Shane O'Connor (footballer)

Shane O'Connor (born 14 April 1990) is an Irish footballer winger who plays for League of Ireland First Division club Waterford.
A graduate of the Liverpool F.C. Academy, he signed professionally with Ipswich Town in July 2009. He joined Port Vale on a six-week loan spell in November 2011, though did not make a first team appearance. He left Ipswich in January 2012, and subsequently signed with his hometown club Cork City. He left Cork City in July 2012 and signed for Shamrock Rovers. He had brief spells with Portadown and Limerick, before spending 2015 and 2016 with Cobh Ramblers. He signed for Waterford in January 2017.
He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels.

O'Connor played for Wilton United and Rockmount before joining the Liverpool Academy as a sixteen-year-old.He started playing regularly for the under-18 side in the early 2008–09 Premier Academy League season. In July 2009, after a short trial O'Connor signed a one-year deal with Championship side Ipswich Town, who were managed by his boyhood hero, Roy Keane. O'Connor made his debut for Ipswich in the League Cup away against Shrewsbury Town, replacing Jack Ainsley as a substitute at half-time; the "Tractor Boys" went on to win the match on penalties following a 3–3 draw. He made his first league start for Ipswich on 20 February, in a 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. He played a further eleven league games for Ipswich in 2009–10; he impressed in midfield against Cardiff City, though gave away a penalty in a draw at home to Doncaster Rovers. At the end of the campaign he was handed a new two-year deal, which he eventually signed. However experienced player Mark Kennedy was also signed for a £75,000 fee, and was expected to battle O'Connor for the left-back spot.

He appeared in five of the club's first six games of 2010–11, but was then dropped from the first team after suffering from a torn hamstring on international duty, and did not play again until a three game spell in December. He set up Jason Scotland for Ipswich's third in a 3–0 win over Leicester City at Portman Road on 18 December. However he ruptured and dislocated his shoulder joint, and so did not appear again until 25 January, in a 3–0 League Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. This was his last contribution to the campaign, and he was not selected again under Paul Jewell's stewardship.

At the start of the 2011–12 season, he rejected a six-month loan deal at Crawley Town. However he did not feature for Ipswich, and so in November 2011, he joined Crawley's League Two rivals Port Vale on loan. He saw the loan as an opportunity to win a permanent contract away from Portman Road. He played a number of reserve games, but never made a matchday squad at Vale Park before his loan spell ended in January. He then had a trial with Southend United, also of League Two, before leaving Ipswich Town by mutual consent on 20 January.

He was linked with a move into Irish football, as both Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers expressed an interest in acquiring his services. He was revealed as a Cork City player on 2 February 2012. He made only five league appearances for the "Leesiders". He went on trial at Crawley Town in July 2012. O'Connor signed for Shamrock Rovers on 31 July. He made his competitive debut for Rovers in the final of the 2012 Leinster Senior Cup, which ended in a 1–0 win over St Patrick's CY. He made his League of Ireland debut against Bohemian the following week, and made a total of five appearances for the "Hoops".

O'Connor signed with Portadown in October 2013. He spent the 2014 season with Limerick, playing 11 League of Ireland Premier Division games. He dropped into the League of Ireland First Division to play for Cobh Ramblers in January 2015. He was voted the club's Player of the Year for the 2015 season. He went on to score nine goals in 26 league appearances during the 2016 campaign. In January 2017, he signed for First Division rivals Waterford.

He made his debut appearance for the Republic of Ireland national under-21 team on 26 March 2011, in what ended as a 2–1 defeat to Portugal at the Estádio Municipal de Águeda; he was replaced by Ipswich teammate Conor Hourihane at half-time. He previously appeared for the under-17 and under-19 side.

As of 4 November 2016.