Liam O'Kane
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William James O'Kane (born 17 June 1948)[1] is a Northern Irish former footballer.[2] He played as a defender.
Club career
[edit]O'Kane was born in Derry, and began his career with Derry City. He signed for Nottingham Forest in November 1968 and made his League debut on 30 April 1969 against Leeds United F.C. Initially, he succeeded Terry Hennessey at centre back, but in 1971 he moved to right back and stayed there for the rest of his career. His best period was 1973–76,[why?] on his return from a broken leg, but injuries were never far away and they finally finished him as a player in the 1975–76 season, when he was still only 28.
International career
[edit]During his career, and despite being troubled persistently by injuries, O'Kane made 20 international appearances for Northern Ireland.[3] He scored one goal against Portugal in 1973.
Coaching
[edit]O'Kane moved onto the coaching staff at Nottingham Forest after his playing days and was the only man to have survived throughout the Brian Clough years until Joe Kinnear arrived at the club.[citation needed] O'Kane finally left his position at the club in early 2005 after a 36-year spell.
References
[edit]- ^ "Liam O'Kane". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Top 50 Nottingham Forest players". Times Online. Times Newspapers. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2010.(subscription required)
- ^ Liam O'Kane at National-Football-Teams.com
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- 1948 births
- Living people
- Association footballers from Derry (city)
- Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland
- Derry City F.C. players
- Nottingham Forest F.C. players
- Northern Ireland men's international footballers
- Shamrock Rovers F.C. guest players
- Men's association football defenders
- Nottingham Forest F.C. non-playing staff
- English Football League players
- Northern Ireland association football biography stubs