2018–19 season; managerDanny Cowley commented that "he's played a big part in the success of the team over this past season".[54] O'Connor went on to sign a new one-year contract and underwent a minor operation to remove a staple in his knee from his previous surgery.[55] He went on to become of the club's most consistent performers in the first half of the2019–20 season.[56]
On 15 January 2020, O'Connor signed a six-month contract with League Two side Salford City after being signed for an undisclosed fee.[57][58] His appearances were limited due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in England; he scored one goal in eight games for the "Ammies", but was released by managerGraham Alexander at the end of the2019–20 season.[59]
On 29 August 2020, O'Connor signed a two-year deal withNIFL Premiership clubGlenavon; managerGary Hamilton described his signing as "a big coup for the club".[60] O'Connor said that he was keen to return to his native Northern Ireland and that the pandemic had caused him to turn down offers from English League Two clubs in order to return to his homeland.[61] He pursued his coaching badges whilst playing part-time for Glenavon.[62] His first goal for the club was apenalty in a 4–4 draw againstColeraine on 7 November.[63] He scored six goals in 23 games during the2020–21 season.[64] He scored four goals in 34 games during the2021–22 campaign.[64] He made 18 appearances during the2022–23 season, scoring one goal.[64]
On 23 May 2023, it was announced that O'Connor had joinedNewry City as player/assistant manager to Gary Boyle.[65] Following Newry's 4-0 Boxing Day defeat to Glenavon, Boyle confirmed his resignation as manager and O'Connor also declared that he would leave his role.[66]
On 25 June 2024,Coleraine announced that O'Connor had been appointed as managerDean Shiels’ new assistant coach.[67] Commenting upon the appointment, Shiels noted that he had known O'Connor for a long time and that they had been roommates when representing Northern Ireland. On 30 April 2025, the club announced that, with immediate effect, both Shiels and O'Connor would depart their roles with the club.[68]
On 11 October 2025, O'Connor was appointed manager of Glenavon.[69] The club were bottom of the NIFL Premiership after losing their first 11 games of the2025–26 season.[70]
O'Connor was a regular captain for Northern Ireland at every youth level up to under-20[71] and scored six goals at under-17 level.[72] However, O'Connor was called up to play for theRepublic of Ireland under-21s for afriendly againstLuxembourg in October 2006.[71] He subsequently had to withdraw from the squad. In February 2007, he was also selected for the Republic under-21 squad to play in the Madeira Cup,[73] but did not play in any of the three games involved.[74] On 16 November 2007 he made his debut for theNorthern Ireland under-21s, scoring in a 5–0 win againstLuxembourg.[75] On 20 November he scored again for the under-21s in a 3–0 win againstMoldova.[76] On 6 February 2008 he also played againstIsrael.[77]
On 26 March 2008, O'Connor made his senior international debut forNorthern Ireland in a 4–1 win againstGeorgia in a friendly atWindsor Park; he came on as a half-time substitute forDamien Johnson.Michael Gault also made his international debut in the same match.[78] He made his competitive debut on 10 September 2008, playing in a 0–0 draw with theCzech Republic in aWorld Cup qualification match.[79] He won acap for theNorthern Ireland B team in a 3–0 defeat toScotland B atBroadwood Stadium inCumbernauld on 6 May 2009.[80] He returned to the international scene after a three-year absence on 10 September 2013, when he featured in a 3–2 defeat toLuxembourg in aWorld Cup qualification game atStade Josy Barthel.[81] However, after missing out on the squad selected in March 2015 he said that he was considering his international future.[82]
Speaking in July 2014,Crewe Alexandra andPort Vale teammateTom Pope described O'Connor as "[having] everything. He's got the range ofpassing, he sits in there and gets the ball moving and he gets stuck in. He whips a great ball in, has greatfree kicks and a lot of quality."[83] He describes himself as a "passionate" player. However, this has resulted in many yellow cards for dissent.[84] Port Vale assistant managerPaul Bodin also praised O'Connor'sset piece delivery and energy levels.[85]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 2005–06[86] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2006–07[87] | League One | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3[a] | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| 2007–08[88] | League One | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[89] | League One | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1[a] | 0 | 30 | 5 | |
| Total | 77 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 6 | ||
| Lincoln City (loan) | 2008–09[89] | League Two | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Scunthorpe United | 2009–10[90] | Championship | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| 2010–11[91] | Championship | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 9 | |
| 2011–12[92] | League One | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| Total | 97 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 13 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2012–13[93] | League Two | 35 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 40 | 6 |
| 2013–14[94] | League One | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| Total | 65 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 75 | 8 | ||
| Port Vale | 2014–15[95] | League One | 44 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 7 |
| 2015–16[96] | League One | 26 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | |
| Total | 70 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 12 | ||
| Notts County | 2016–17[97] | League Two | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| 2017–18[98] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| Lincoln City | 2018–19[99] | League Two | 39 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 3 |
| 2019–20[100] | League One | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |
| Total | 56 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 67 | 4 | ||
| Salford City | 2019–20[100] | League Two | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Glenavon | 2020–21[64] | NIFL Premiership | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 6 |
| 2021–22[64] | NIFL Premiership | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 | |
| 2022–23[64] | NIFL Premiership | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 70 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 11 | ||
| Newry City | 2023–24[64] | NIFL Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 491 | 51 | 25 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 550 | 58 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2008 | 5 | 0 |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | |
Rotherham United
Lincoln City
Individual