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Michael O'Connor (footballer, born 1987)

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Michael O'Connor
Michael O'Connor, Glenavon FC
O'Connor in a Glenavon kit in 2020
Personal information
Full name Michael Joseph O'Connor[1]
Date of birth (1987-10-06) 6 October 1987 (age 37)[2]
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland[3]
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2004–2005 Crewe Alexandra
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2009 Crewe Alexandra 77 (3)
2009 → Lincoln City (loan) 10 (1)
2009–2012 Scunthorpe United 97 (12)
2012–2014 Rotherham United 64 (7)
2014–2016 Port Vale 70 (10)
2016–2018 Notts County 38 (2)
2018–2020 Lincoln City 56 (3)
2020 Salford City 8 (1)
2020–2023 Glenavon 70 (11)
2023 Newry City 0 (0)
Total 490 (38)
International career
Northern Ireland U15 7 (0)
Northern Ireland U17 13 (6)
Northern Ireland U18 1 (0)
Northern Ireland U19 10 (0)
2007–2008 Northern Ireland U21 3 (2)
2008–2013 Northern Ireland 11 (0)
2009 Northern Ireland B 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael Joseph O'Connor (born 6 October 1987) is a former professional footballer from Northern Ireland.

He began his professional career at Crewe Alexandra in 2005 and soon established himself as a first-team regular. He was loaned out to Lincoln City in March 2009 and was sold to Scunthorpe United in July 2009 for a £250,000 fee. He spent three seasons with the "Iron", two of which were in the Championship, before he was allowed to sign with Rotherham United in May 2012. He helped the "Millers" to win two consecutive promotions, coming out of League Two as runners-up in 2012–13, and then winning the League One play-off final in 2014. He signed with Port Vale in July 2014 and went on to be named the club's Player of the Year in 2014–15. He signed with Notts County in June 2016 and stayed with the club for two years before joining Lincoln City in July 2018. He helped Lincoln to win the League Two title at the end of the 2018–19 season before he joined Salford City in January 2020. He returned to Northern Ireland to sign with Glenavon in August 2020. He joined Newry City as assistant manager in May 2023.

He was one of several Northern Irish footballers involved in a dispute between the IFA and the FAI concerning international eligibility. Having initially represented Northern Ireland up to under-21 level, O'Connor was persuaded to switch to the Republic of Ireland's under-21 squad for a brief period. However, he subsequently decided to revert permanently to the Northern Ireland national team, to whom he became irrevocably committed.

Club career

[edit]

Crewe Alexandra

[edit]

O'Connor was spotted by Crewe Alexandra scouts as a young teenager playing youth team football in Northern Ireland. In 2004, shortly after he turned 16, he signed scholarship terms. He was a prominent member of the Alexandra youth team that reached the semi-final of the 2004 FA Youth Cup, and he later captained the side.[4] In July 2005 he signed a three-year professional contract. On 25 February 2006, aged 18, he made his Championship debut at Gresty Road when he came on as a late substitute for Gareth Taylor in a 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.[5] He made his second senior appearance for the "Railwaymen" in the club's final game of the 2005–06 season against Millwall on 30 April 2006, replacing Lee Bell at half-time he went on to set up two goals and hit the post with his one shot.[6] He began the 2006–07 season as a regular first-team player for Crewe, now in League One, under manager Dario Gradi. He scored his first senior goal on 22 August, in the League Cup, with a "fierce shot" from 18 yards (16 m) in a 3–0 victory over Grimsby Town.[7] In all he made 34 appearances during the campaign.

O'Connor was not a regular first-team player under new boss Steve Holland in the first half of the 2007–08 campaign, but won back his first-team spot in the second half of the season. He was named in the League One 'Team of the Week' in March 2008 for his performance in a 3–0 win over Gillingham.[8] After scoring his first league goal for the club on 13 September 2008 in a 2–0 victory over Colchester United, he went on to score in the next two games against Southend United and then against Liverpool in a 2–1 League Cup defeat at Anfield.[9][10][11] However, he fell out of favour at Crewe under manager Guðjón Þórðarson after committing "breaches of discipline".[4][12][13] O'Connor joined Peter Jackson's League Two side Lincoln City on a one-month emergency loan on 6 March 2009, a day before a Lincolnshire derby against Grimsby, as a short-term replacement for Lee Frecklington.[14] O'Connor returned from Sincil Bank on 18 April after he was suspended for picking up 10 yellow cards that season, and subsequently trained with Scottish Premier League club Hibernian.[4][15]

Scunthorpe United

[edit]

In July 2009, Crewe accepted an undisclosed offer (later revealed to be £250,000) for O'Connor from Scunthorpe United, and he signed a three-year contract with the club.[16][17] He went on to make 36 appearances for Scunthorpe in the 2009–10 campaign, helping Nigel Adkins's "Iron" to finish above the Championship relegation zone.

Scunthorpe struggled in the 2010–11 season following Atkins's departure, and Ian Baraclough and then Alan Knill failed to keep the club outside the relegation places. This was despite O'Connor significantly improving his goal tally, hitting nine goals in his 36 appearances. Premier League clubs West Ham United and Newcastle United were linked with O'Connor during the January transfer window, but Baraclough confirmed that no formal approaches were made.[18] In the summer the club rejected an undisclosed bid from Peterborough United.[19] He played 36 games at Glanford Park in the 2011–12 season as Scunthorpe laboured to a mid-table finish in League One. He was subject to an offer by Hibernian in January 2012 but remained in England.[20] On 3 March, he was sent off after retaliating to a foul by Craig Eastmond in a 4–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Glanford Park.[21] He was released by the club in May 2012.[22]

Rotherham United

[edit]

O'Connor signed a two-year contract with Rotherham United in May 2012.[23] He made his "Millers" debut on 18 August 2012, in a 3–0 win over Burton Albion at the New York Stadium.[24] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win over Bradford City on 1 September.[25] He scored again the following week in a 6–2 defeat to Port Vale.[26] On 29 September, he scored twice in a 3–1 win against Oxford United.[27] On 9 February, he was sent off for a stamp on Jacques Maghoma in a 2–0 defeat at Burton Albion.[28] On 15 December, he was named in the League Two team of the week for his performance in a 1–0 win at AFC Wimbledon.[29] In all he scored six goal in 40 appearances as he helped Steve Evans's side win promotion out of League Two.

He made 34 appearances in the 2013–14 campaign, helping the club to reach the League One play-off final. He was an unused substitute at Wembley Stadium as Rotherham secured promotion with a penalty shoot-out victory against Leyton Orient.[30] He was released by the club in May 2014.[31]

Port Vale

[edit]

O'Connor signed a one-year contract with League One club Port Vale in July 2014.[32] He scored his first goal for the club on 26 August, hitting the net from 40 yards (37 m) out in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Cardiff City at Vale Park; this was one of the longest distance goals ever scored by a Vale player, and won him the club's Goal of the Season award.[33][34] Despite this effort the local newspaper reported that generally throughout the campaign "his contribution is industrious and effective without grabbing the headlines".[35] At the end of the 2014–15 season he was named as the club's Player of the Year, and also won the Supporters' Club's Trophy and was voted Players' Player of the Year.[34] He signed a new contract with the club in June 2015.[36]

He picked up a knee injury in 2015–16 pre-season training and had to wait until October before returning to match fitness.[37] He then lost his first-team place in the new year due to a thigh strain.[38] He retained his first-team place in the second half of the season, but stated that concerns over his contract running down and the daily commute from his Lincolnshire home were becoming a strain, and that he would consider offers from more local clubs in the summer.[39] He won a place on the Football League team of the week after providing an assist, scoring a goal and then having his free-kick deflected in for an own goal in a 3–1 home win over Southend United on 26 February.[40] He was again named in the Football League team of the week after converting two penalties and putting in "a fine-all round performance" in a 4–1 home win over Rochdale on 23 April.[41] He confirmed that he had rejected the offer of a new contract from the club in May 2016.[42]

Notts County

[edit]

O'Connor signed a two-year contract with League Two side Notts County in June 2016.[43] He was named as club captain by manager John Sheridan.[44] On 10 December, he was sent off in stoppage time of a 2–0 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.[45] The "Magpies" struggled in the first half of the 2016–17 season, but new manager Kevin Nolan said O'Connor had been "pivotal in the turnaround" in the club's form alongside midfield partner Robert Milsom.[46] However, on 17 April he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a 3–1 defeat to Portsmouth at Meadow Lane, and was ruled out of action for the rest of the calendar year.[47] Nolan gave him scouting tasks during his long recovery.[48] He managed to make a return to training in February before playing in the last six games of the 2017–18 season to help County to secure a place in the play-offs.[49] He was offered a new contract by Notts County at the end of the 2017–18 season but turned it down in favour of a move elsewhere.[50][51]

Lincoln City

[edit]

On 20 June 2018, O'Connor signed a one-year contract with League Two Lincoln City.[52] In joining Lincoln he turned down offers from Notts County and Grimsby Town.[53] He played 45 times for the "Imps" as they secured promotion as League Two champions at the end of the 2018–19 season; manager Danny Cowley commented that "he's played a big part in the success of the team over this past season".[54] O'Connor went on to sign a new one-year contract and underwent a minor operation to remove a staple in his knee from his previous surgery.[55] He went on to become of the club's most consistent performers in the first half of the 2019–20 season.[56]

Salford City

[edit]

On 15 January 2020, O'Connor signed a six-month contract with League Two side Salford City after being signed for an undisclosed fee.[57][58] His appearances were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England; he scored one goal in eight games for the "Ammies", but was released by manager Graham Alexander at the end of the 2019–20 season.[59]

Glenavon

[edit]

On 29 August 2020, O'Connor signed a two-year deal with NIFL Premiership club Glenavon; manager Gary Hamilton described his signing as "a big coup for the club".[60] O'Connor said that he was keen to return to his native Northern Ireland and that the pandemic had caused him to turn down offers from English League Two clubs in order to return to his homeland.[61] He pursued his coaching badges whilst playing part-time for Glenavon.[62] His first goal for the club was a penalty in a 4–4 draw against Coleraine on 7 November.[63] He scored six goals in 23 games during the 2020–21 season.[64] He scored four goals in 34 games during the 2021–22 campaign.[64] He made eighteen appearances during the 2022–23 season, scoring one goal.[64]

Newry City

[edit]

On 23 May 2023, it was announced that O'Connor had joined Newry City as player/assistant manager.[65]

International career

[edit]

O'Connor was a regular captain for Northern Ireland at every youth level up to under-20[66] and scored six goals at under-17 level.[67] However, O'Connor was called up to play for the Republic of Ireland under-21s for a friendly against Luxembourg in October 2006.[66] He subsequently had to withdraw from the squad. In February 2007, he was also selected for the Republic under-21 squad to play in the Madeira Cup,[68] but did not play in any of the three games involved.[69] On 16 November 2007 he made his debut for the Northern Ireland under-21s, scoring in a 5–0 win against Luxembourg.[70] On 20 November he scored again for the under-21s in a 3–0 win against Moldova.[71] On 6 February 2008 he also played against Israel.[72]

On 26 March 2008, O'Connor made his senior international debut for Northern Ireland in a 4–1 win against Georgia in a friendly at Windsor Park; he came on as a half-time substitute for Damien Johnson. Michael Gault also made his international debut in the same match.[73] He made his competitive debut on 10 September 2008, playing in a 0–0 draw with the Czech Republic in a World Cup qualification match.[74] He won a cap for the Northern Ireland B team in a 3–0 defeat to Scotland B at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld on 6 May 2009.[75] He returned to the international scene after a three-year absence on 10 September 2013, when he featured in a 3–2 defeat to Luxembourg in a World Cup qualification game at Stade Josy Barthel.[76] However, after missing out on the squad selected in March 2015 he said that he was considering his international future.[77]

Style of play

[edit]

Speaking in July 2014, Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale teammate Tom Pope described O'Connor as "[having] everything. He's got the range of passing, he sits in there and gets the ball moving and he gets stuck in. He whips a great ball in, has great free kicks and a lot of quality."[78] He describes himself as a "passionate" player. However, this has resulted in many yellow cards for dissent.[79] Port Vale assistant manager Paul Bodin also praised O'Connor's set piece delivery and energy levels.[80]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Crewe Alexandra 2005–06[81] Championship 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2006–07[82] League One 29 0 0 0 2 1 3[a] 0 34 1
2007–08[83] League One 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 0
2008–09[84] League One 23 3 3 0 3 2 1[a] 0 30 5
Total 77 3 3 0 5 3 4 0 89 6
Lincoln City (loan) 2008–09[84] League Two 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 1
Scunthorpe United 2009–10[85] Championship 32 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 36 2
2010–11[86] Championship 32 8 1 0 3 1 0 0 36 9
2011–12[87] League One 33 2 2 0 0 0 1[a] 0 36 2
Total 97 12 3 0 7 1 1 0 108 13
Rotherham United 2012–13[88] League Two 35 6 4 0 0 0 1[a] 0 40 6
2013–14[89] League One 30 2 1 0 2 0 2[b] 0 35 2
Total 65 8 5 0 2 0 3 0 75 8
Port Vale 2014–15[90] League One 44 6 1 0 2 1 0 0 47 7
2015–16[91] League One 26 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 29 5
Total 70 10 4 1 2 1 0 0 76 12
Notts County 2016–17[92] League Two 32 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 34 2
2017–18[93] League Two 6 0 0 0 0 0 2[b] 0 8 0
Total 38 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 42 2
Lincoln City 2018–19[94] League Two 39 2 3 0 2 1 1 0 45 3
2019–20[95] League One 17 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 22 1
Total 56 3 4 0 4 1 3 0 67 4
Salford City 2019–20[95] League Two 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1
Glenavon 2020–21[64] NIFL Premiership 22 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 23 6
2021–22[64] NIFL Premiership 32 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 34 4
2022–23[64] NIFL Premiership 16 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 18 1
Total 70 11 4 0 1 0 0 0 75 11
Newry City 2023–24[64] NIFL Premiership 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 491 51 25 1 21 6 13 0 550 58
  1. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ a b Appearances in play-offs

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[96]
National team Year Apps Goals
Northern Ireland 2008 5 0
2009 3 0
2010 2 0
2013 1 0
Total 11 0

Honours

[edit]

Rotherham United

Lincoln City

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Lincoln City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 38. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Michael O'Connor". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2015/2016". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Mixu ponders Hibs bid for Crewe star O'Connor Scotsman.com, 24 April 2009
  5. ^ Vignes, Spencer (26 February 2006). "Bell tolls for Brighton". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Crewe 4-2 Millwall". BBC Sport. 30 April 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Grimsby 0-3 Crewe". BBC Sport. 23 August 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
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  10. ^ "Crewe 3-4 Southend". BBC Sport. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Liverpool 2-1 Crewe". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
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  13. ^ "Crewe's O'Connor put up for loan". BBC Sport. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Midfielder O'Connor joins Lincoln". BBC Sport. 6 March 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  15. ^ "O'Connor returns from Imps loan". BBC Sport. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  16. ^ "O'Connor set for Scunthorpe move". BBC Sport. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Iron sign up O'Connor and Wright". BBC Sport. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
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  19. ^ "Scunthorpe United reject Peterborough bid for O'Connor". BBC Sport. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
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  21. ^ "Scunthorpe 4-1 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Cliff Byrne 'gutted' by Scunthorpe United departure". BBC Sport. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  23. ^ Rotherham sign midfielder Michael O'Connor BBC Sport, 30 May 2012
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  25. ^ "Rotherham 4–0 Bradford" BBC Sport. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
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  30. ^ a b Maiden, Phil (25 May 2014). "Leyton Orient 2–2 Rotherham United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
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  32. ^ "Michael Brown, Steve Jennings & Michael O'Connor join Port Vale". BBC Sport. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  33. ^ "'That wun were motoring' - Where does Michael O'Connor's belter stand in Vale history?". The Sentinel. 30 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
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  37. ^ Baggaley, Mike (8 October 2015). "He's back! Michael O'Connor to return for Southend game". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
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  44. ^ Richardson, Nick (5 August 2016). "John Sheridan has appointed Michael O'Connor as Notts County's new club captain". nottscountyfc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  45. ^ "Notts County 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  46. ^ Curtis, Leigh (1 March 2017). "Notts County captain Michael O'Connor is 'kicking himself' after picking up suspension". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  47. ^ "Michael O'Connor: Notts County captain set for spell out with knee injury". BBC Sport. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  48. ^ Curtis, Leigh (5 October 2017). "Notts County captain Michael O'Connor on schedule in comeback from knee injury". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  49. ^ Curtis, Leigh (14 February 2018). "Michael O'Connor edging closer to Notts return, but Kevin Nolan urges caution". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  50. ^ "Notts County: Shola Ameobi and Alan Smith leave League Two club". BBC Sport. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  51. ^ "Michael O'Connor: Lincoln City sign Notts County midfielder". BBC Sport. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  52. ^ "Imps Sign Northern Ireland International midfielder". Lincoln City. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  53. ^ Whiley, Mark (20 June 2018). "Imps set to beat Grimsby to signing of Notts midfielder". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  54. ^ "Michael O'Connor: Lincoln City midfielder signs new contract". BBC Sport. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  55. ^ Whiley, Mark (20 May 2019). "Why Cowley believes City can get even more out of O'Connor next season". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  56. ^ Whiley, Mark (15 January 2020). "A call from Gary Neville convinced O'Connor to leave Imps for Salford". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  57. ^ "Michael O'Connor signs for Salford City". Salford City. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  58. ^ "Michael O'Connor: Salford City sign midfielder from Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  59. ^ Baggaley, Michael (17 May 2020). "Two Port Vale players of the year among 11 released by Salford". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  60. ^ "Glenavon sign NI international O'Connor". BBC Sport. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  61. ^ Looney, Stephen (12 October 2020). "Michael O'Connor enjoying home comforts after return home to sign for Glenavon". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  62. ^ Hanna, Gareth (30 September 2020). "Time was right to come home, insists Glenavon ace O'Connor". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  63. ^ "Glenavon vs. Coleraine - 7 November 2020 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  64. ^ a b c d e f g Michael O'Connor at Soccerway
  65. ^ "Michael O'Connor joins Coaching Staff". 23 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  66. ^ a b O'Connor named in NI U21 panel BBC Sport, 7 November 2007
  67. ^ Michael O'Connor UEFA.com
  68. ^ Changes to under 21 team SoccerScene.ie
  69. ^ Ferguson, Paul. I can be Northern Ireland's perfect middleman, says O'Connor Belfast Telegraph, 9 October 2008
  70. ^ NI U21 5–0 Luxembourg U21 BBC Sport, 16 November 2007
  71. ^ N Ireland U21 3–0 Moldova U21 BBC Sport, 20 November 2007
  72. ^ Srur strike revives Israel hopes UEFA.com, 6 February 2008
  73. ^ Alvin McCaig (25 March 2008). "Northern Ireland 4-1 Georgia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  74. ^ Winrow, Ian (11 September 2008). "Northern Irish keep the home fires burning for Worthington". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  75. ^ Duncan, Colin (7 May 2009). "Scotland B 3 Northern Ireland B 0". Daily Record. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  76. ^ McCaig, Alvin (10 September 2013). "Luxembourg 3 - 2 Northern Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  77. ^ "Michael O'Connor may retire from international football with Northern Ireland". The Sentinel. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  78. ^ Baggaley, Mike (15 July 2014). "Tom Pope says Michael O'Connor deal would be great for Port Vale". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  79. ^ "Michael O'Connor determined to keep his temper on the pitch". The Sentinel. 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
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  81. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  82. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  83. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
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  85. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  86. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  87. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  88. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  89. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  90. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  91. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  92. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  93. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  94. ^ "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  95. ^ a b "Games played by Michael O'Connor in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  96. ^ "Michael O'Connor". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  97. ^ Anderson, John, ed. (2013). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2013–2014. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 306–307. ISBN 978-0-7553-6413-8.
  98. ^ "League Two: 2018/19: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
    "Lincoln: Squad details: 2018/19". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
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