 O'Grady playing forBrighton & Hove Albion in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher James O'Grady[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-01-25)25 January 1986 (age 39)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Mickleover | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Nottingham Forest | |||
| 2000–2003 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2007 | Leicester City | 24 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | →Notts County (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | →Rushden & Diamonds (loan) | 22 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Rotherham United | 51 | (13) |
| 2008–2010 | Oldham Athletic | 13 | (0) |
| 2008 | →Bury (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2009 | →Bradford City (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2009 | →Stockport County (loan) | 18 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | →Rochdale (loan) | 24 | (15) |
| 2010–2011 | Rochdale | 69 | (19) |
| 2011–2013 | Sheffield Wednesday | 53 | (9) |
| 2013 | →Barnsley (loan) | 16 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | Barnsley | 40 | (15) |
| 2014–2017 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 | (1) |
| 2014 | →Sheffield United (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | →Nottingham Forest (loan) | 21 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | →Burton Albion (loan) | 26 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Chesterfield | 35 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Oldham Athletic | 38 | (7) |
| 2019–2020 | Bolton Wanderers | 20 | (2) |
| 2022 | Ilkeston Town | 16 | (6) |
| 2023 | Grantham Town | 7 | (1) |
| 2024 | Shirebrook Town | 4 | (5) |
| 2025– | Mickleover | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | England U17 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:36, 28 January 2025 (UTC) | |||
Christopher James O'Grady (born 25 January 1986) is an Englishfootballer who plays as astriker forNorthern Premier League Premier Division clubMickleover.
O'Grady notably played professionally forLeicester City,Rotherham United,Oldham Athletic,Rochdale,Sheffield Wednesday,Barnsley,Brighton & Hove Albion,Chesterfield andBolton Wanderers. He has also spent time on loan withNotts County,Rushden & Diamonds,Bury,Bradford City,Stockport County,Sheffield United,Nottingham Forest andBurton Albion.
Born inNottingham, Nottinghamshire,[1] O'Grady originally caught the eye of formerLeicester City bossMicky Adams as he was prolific in front of goal for the under 18s and reserves. O'Grady was handed his debut when coming off the bench in Leicester's 2–0 victory overGrimsby Town in April 2003, but failed to break through into the first team the following season.
He made 11 appearances during a loan spell at Notts County in late 2004, gaining some much needed league experience, and ended the2004–05 campaign on a high, winning a place on the bench in City's final game of the season againstPlymouth Argyle.
After scoring from the penalty spot againstInter Milan in pre-season, O'Grady had a successful spell on loan at Rushden & Diamonds at the end of 2005, before returning to Leicester to compete for a place in the first team line-up. He grabbed his firstChampionship goal atLuton Town in March 2006, a late strike which earned City a 2–1 away win.[2]
In his first start for Leicester City, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win overMacclesfield Town in theLeague Cup first round.[3] His second start saw Leicester win 1–0 at home toSouthend United.
On 18 January 2007, O'Grady signed forRotherham United on a two-and-a-half-year deal for£65,000. His first goal for Rotherham was a penalty againstHuddersfield Town in February 2007. O'Grady altogether scored four goals in his first season with Rotherham.[4]
O'Grady transferred toOldham Athletic for an undisclosed fee on 28 May 2008,[5] making his debut in the following season on 9 August in a 4–3 win overMillwall.[6] After ten appearances for the Latics without a goal, he was loaned out toBury.[7]
O'Grady signed on loan forBradford City on 2 January 2009 on a month's loan.[8] His debut for Bradford came the following day when he was a second-half substitute forMichael Boulding in a 0–0 draw withShrewsbury Town.[9] O'Grady played just two games with Bradford,[10] before he returned to Oldham and immediately joining another League One sideStockport County on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season.[11] His debut for the Hatters came on 4 February, coming on at half-time in a 1–0 loss toMilton Keynes Dons.[12] O'Grady's first goal for Stockport was in his seventh game to give the side a 1–1 draw withLeicester City on 3 March 2009.[13]
O'Grady signed for Rochdale on loan on 21 August 2009 and impressed, scoring 12 league goals in 21 games. On 14 January 2010 O'Grady signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Rochdale for an undisclosed fee.[14]
On 23 January 2010 he scored his first hat-trick, againstCheltenham. In the same season he helped Rochdale gain promotion from League Two.
On 14 July 2011 Rochdale confirmed that a bid bySheffield Wednesday for O'Grady had been rejected.[15] On 9 August 2011 Wednesday confirmed the signing of O'Grady from Rochdale for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £350,000,[16][17] with the striker putting pen to paper on a three-year contract at Hillsborough. Chris scored his first goal for the Owls in a 2–2 draw against fierce rivals Sheffield United. His next goal came away at Morecambe in the FA Cup. His third, a spectacular headed lob, came against local rivals and promotion candidates Huddersfield Town. He was considered the work horse of the Wednesday frontline by many an Owls fan. Despite having not scored many goals for the club, hecemented himself as first-choice forward alongsideGary Madine. O'Grady also formed a solid partnership with fellow frontmanRyan Lowe, when Madine was either suspended or out injured.
On 26 February 2012, O'Grady scored once again against derby rivals Sheffield United with a header from a Lewis Buxton cross in a 1–0 win for the Owls at Hillsborough.
At the start of the 2012–13 season, O'Grady scored three goals in two games, the first two against one of his previous clubs Oldham Athletic in the League Cup, and then, in the first league game, he scored a stunner against Derby County. He received the ball from Lewis Buxton, turned and smashed a shot with his left foot into the top left corner.
On January transfer deadline day in 2013, O'Grady joined Wednesday'sSouth Yorkshire rivalsBarnsley on loan for the remainder of the season.[18]
After a successful loan spell atBarnsley, O'Grady joined them on a permanent basis on 19 June 2013 fromSheffield Wednesday on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around £300,000.[19]
Following Barnsley's relegation from theChampionship at the end of the2013–14 season, O'Grady transferred toBrighton & Hove Albion on 18 July 2014, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed six figure fee believed to be £500,000.[20] He scored his first goal for Brighton in anFA Cup tie againstBrentford 3 January 2015.[21]
On 27 November 2014 O'Grady went on loan toSheffield United until the end of January 2015.[22] He scored once for Sheffield United; his goal coming in a 1–1 draw withWalsall.[23] On 29 December, Brighton & Hove recalled O'Grady from his loan spell at United due to a striker shortage.[24]
On 1 September 2015, O'Grady joinedNottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season.[25]
O'Grady joinedBurton Albion in July 2016 on loan for the 2016–17 season.[26] He scored his first goal for Burton in a 2–1 win over former club Rotherham United on 29 December 2016.[27]
In June 2017, O'Grady signed a two-year contract withEFL League Two sideChesterfield. Upon signing O'Grady told the club website, "It's the type of club and the type of project that is just perfect for me. The objective is to get the club back to where it belongs - in League One...I had other offers but Chesterfield were the first to come in for me and it just felt right."[28]At the end of Chesterfield's dismal league 2 campaign in 2017/18, O'Grady was ironically voted player of the season by disgruntled fans before the club decided to not award the 'honour' at all.[29]
On 30 July 2018, O'Grady rejoinedLeague Two clubOldham Athletic on a one-year deal.[30]
On 2 September 2019, O'Grady signed a contract until the end of the season withLeague One sideBolton Wanderers, following the termination of his contract atOldham Athletic.[31] Due to injury, his debut didn't come until 19 October, when he came on as a late substitute in a 1–3 defeat againstRochdale[32] with his first start coming three days later, when he played the full 90 minutes in Bolton's first win of the season, a 2–0 away win againstBristol Rovers.[33] His first goals came on 29 October when he scored twice in a 3–1 win againstManchester City U21 in theEFL Trophy,[34] with his first league goal coming in Bolton's next match, as he opened the scoring againstFleetwood Town, Bolton winning 2–1, their third win in a row.[35] On 26 June it was announced O'Grady would be one of 14 senior players released at the end of his contract on 30 June.[36]
On 24 May 2022, he signed forIlkeston Town.[37]
On 11 February 2023, he joinedGrantham Town.[38]
In August 2024, O'Grady joinedUnited Counties League Premier Division sideShirebrook Town.[39]
On 28 January 2025, O'Grady signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division sideMickleover.[40]
O'Grady was capped by England at youth international level.[1]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leicester City | 2002–03[41] | Division One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003–04[42] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05[43] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06[44] | Championship | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07[45] | Championship | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| Total | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
| Notts County (loan) | 2004–05[43] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Rushden & Diamonds (loan) | 2005–06[44] | League Two | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 25 | 4 |
| Rotherham United | 2006–07[45] | League One | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 |
| 2007–08[45] | League Two | 38 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 42 | 11 | |
| Total | 51 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 55 | 15 | ||
| Oldham Athletic | 2008–09[46] | League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2009–10[47] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Bury (loan) | 2008–09[46] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Bradford City (loan) | 2008–09[46] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Stockport County (loan) | 2008–09[47] | League One | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Rochdale (loan) | League Two | 24 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 15 | |
| Rochdale | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11[48] | League One | 46 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 9 | |
| 2011–12[49] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 90 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 31 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2011–12[49] | League One | 32 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 7 |
| 2012–13[49] | Championship | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 24 | 6 | ||
| Total | 53 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 13 | ||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2012–13[49] | Championship | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 6 | |
| Barnsley | 2013–14[49] | Championship | 40 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 43 | 15 | |
| Total | 56 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 59 | 21 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2014–15[49] | Championship | 28 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | |
| 2015–16[49] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 31 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 38 | 3 | |||
| Sheffield United (loan) | 2014–15[49] | League One | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2015–16[49] | Championship | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | |
| Burton Albion (loan) | 2016–17[50] | Championship | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | --- | 26 | 1 | |
| Chesterfield | 2017–18[51] | League Two | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 41 | 3 |
| Oldham Athletic | 2018–19[52] | League Two | 38 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 47 | 8 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2019–20[53] | League One | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 2 | 23 | 4 |
| Ilkeston Town | 2022–23[54] | SFL Premier Central | 16 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 19 | 7 | |
| Grantham Town | 2022–23[55] | NPL D1 East | 7 | 1 | — | — | 1[b] | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Shirebrook Town | 2024–25[56] | United Counties League Premier Division | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | |
| Career total | 545 | 101 | 20 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 604 | 115 | ||
Individual
