| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George O'Boyle | ||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Carnoustie Panmure | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984-1985 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 1985-1986 | Distillery | 24 | (4) |
| 1986-1987 | Linfield | 22 | (12) |
| 1987-1989 | Bordeaux | 3 | (0) |
| 1988-1989 | → Linfield (loan) | 24 | (9) |
| 1989-1994 | Dunfermline Athletic | 95 | (29) |
| 1994-2001 | St. Johnstone | 146 | (64) |
| 2001 | Raith Rovers | 5 | (0) |
| 2001 | Brechin City | 5 | (2) |
| 2001-2002 | Queen of the South | 7 | (3) |
| 2002-2003 | Glenavon | 33 | (9) |
| 2003-2004 | Ards | 9 | (0) |
| 2004-2006 | Bo'ness United | 64 | (24) |
| 2006 | Kelty Hearts | ||
| 2006-2008 | Carnoustie Panmure | 4 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1994-1998 | Northern Ireland | 13 | (1) |
| 1998 | Northern Ireland B | 1 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
George O'Boyle (born 14 December 1967 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer.
O'Boyle, a striker, began his career with Linfield. He left Northern Ireland in 1988 to join French club Bordeaux. The following year, he joined Dunfermline Athletic for £250,000. In 1994, he was signed by St. Johnstone manager Paul Sturrock for a £200,000. He reached both the high and low points of his career during his seven years at McDiarmid Park. He played in the 1998 Scottish League Cup Final defeat by Rangers.
On 5 January 2001, O'Boyle and St. Johnstone teammate Kevin Thomas were sacked following drug-taking allegations. The two players, it was alleged, were found using an unidentified white powder (allegedly cocaine) at the club's Christmas 2000 party in Perth's That Bar.[1] The Scottish Premier League attempted to overturn the sacking but it was overruled by the Scottish FA.[2][3]
After leaving the Perth club, O'Boyle joined Raith Rovers for a short spell, before moving on to Brechin City and Queen of the South, with whom he finished his professional career.
He returned to Northern Ireland to play for Glenavon[4] and Ards, only to return to Scotland in 2004 to play for junior clubs Bo'ness and Kelty Hearts. O'Boyle is now player/assistant manager at junior side Carnoustie Panmure.
O'Boyle's international career spanned four years. In 1996, he scored his only Northern Ireland goal in a 1-1 draw with Germany in his hometown of Belfast.