John-Joe O'Toole

John-Joe O'Toole

O'Toole playing for Northampton Town in 2014
Personal information
Full name	John Joseph O'Toole[1]
Date of birth	30 September 1988[1]
Place of birth	Harrow, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Northampton Town
Number	21
Youth career
2005–2007	Watford
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2007–2010	Watford	57	(10)
2007	→ Wealdstone (loan)	9	(3)
2009	→ Sheffield United (loan)	9	(1)
2009	→ Colchester United (loan)	17	(1)
2010–2013	Colchester United	55	(1)
2013	→ Bristol Rovers (loan)	18	(3)
2013–2014	Bristol Rovers	41	(13)
2014–	Northampton Town	66	(14)
2014	→ Southend United (loan)	2	(0)
National team
2007–2011	Republic of Ireland U21	5	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:37, 14 January 2016 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

John Joseph "John-Joe" O'Toole (born 30 September 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Northampton Town. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21 level.^[2]

Club career

Watford

Born in Harrow, London,^[1] O'Toole spent the end of the 2006–07 season on loan at Wealdstone in the Southern Football League Premier Division where he made nine appearances and scored three goals.^[3][4] His Watford debut was against Southend United in the League Cup as a 71st-minute substitute on 28 August 2007. He made his League debut four days later as an 88th-minute substitute against Ipswich Town. In September 2007 he signed his first professional contract, a one-year deal.^[5]

O'Toole scored his first goal for Watford at home against Bristol City on 1 December 2007. Coming on as substitute in the 82nd minute, he headed a goal three minutes later to make the score 1–1, although Watford went on to lose 1–2.^[6] In the next game he started in place of captain Gavin Mahon and scored again, another header, in a 2–3 win away at Colchester United.^[7] His third goal for the club came on 26 January 2008 in a 4–1 home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup 4th round. His performance the next weekend, once again at home to Wolves, won him a place in the Football League team of the week.^[8]

Sheffield United (loan)

O'Toole signed a three-month loan deal for Sheffield United in February 2009^[9] making his debut a couple of weeks later in a 2–1 away victory over Coventry.^[10] O'Toole went on to make nine appearances for The Blades that season, scoring one goal in a local derby against Barnsley at the start of April.^[11] He unfortunately picked up a training-ground injury in the final week of the season and so was unable to appear with Sheffield United in the play-off final at Wembley.^[12] With The Blades failing to win promotion, O'Toole returned to Watford at the end of his loan period.^[13]

Colchester United (loan)

On 2 September 2009, O'Toole joined Colchester United on a three-month loan deal until January 2010. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw away at Southampton, and scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw against Tranmere Rovers.^[14]

Colchester United

O'Toole made the loan spell permanent on 1 January 2010, signing a deal to keep him at Colchester until 2012.^[15] He made his debut on 23 January against Gillingham in a 0–0 draw. O'Toole scored his first goal as a full-time Colchester player in a 3–2 defeat against Bristol Rovers. O'Toole suffered a serious knee injury against Charlton which left him out for 9 months, after rupturing a cruciate ligament.^[16] Groin problems had restricted him to just 16 appearances in the 2011–12 season, but on 7 June 2012, O'Toole signed a new two-year deal, keeping the midfielder at the club until 2014.^[17]

Bristol Rovers (loan)

On 31 December 2012, O'Toole signed for League Two team Bristol Rovers, initially on a one-month deal. The move saw him link up with former Colchester manager John Ward, who had recently joined Rovers.^[18] He made his debut the following day in a 2–1 win over Plymouth Argyle.^[19] He scored his first goal for the club in a convincing 3–0 away win over Fleetwood Town on 12 January 2013 with an 18-yard strike to seal the win.^[20] He also scored in another 3–0 emphatic victory over Burton Albion on 2 March 2013, scoring from close-range.^[21] In his final game of his loan spell, he scored the opening goal in a 4–2 away victory over Dagenham & Redbridge.^[22] O'Toole made 18 appearances alongside scoring his three goals for the club in a loan that was eventually extended until 1 April 2013. Manager Ward expressed interest in signing him permanently over the summer, with O'Toole still having one year to run on his Colchester contract.^[23]

Bristol Rovers

O'Toole playing for Bristol Rovers in 2013

After a long protracted transfer saga, O'Toole signed a three-year contract with Bristol Rovers, joining for an undisclosed fee on 24 July 2013.^[24] The season proved to be bittersweet for O'Toole. He ended the season as Rovers' top scorer with 15 goals and was included in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two but Rovers' suffered relegation out of the Football League for the first time since their admission in 1920.^[25] This was followed by O'Toole activating his release clause with Rovers leaving him free to join a new club on 30 May 2014.^[26]

Northampton Town

O'Toole signed for Northampton Town on a three-year contract on 30 June 2014.^[27]

He became a cult figure at the club, with fans wearing wigs similar to his long dark hair.^[28]

International career

O'Toole qualifies for the Republic of Ireland through his grandparents, who were born in Mayo.^[29] He made his under-21 debut in a 1–0 away loss to Montenegro on 23 November 2007. Four days later he came on as an 83rd-minute substitute against Bulgaria and scored with a header in the 93rd minute, securing a 1–0 win.^[2] His third appearance came against England on 5 February 2008, a 3–0 defeat in which he played the entire game.^[30]

Career statistics

As of match played 3 May 2014.

Club statistics

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Watford	2007–08[31]	Championship	35	3	1	1	1	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	38	4
	2008–09[32]	Championship	22	7	3	0	3	1	—		28	8
	Total		57	10	4	1	4	1	1	0	66	12
Sheffield United (loan)	2008–09[33]	Championship	9	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	1
Colchester United (loan)	2009–10[34]	League One	17	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	19	2
Colchester United	2009–10[34]	League One	14	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	1
	2010–11[35]	League One	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
	2011–12[36]	League One	15	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	16	0
	2012–13[37]	League One	15	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	16	0
	Total		72	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	76	3
Bristol Rovers (loan)	2012–13[38]	League Two	18	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	3
Bristol Rovers	2013–14[39]	League Two	41	13	3	2	1	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	46	15
	Total		59	16	3	2	1	0	1	0	64	18
Career total			197	29	9	4	7	1	2	0	215	34

1. Appearance in Football League Championship play-offs
2. Appearance in Football League Trophy

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 323. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
2. "Republic of Ireland 1–0 Bulgaria". FAI. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
3. "Wealdstone F.C. Appearances 2006–07 (excluding friendlies)". Wealdstone F.C. Supporters Club. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
4. "Wealdstone F.C. Goalscorers 2006–07 (including friendlies)". Wealdstone F.C. Supporters Club. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
5. "O'Toole signs up". Watford F.C. 17 September 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
6. "Watford vs Bristol City". Watford F.C. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
7. "Colchester United vs Watford". Watford F.C. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
8. "O'Toole makes team of the week". Watford F.C. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
9. "Blades sign O'Toole from Watford". BBC Sport. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
10. "Our new 'strike' ace". The Star. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
11. "John-Joe O’Toole and Arturo Lupoli goals keep Sheffield United in hunt". The Times. 8 March 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
12. "Watford's John-Joe O'Toole will miss Sheffield United's playoff final". This Is Local London. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
13. "Double player boost". Sheffield United F.C. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
14. "Colchester sign O'Toole on loan". BBC Sport. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
15. "O'Toole pens permanent deal". Sky Sports. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
16. "O’Toole faces nine months out". EADT. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
17. "John-Joe O'Toole seals new Colchester United deal". BBC Sport. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
18. "Bristol Rovers sign Hitchcock, O'Toole and Mildenhall". BBC Sport. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
19. "Bristol Rovers 2–1 Plymouth". BBC Sport. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
20. "Fleetwood 0–3 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 12 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
21. "Bristol Rovers 3–0 Burton". BBC Sport. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
22. "Dag and Red 2–4 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
23. "John-Joe O'Toole unsure whether he'll be back with Bristol Rovers next season". This is Bristol. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
24. "Bristol Rovers sign John-Joe O'Toole from Colchester United". BBC Sport. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
25. "ROVERS RELEGATED". Bristol Rovers Official Website (bristolrovers.co.uk). 3 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
26. "JOHN-JOE O'TOOLE ACTIVATES HIS RELEASE CLAUSE". Bristol Rovers Official Website (bristolrovers.co.uk). 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
27. "John-Joe O'Toole: Northampton Town sign ex-Bristol Rovers man". BBC Sport. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
28. Osborne, Chris (12 February 2015). "John-Joe O'Toole: Northampton Town fan urges wig-wearing". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
29. "O'Toole tipped for starring role". Sporting Life. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
30. "England U-21 3–0 Rep of Ire U-21". BBC Sport. 5 February 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
31. "Watford 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select competition required via dropdown menu.
32. "Watford 2008/2009 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select competition required via dropdown menu.
33. "Sheff Utd 2008/2009 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select season required via dropdown menu.
34. "Colchester 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select season required via dropdown menu.
35. "Colchester 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select season required via dropdown menu.
36. "Colchester 2011/2012 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select season required via dropdown menu.
37. "Colchester 2012/2013 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select season required via dropdown menu.
38. "Bristol R 2012/2013 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 1 January 2013. Select season required via dropdown menu.
39. "Bristol R 2013/2014 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 24 July 2013. Select season required via dropdown menu.

External links

• John-Joe O'Toole career statistics at Soccerbase