| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Shane O'Connor | ||
| Date of birth | 14 April 1990 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland[1] | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Defender[1] | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Ipswich Town | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2009 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009– | Ipswich Town | 17 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Port Vale (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| Republic of Ireland U17 | |||
| Republic of Ireland U19 | |||
| 2011 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 24 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Shane O'Connor (born 14 April 1990) is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Ipswich Town.
A graduate of the Liverpool F.C. Academy, he signed professionally with Ipswich Town in July 2009. He joined Port Vale on a six week loan spell in November 2011, though did not make a first team appearance. He has represented Ireland at U17, U19, and U21 levels.
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O'Connor started his playing career at the Liverpool Academy as a sixteen year old, after being spotted playing football for Irish amateur side Rockmount A.F.C.[2] He started playing regularly for the under-18 side in the early 2008–09 Premier Academy League season. In July 2009, after a short trial O'Connor signed a one-year deal with Championship side Ipswich Town, who were managed by his boyhood hero, Roy Keane.[3][4] O'Connor made his debut for Ipswich in the League Cup away against Shrewsbury Town, replacing Jack Ainsley as a substitute at half-time; the "Tractor Boys" went on to win the match on penalties following a 3–3 draw.[5] He made his first league start for Ipswich on 20 February, in a 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. He played a further eleven league games for Ipswich in 2009–10; he impressed in midfield against Cardiff City,[6] though gave away a penalty in a draw at home to Doncaster Rovers.[7] At the end of the campaign he was handed a new two year deal, which he eventually signed.[8] However experienced player Mark Kennedy was also signed for a £75,000 fee, and was expected to battle O'Connor for the left-back spot.[9]
He appeared in five of the club's first six games of 2010–11, but was then dropped from the first team after suffering from a torn hamstring on international duty,[10][11] and did not play again until a three game spell in December. He set up Jason Scotland for Ipswich's third in a 3–0 win over Leicester City at Portman Road on 18 December.[12] However he ruptured and dislocated his shoulder joint,[13] and so did not appear again until 25 January, in a 3–0 League Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.[14] This was his last contribution to the campaign, and he was not selected again under Paul Jewell's stewardship.
At the start of the 2011–12 season, he rejected a six month loan deal at Crawley Town.[15] However he did not feature for Ipswich, and so in November 2011, he joined Crawley's League Two rivals Port Vale on loan.[16] He saw the loan as an opportunity to win a permanent contract away from Portman Road.[17] He played a number of reserve games,[18] but never made a matchday squad at Vale Park before his loan spell ended in January.
He made his debut appearance for the Republic of Ireland national under-21 team on 26 March 2011, in what ended as a 2–1 defeat to Portugal at the Estádio Municipal de Águeda; he was replaced by Ipswich teammate Conor Hourihane at half-time.[19] He previously appeared for the under-17 and under-19 side.[1]
| 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 | ||||||
| 2009–10[20] | Ipswich Town | Championship | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2010–11[21] | Ipswich Town | Championship | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2011–12[22] | Ipswich Town | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011–12[22] | Port Vale | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | England | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| Career total | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
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