Stephen O'Donnell
O'Donnell in action for Dundalk in the 2015 League of Ireland
Personal information
Full name Stephen O'Donnell
Date of birth (1986-01-15) 15 January 1986
Place of birth Galway, Ireland
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Dundalk (head coach)
Youth career
2002–2004 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 Arsenal 0 (0)
2005–2007 Falkirk 46 (3)
2007–2008 Bohemians 38 (4)
2009 Cork City 20 (0)
2010 Galway United 26 (8)
2011–2012 Shamrock Rovers 16 (2)
2013–2018 Dundalk 111 (10)
Total 257 (27)
International career‡
2002–2003 Republic of Ireland U17
2006 Republic of Ireland U21
2008–2010 Republic of Ireland U23 3 (0)
Managerial career
2019–2021 St Patrick's Athletic
2022– Dundalk
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 May 2021
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 May 2021

Stephen O'Donnell (born 15 January 1986) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is head coach at League of Ireland Premier Division club Dundalk. During his playing career the clubs he played at were Arsenal, Falkirk, Bohemians, Cork City, Galway United, Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk.

Club career

Arsenal

O'Donnell played youth football for Newcastle in County Galway before joining Arsenal as a trainee in the summer of 2002 after completing his Junior Certificate exams.[1] He signed a professional contract at the club in January 2003 but left again in July 2005 without making an appearance for the first team.[2] While he credits the coaching he received during this time with giving him greater confidence on the ball, he has expressed regret at moving to Arsenal at such a young age, feeling that if given the choice again he would have stayed at home, completed his Leaving Certificate exams and joined a team in the League of Ireland.[3]

Falkirk

O'Donnell signed for Falkirk in August 2005 in search of more first-team opportunities[4] and became a regular in their team, mostly playing on the left-side of midfield. He had a greater desire to be played centrally in his natural position, and after receiving no assurances about this from manager John Hughes, O'Donnell rejected a new contract in summer 2007.[5]

Return to Ireland

O'Donnell was signed by Sean Connor on an 18-month deal for Bohemians in August 2007. He became a regular starter in the first team, which included scoring against Rhyl in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup,[6] but decided to move on after one season at Dalymount Park.

Having rejected a new contract offer,[7] he signed a two-year deal with Cork City on 21 February 2009.[8]

He signed for his local club, Galway United, in the weeks leading up to the 2010 League of Ireland season. He made 28 appearances for Galway scoring eight goals.

Shamrock Rovers

In January 2011, O'Donnell signed for the League of Ireland champions, Shamrock Rovers.[9]

On 22 February 2011, O'Donnell scored in his first match for the Shamrock against Dundalk in the Leinster Senior Cup.[10]

In August 2011, he scored the winning goal from a penalty at Partizan Belgrade as Rovers became the first Irish club to reach the group stages of the UEFA Europa League.[11] O'Donnell missed a penalty against Rubin Kazan in the first game of the group stage.[12] Prior to the match, he was involved in an attempt by senior players to secure a bigger bonus from the fan-owned club by threatening not to play the game.

Dundalk

He signed for Dundalk on 21 December 2012.

O'Donnell suffered a very serious injury while playing for Dundalk against former club Shamrock Rovers on 18 April 2014. A scan revealed that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and his posterior cruciate ligament and would be out for the remainder of the season.[13]

On 24 October 2014, O'Donnell scored the first goal in the 48th minute of Dundalk's 2–0 win over Cork City in the final match of the season. As a result, Dundalk were crowned premier league champions for the first time in 19 years, winning the league by two points over Cork City who led going into the match.[14] It was O'Donnell's first start since returning from injury and he was awarded man of the match after an impressive display.[15]

The club captain went on to play a prominent role in title wins in 2015 and 2016. Dundalk's three-in-a-row achievement was enhanced as they achieved it despite a bruising fixture schedule brought about by qualification for the group stages of the Europa League. O'Donnell signed a new two-year contract before the 2017 season but it ended in disappointment with rivals Cork City completing a League and Cup double. He announced his retirement from football in January 2019.

International

O'Donnell has been capped by the Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team and the under-23s.[16]

Managerial career

After retiring in January 2019, O'Donnell was immediately hired as a Senior Opposition Analyst & Scout at Dundalk.[17] O'Donnell was announced as the head coach of St Patrick's Athletic on a two-year contract on 31 August 2019, his first job in senior management, following the resignation of Harry Kenny.[18] He brought in his former Arsenal and Falkirk teammate Pat Cregg as his assistant.[19] His first game in management came on 6 September 2019 as his Pat's side came from behind to win 2−1 away to Finn Harps thanks to goals from Darragh Markey and substitute Rhys McCabe.[20] On 28 November 2021, O'Donnell led his side to victory in the 2021 FAI Cup Final, defeating rivals Bohemians 4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time in front of a record FAI Cup Final crowd of 37,126 at the Aviva Stadium.[21] O'Donnell left the club in controversial circumstances in December 2021, returning to his former club Dundalk as head coach on a 2-year contract.[22] A High Court action was filed against him by the holding company behind Pat's.[23]

Career statistics

Playing statistics

Professional appearances in playing career.[24]

Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 2002–03 Premier League 0000000[lower-alpha 1]0—00
2003–04 0000000[lower-alpha 1]0—00
2004–05 0000000[lower-alpha 1]0—00
Arsenal Total 00000000—00
Falkirk 2005–06 Scottish Premier League 2410010——251
2006–07 2221030——262
Falkirk Total 4631040——513
Bohemians 2007 LOI Premier Division 1241010——144
2008 26040104[lower-alpha 2]1—351
Bohemians Total 384502041—495
Cork City 2009 LOI Premier Division 2001000—1[lower-alpha 3]0220
Galway United 2010 LOI Premier Division 2684000—1[lower-alpha 4]0318
Shamrock Rovers 2011 LOI Premier Division 12230009[lower-alpha 5]14[lower-alpha 6]1284
2012 4011101[lower-alpha 1]04[lower-alpha 7]0111
Shamrock Rovers Total 162411010181395
Dundalk 2013 LOI Premier Division 2233100—2[lower-alpha 8]0284
2014 12200000[lower-alpha 9]05[lower-alpha 10]1173
2015 24220102[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 8]1313
2016 23120009[lower-alpha 11]01[lower-alpha 12]0351
2017 20151301[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 13]0312
2018 10100100[lower-alpha 9]000111
Dundalk Total 111101225012012215214
Career Total 2572727312026222334435
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
  2. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup
  3. ↑ Appearances in Setanta Sports Cup
  4. ↑ Appearances in League of Ireland promotion/relegation playoff
  5. ↑ 2 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, 7 appearances & 1 goal in the UEFA Europa League
  6. ↑ 2 appearances & 1 goal in the Leinster Senior Cup, 2 appearances in the Setanta Sports Cup
  7. ↑ 3 appearances in the Leinster Senior Cup, 1 appearance in the Setanta Sports Cup
  8. 1 2 Appearances in the Leinster Senior Cup
  9. 1 2 Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  10. ↑ 1 appearance in the Leinster Senior Cup, 4 appearances & 1 goal in the Setanta Sports Cup
  11. ↑ 5 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, 4 appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  12. ↑ Appearances in the President of Ireland's Cup
  13. ↑ 1 appearances in the President of Ireland's Cup, 1 appearance in the Leinster Senior Cup

Managerial statistics

Competitive games only – correct as of 3 November 2023.

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
St Patrick's Athletic 31 August 2019 11 December 2021 70 33 17 20 97 72 +25 047.14
Dundalk 11 December 2021 Present 103 54 26 23 166 107 +59 052.43
Total 173 87 43 43 263 179 +84 050.29

Honours

Playing career

Club

Bohemians
Shamrock Rovers
Dundalk

Individual

Managerial career

St Patrick's Athletic

References

  1. ↑ Callan, Ciaran. "DFCTV The Big Interview Stephen O'Donnell Big". Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2016 – via YouTube.
  2. ↑ "Arsenal reserve team squad 2004/2005". Arseweb. arseweb.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Murphy, Dylan. "The Weekly Read: 'Irish clubs should be beyond just getting a glamour tie' – Dundalk FC captain O'Donnell". Irish Independent. independent.ie. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Falkirk swoop for Arsenal youth". BBC Sport. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "O'Donnell and Lambers heading out". BBC Sport. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rhyl 2–4 Bohemians (agg 3–9)". RTÉ Sport. 29 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  7. ↑ McQueen, Graeme (19 January 2009). "O'Donnell & Burns reject new Bohs deals". Extratime.ie. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Hoops scoop top young talent". Shamrockrovers.ie. 9 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Farrelly, Aidan (23 February 2011). "Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "Partizan Belgrade 1:2 Rovers". Shamrockrovers.ie. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  12. ↑ "Shamrock Rovers 0-3 Rubin Kazan". RTÉ Sport. 15 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "O'Donnell is ruled out for season". RTÉ.ie. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "Dundalk are Champions". Football Association of Ireland. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Comeback king Stephen O'Donnell fires Dundalk to its first title in 19 years". independent.ie. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "Under-23s off to great start". Football Association of Ireland. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
    "Heartache as stoppage time winner defeats U23s". Football Association of Ireland. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
    "Late comeback by U23s not enough against England". Football Association of Ireland. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  17. ↑ O'DONNELL ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT, dundalkfc.com, 10 January 2019
  18. ↑ "Club Announcement: O'Donnell Joins Saints". stpatsfc.com.
  19. ↑ @stpatsfc (1 September 2019). "We're delighted to confirm to appointment of former Saints player Patrick Cregg as Stephen O'Donnell's Assistant He…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ "Result: Harps 1 – Saints 2". stpatsfc.com.
  21. ↑ Leahy, Ed (28 November 2021). "Benson spot on as Saints beat Bohs to lift the FAI Cup". RTÉ Sport. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. ↑ "'I can sleep easy at night' – Stephen O'Donnell defends Dundalk switch". Irish Independent.
  23. ↑ "St Pat's accuse ex-boss of foul play in fight for legal damages". The Sunday Times. 26 December 2021.
  24. ↑ "Republic of Ireland – S.O'Donnell". Ie.soccerway.com. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  25. ↑ "Seven Dundalk stars in PFAI Team of the Year". RTÉ Sport. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Dundalk and Cork dominate PFAI team of the year". RTÉ Sport. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
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