Colin O'Neill

Colin O'Neill (born 14 June 1963) is a Northern Irish former footballer who played for Ards, Larne, Ballymena, Portadown and Motherwell, as a midfielder.[1]

Colin O'Neill
Personal information
Date of birth (1963-06-14) 14 June 1963
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1983 Ards
1983–1984 Larne
1984–1987 Ballymena United
1987–1988 Portadown 21 (0)
1988–1992 Motherwell 64 (4)
1997–1998 Ards 9 (0)
National team
1986 Irish League XI 1 (0)
1989–1991 Northern Ireland 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

O'Neill played in Motherwell's 1991 Scottish Cup Final winning side. He was one of the youngest players to feature in any Irish league, aged 15 when he made his debut. He remains a cult hero at Motherwell for his heart on his sleeve attitude and was nicknamed 'Psycho' for his no-nonsense traits. O'Neill retired aged 31 due to numerous knee injuries, from which he was unable to fully recover despite several surgeries.

His two sons Nathan and Kristopher played the game but were held back by the belief that they would follow in their father's footsteps and therefore many teams did not want to make the commitment. It is believed that Kristopher the older son was considered better than Colin, especially when compared to ability at the ages of each player when people compared the two. He also decided to retire in 2014 at the age of 27. His son Nathan plays in the amateur league in Northern Ireland.[2]

Honours
Motherwell

References
  1. Colin O'Neill: 'George Best helped get me my big move and I thrived in the Parkhead and Ibrox cauldrons', Belfast Telegraph, 7 April 2018
  2. "Davie Cooper's final chance to shine in Motherwell's 1991 Scottish Cup triumph". STV Sport. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
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