Kevin O'Connor
Encyclopedia
Kevin O'Connor is a professional footballer who is currently captain of Brentford
. He is the club's longest serving player, having signed professional terms in 1999.
O'Connor has played for Brentford since signing professional terms as a 17 year old. He made his league debut in a home goalless draw against Wycombe Wanderers
on 19 February 2000. His performances earned him recognition in the Republic of Ireland
Under 21 squad. In the 2004–05 season he collected the club's "Most Improved Player of the Season" award.
O'Connor is one of the most versatile players in the Football League. He started his career as a striker
, but was played on the right wing under former Brentford manager Wally Downes
. Under Martin Allen
, he was converted to a right-back, which many believe to be his best position. In the 2007–08 season, following the arrival of right-backs, Ben Starosta
and Craig Pead
, O'Connor played predominantly in central midfield. He has also been known to fill in as a centre-back and left-back in emergencies.
O'Connor is a set-piece expert, having scored several free-kicks and penalties in his career. O'Connor made his 300th start for Brentford on 7 February 2009 against Chester City
at Griffin Park
. As the 2008/09 season was his tenth as a Brentford player, O'Connor was rewarded with a testimonial match on 14 July 2010 against local rivals Fulham.
O'Connor is currently sixth in the Brentford all time appearance list, on 390 appearances as of 13 March 2010.
! rowspan=2|Season !! rowspan=2|Club !! rowspan=2|Division
! colspan=2|League
! colspan=2|FA Cup
! colspan=2|League Cup
! colspan=2|FL Trophy
! colspan=2|Play-offs
! colspan=2|Total
! colspan=2|Discipline>
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Brentford
League One
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League Two
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League One
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! 386 !! 31 !! 29 !! 4 !! 16 !! 4 !! 19 !! 2 !! 4 !! 0 !! 453 !! 41 !! 34 !! 1>
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
. He is the club's longest serving player, having signed professional terms in 1999.
O'Connor has played for Brentford since signing professional terms as a 17 year old. He made his league debut in a home goalless draw against Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
on 19 February 2000. His performances earned him recognition in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
Under 21 squad. In the 2004–05 season he collected the club's "Most Improved Player of the Season" award.
O'Connor is one of the most versatile players in the Football League. He started his career as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, but was played on the right wing under former Brentford manager Wally Downes
Wally Downes
Walter John "Wally" Downes is an English former football player and manager, he is currently a first team coach at West Ham UnitedHe is the nephew of former world middleweight boxing champion Terry Downes.-Playing career:...
. Under Martin Allen
Martin Allen
Martin James Allen is a former football player and current manager of Notts County. He played more than 100 games for each Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and Southend United. Five years later, he took his first job in management, at...
, he was converted to a right-back, which many believe to be his best position. In the 2007–08 season, following the arrival of right-backs, Ben Starosta
Ben Starosta
Ben Mark Starosta is an English-Polish footballer who is a free agent. He has previously played for Sheffield United, had a number of loan spells and represented the Polish national U-20 team.-Club career:...
and Craig Pead
Craig Pead
Craig George Pead is a former professional footballer. He announced his retirement from football on 21 May 2009, following his release from Brentford, and a knee injury....
, O'Connor played predominantly in central midfield. He has also been known to fill in as a centre-back and left-back in emergencies.
O'Connor is a set-piece expert, having scored several free-kicks and penalties in his career. O'Connor made his 300th start for Brentford on 7 February 2009 against Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
at Griffin Park
Griffin Park
Griffin Park is a football ground situated in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It has been the home ground of League One side Brentford since it was built in 1904. It is known for being the only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner, and is situated in a...
. As the 2008/09 season was his tenth as a Brentford player, O'Connor was rewarded with a testimonial match on 14 July 2010 against local rivals Fulham.
O'Connor is currently sixth in the Brentford all time appearance list, on 390 appearances as of 13 March 2010.
Career statistics
! colspan=2|League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
! colspan=2|FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
! colspan=2|League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
! colspan=2|FL Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
! colspan=2|Play-offs
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
! colspan=2|Total
! colspan=2|Discipline>
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
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Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
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Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
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! 386 !! 31 !! 29 !! 4 !! 16 !! 4 !! 19 !! 2 !! 4 !! 0 !! 453 !! 41 !! 34 !! 1>