Thomas O'Connor (footballer)

Thomas James O'Connor (born 21 April 1999) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Gillingham, on loan from Southampton.

Thomas O'Connor
Personal information
Full name Thomas James O'Connor[1]
Date of birth (1999-04-21) 21 April 1999[2]
Place of birth Kilkenny, Ireland
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Gillingham
(on loan from Southampton)
Number 21
Youth career
2015–2019 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019– Southampton 0 (0)
2019–2020 → Gillingham (loan) 28 (1)
2020– → Gillingham (loan) 16 (0)
National team
2017–2018 Republic of Ireland U19
2019– Republic of Ireland U21
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:57, 6 February 2021 (UTC)

Club career

O'Connor first joined the Southampton academy in 2015. He is contracted to the club until June 2021 having signed a two-year contract extension in January 2019.[3]

On 29 August 2019 O'Connor signed for League One side Gillingham on loan until January 2020.[4][5] He made his debut for the club two days later in a 5–0 league win over Bolton Wanderers.[6] His first league goal for the club was an 83rd-minute equaliser against Bristol Rovers on 17 September 2019.[7]

On 31 December 2019 his loan with the club was extended until the end of the 2019–20 season.[8] He returned to Southampton at the conclusion of the 2019–20 season, having made 32 appearances for the Kent side in all competitions.[9] On 29 September 2020 he re-signed for Gillingham on loan for the 2020–21 season.[10]

International career

O'Connor was called up to the Republic of Ireland U19 squad in February 2017.[11] He made his debut as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Portugal.[12]

He was called up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad in November 2019, making his debut in a 0–1 win over Armenia in a 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier.[13][14]

References
  1. "2019/20 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  2. Thomas O'Connor at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. "O'Connor extends contract until 2021". Southampton FC. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  4. "Gillingham sign Southampton's Thomas O'Connor and Hearts' Olly Lee on loan". BBC Sport. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  5. "Gills sign Thomas O'Connor on loan from Southampton". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  6. "Gillingham 5–0 Bolton: Reprieved Wanderers ship five again in first game since being saved". 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  7. "Bristol Rovers 1–1 Gillingham". 17 September 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  8. "O'Connor extends Gillingham loan". Southampton FC. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  9. "Games played by Thomas O'Connor in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  10. "Tommy O'Connor back at Gills". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  11. "Republic of Ireland call for O'Connor". Southampton FC. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  12. "Portugal 0 – 1 Republic of Ireland | 2017 – Under 19 Friendlies". www.fai.ie. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  13. "Gillingham's Southampton loanee defender Tom O'Connor earns first international call-up for Republic of Ireland under-21s". Kent Online. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  14. "Armenia 0 – 1 Republic of Ireland | 2021 – U21 Mens". www.fai.ie. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.