Steve O'Shaughnessy (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen O'Shaughnessy | ||
| Date of birth | 13 October 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Wrexham, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Gap Connah's Quay (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wrexham | |||
| Leeds United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984–1987 | Leeds United | 0 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Bradford City | 1 | (0) |
| 1988–1991 | Rochdale | 109 | (16) |
| 1991–1992 | Exeter City | 3 | (0) |
| 1992–1994 | Darlington | 88 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | Buler Rangers | ? | (0) |
| 1995 | Inter Cardiff | 2 | (1) |
| 1995 | Barry Town | 7 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Stalybridge Celtic | 43 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | Holywell Town | 18 | (2) |
| 1997 | Caernarfon Town | 8 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Rhyl | 36 | (4) |
| 1998 | TNS Llansantfraid | 7 | (2) |
| 1998–1999 | Bangor City | 14 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Oswestry Town | 25 | (4) |
| 2001–2004 | NEWI Cefn Druids | 36 | (0) |
| 2004 | Gresford Athletic | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2000–2001 | Oswestry Town (player-manager) | ||
| 2001–2004 | NEWI Cefn Druids (player-manager) | ||
| 2006–2008 | Caernarfon Town | ||
| 2008–2009 | Connah's Quay Nomads | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Steve O'Shaughnessy (born 13 October 1967[1]) is a former Welsh professional footballer. He was last manager of Gap Connah's Quay
O'Shaughnessy or "Shaughssa" as he is affectionately known was born in Wrexham[1] and started his career as an apprentice at Leeds United, before moving onto Bradford City, where he made one league appearance.[1]
In 1988, O'Shaughnessy was signed by former Leeds United midfielder and manager Eddie Gray for Rochdale. In three seasons at Spotland, O'Shaughnessy enjoyed arguably the most successful spell in his career scoring 16 goals in 109 League appearances[1] and reaching the 5th Round of the 1990 FA Cup . During this time, O'Shaughnessy earned the nickname the "Master Blaster" for his skill at taking long distance free-kicks.
In July 1991, O'Shaughnessy joined Exeter City for £10,000. After a disappointing three-game spell at St James Park[1] under 1966 FIFA World Cup winner Alan Ball, which saw him sent off at Huddersfield Town, O'Shaughnessy joined Darlington in January 1992.
In 88 League appearances for the Quakers,[1] Steve became team captain before being released at the end of the 1993–94 season, with his final Football League appearance coming on 7 May 1994 against Bury.[2]
After this, Steve went to a roundabout of clubs, including Stalybridge Celtic and Buler Rangers in Hong Kong, before returning to play in the League of Wales.
In 153 League of Wales appearances, O'Shaughnessy played for Inter Cardiff, Barry Town, Holywell Town, Rhyl, Caernarfon Town, T.N.S. Llansantfraid, Bangor City, Oswestry Town and NEWI Cefn Druids.
In 2000, O'Shaughnessy was appointed player-manager of Oswestry Town. After an excellent start which saw the club rise to as high as 2nd in the League of Wales, Town faded and stayed up after an 11-game losing streak. Despite this, it came as a surprise to many observers when O'Shaughnessy was sacked as Oswestry manager.
In June 2001, O'Shaughnessy was appointed manager of near neighbours NEWI Cefn Druids to replace Gareth Powell.
After a difficult first season in the League, O'Shaughnessy guided Cefn to their first Welsh Cup semi-final in 98 years before losing 5–0 to Bangor City at Belle Vue, Rhyl.
The 2002–03 season was a financially difficult one with the playing and management staff going weeks without payment at one point in the season. This even forced O'Shaughnessy to resign out of principle during this time. Fortunately, he returned after reassurances were given.
On the pitch, Cefn finished in a highly respectable 12th place, their highest ever League finish.
The 2003–04 season, saw an array of young players join the club. The average age of the team for one match against Caersws on 12 December 2003 was just 21. On the evening of Sunday 18 April 2004, O'Shaughnessy was sacked along with assistant Nick "Jacksie" Hughes by the board of directors, several of whom had taken up their positions in the preceding season. This was despite the young Cefn side being on the verge of a place in the FAW Premier Cup.
From August 2004, O'Shaughnessy coached at Wrexham's Centre of Excellence.
However, on 27 September 2006, O'Shaughnessy was named as the new manager of Caernarfon Town replacing Waynne Phillips, who had resigned just over two weeks earlier.
In June 2008, O'Shaughnessy left Caernarfon Town and joined Connah's Quay Nomads as manager, but left the club after one season in charge.[3]