Steve O'Shaughnessy
Encyclopedia
Steve O' Shaughnessy is a former Welsh
professional footballer. He was last manager of Gap Connah's Quay
O'Shaughnessy or "Shaughssa" as he is affectionately known was born in Wrexham
and started his career as an apprentice at Leeds United
, before moving onto Bradford City
, where he made one League appearance.
In 1988, O'Shaughnessy was signed by former Leeds United
midfielder and manager Eddie Gray for Rochdale
. In three seasons at Spotland
, O'Shaughnessy enjoyed arguably the most successful spell in his career scoring 16 goals in 109 League appearances and reaching the 5th Round of the 1990 FA Cup
. During this time, O'Shaughnessy earned the nickname the "Master Blaster" for his skill at taking long distance free-kicks.
In July 1991, O'Shaughnessy joined Exeter City
for £10,000. After a disappointing three game spell at St James Park under 1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball
, which saw him sent off at Huddersfield Town
, O'Shaughnessy joined Darlington
in January 1992.
In 88 League appearances for the Quakers, Steve became team captain before being released at the end of the 1993-94 season, with his final Football League appearance coming on 7 May 1994 against Bury
.
After this, Steve went to a roundabout of clubs, including Stalybridge Celtic and Buler Rangers in Hong Kong, before returning to play in the League of Wales
.
In 153 League of Wales appearances, O'Shaughnessy played for Inter Cardiff, Barry Town
, Holywell Town
, Rhyl
, Caernarfon Town
, T.N.S. Llansantfraid
, Bangor City
, Oswestry Town
and NEWI Cefn Druids
.
In 2000, O'Shaughnessy was appointed player-manager of Oswestry Town
. After an excellent start which saw the club rise to as high as 2nd in the League of Wales, Town faded and stayed up after an 11 game losing streak. Despite this, it came as a surprise to many observers when O'Shaughnessy was sacked as Oswestry manager.
In June 2001, O'Shaughnessy was appointed manager of near neighbours NEWI Cefn Druids
to replace Gareth Powell.
After a difficult first season in the League, O'Shaughnessy guided Cefn to their first Welsh Cup
semi-final in 98 years before losing 5-0 to Bangor City
at Belle Vue, Rhyl
.
The 2002-03 season was a financially difficult one with the playing and management staff going weeks without payment at one point in the season. This even forced O'Shaughnessy to resign out of principle during this time. Fortunately, he returned after reassurances were given.
On the pitch, Cefn finished in a highly respectable 12th place, their highest ever League finish.
The 2003-04 season, saw an array of young players join the club. The average age of the team for one match against Caersws
on December 12, 2003 was just 21. On the evening of Sunday April 18, 2004, O'Shaughnessy was sacked along with assistant Nick "Jacksie" Hughes by the Board of Directors, several of whom had taken up their positions in the preceding season. This was despite the young Cefn side being on the verge of a place in the FAW Premier Cup
.
From August 2004, O'Shaughnessy coached at Wrexham
's Centre of Excellence
.
However, on September 27, 2006, O'Shaughnessy was named as the new manager of Caernarfon Town
replacing Waynne Phillips, who had resigned just over two weeks earlier.
In June 2008, O'Shaughnessy left Caernarfon Town
and joined Connah's Quay Nomads
as manager, but left the club after one season in charge.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
professional footballer. He was last manager of Gap Connah's Quay
O'Shaughnessy or "Shaughssa" as he is affectionately known was born in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
and started his career as an apprentice at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, before moving onto Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, where he made one League appearance.
In 1988, O'Shaughnessy was signed by former Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
midfielder and manager Eddie Gray for Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
. In three seasons at Spotland
Spotland
Spotland is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Spodden, and is the home of Spotland Stadium.Historically a part of Lancashire, Spotland was formerly its own township within the ancient parish of Rochdale....
, O'Shaughnessy enjoyed arguably the most successful spell in his career scoring 16 goals in 109 League appearances and reaching the 5th Round of the 1990 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...
. During this time, O'Shaughnessy earned the nickname the "Master Blaster" for his skill at taking long distance free-kicks.
In July 1991, O'Shaughnessy joined Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
for £10,000. After a disappointing three game spell at St James Park under 1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball
Alan Ball (footballer)
Alan James Ball, Jr., MBE was a professional English footballer and football club manager.He was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and played for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years...
, which saw him sent off at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, O'Shaughnessy joined Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
in January 1992.
In 88 League appearances for the Quakers, Steve became team captain before being released at the end of the 1993-94 season, with his final Football League appearance coming on 7 May 1994 against Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
.
After this, Steve went to a roundabout of clubs, including Stalybridge Celtic and Buler Rangers in Hong Kong, before returning to play in the League of Wales
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
.
In 153 League of Wales appearances, O'Shaughnessy played for Inter Cardiff, Barry Town
Barry Town F.C.
Barry Town FC are a football team based in Barry. They dominated the League of Wales during the 1990s, but finished bottom in 2003-04 and were relegated...
, Holywell Town
Holywell Town F.C.
Holywell Town F.C. is a football club representing the Flintshire town of Holywell in Wales. They are nicknamed the The Wellmen, and play their home games at Halkyn Road, Holywell...
, Rhyl
Rhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
, Caernarfon Town
Caernarfon Town F.C.
Caernarfon Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance. The club ia nicknamed The Canaries because of its yellow and green strip. Caernarfon Town plays at The Oval, Caernarfon, Gwynedd.-History:...
, T.N.S. Llansantfraid
The New Saints F.C.
The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club , also known as The New Saints or simply TNS is a full-time-professional British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys, Wales and Oswestry in Shropshire, England . They play in the Welsh Premier League...
, Bangor City
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
, Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
and NEWI Cefn Druids
NEWI Cefn Druids F.C.
Cefn Druids A.F.C. is a football team based in the village of Cefn Mawr, Wrexham, Wales playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1992 from the amalgamation of Cefn Albion F.C. and Druids United F.C. Depending on sponsorship, the club was renamed Flexsys Cefn Druids F.C. in 1998, and...
.
In 2000, O'Shaughnessy was appointed player-manager of Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
. After an excellent start which saw the club rise to as high as 2nd in the League of Wales, Town faded and stayed up after an 11 game losing streak. Despite this, it came as a surprise to many observers when O'Shaughnessy was sacked as Oswestry manager.
In June 2001, O'Shaughnessy was appointed manager of near neighbours NEWI Cefn Druids
NEWI Cefn Druids F.C.
Cefn Druids A.F.C. is a football team based in the village of Cefn Mawr, Wrexham, Wales playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1992 from the amalgamation of Cefn Albion F.C. and Druids United F.C. Depending on sponsorship, the club was renamed Flexsys Cefn Druids F.C. in 1998, and...
to replace Gareth Powell.
After a difficult first season in the League, O'Shaughnessy guided Cefn to their first Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
semi-final in 98 years before losing 5-0 to Bangor City
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
at Belle Vue, Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
.
The 2002-03 season was a financially difficult one with the playing and management staff going weeks without payment at one point in the season. This even forced O'Shaughnessy to resign out of principle during this time. Fortunately, he returned after reassurances were given.
On the pitch, Cefn finished in a highly respectable 12th place, their highest ever League finish.
The 2003-04 season, saw an array of young players join the club. The average age of the team for one match against Caersws
Caersws F.C.
Caersws F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1887 as Caersws Amateurs, and adopted the present name when amateur status was dropped in 1974. The team plays at the Recreation Ground, Caersws, which accommodates 4000 spectators .The team's first choice strip...
on December 12, 2003 was just 21. On the evening of Sunday April 18, 2004, O'Shaughnessy was sacked along with assistant Nick "Jacksie" Hughes by the Board of Directors, several of whom had taken up their positions in the preceding season. This was despite the young Cefn side being on the verge of a place in the FAW Premier Cup
FAW Premier Cup
The FAW Premier Cup is a defunct Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008...
.
From August 2004, O'Shaughnessy coached at Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
's Centre of Excellence
Centre of Excellence
Centre of Excellence may refer to:*Centre of Excellence on Creative Industries and Innovation, established by the Australian Research Council*Centre of Excellence in Lasers and Optoelectronic Sciences set up by the Cochin University of Science and Technology, India*Centre of Excellence on Public...
.
However, on September 27, 2006, O'Shaughnessy was named as the new manager of Caernarfon Town
Caernarfon Town F.C.
Caernarfon Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance. The club ia nicknamed The Canaries because of its yellow and green strip. Caernarfon Town plays at The Oval, Caernarfon, Gwynedd.-History:...
replacing Waynne Phillips, who had resigned just over two weeks earlier.
In June 2008, O'Shaughnessy left Caernarfon Town
Caernarfon Town F.C.
Caernarfon Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance. The club ia nicknamed The Canaries because of its yellow and green strip. Caernarfon Town plays at The Oval, Caernarfon, Gwynedd.-History:...
and joined Connah's Quay Nomads
Connah's Quay Nomads F.C.
Gap Connah's Quay F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance.gap Connah's Quay, formerly known as Connah's Quay Nomads FC, was the subject of a takeover from Welsh independent recruitment firm 'gap personnel' in June 2008....
as manager, but left the club after one season in charge.