Walsall player 464. Simon Osborn

Simon Osborn (born 19 January 1972) is an English former footballer and football manager. A midfielder, he played 434 league games in a 17-year career in the Football League.
He began his career with Crystal Palace, helping the club to the First Division title in 1993–94, before he made a £90,000 move to Reading. He helped the “Royals” to a second-place finish in the First Division in 1994–95, though they were then beaten in the play-off final. He made a £1.1 million move to Queens Park Rangers in July 1995, before being sold on to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1 million in December 1995. After six years and 185 appearances at Molineux, he was loaned out to Tranmere Rovers, before switching to Port Vale in September 2001. He moved on to Gillingham the following month, before he joined Walsall in July 2003. He joined Hereford United in summer 2006, before moving into non-league football with Bromley. He helped the club to win promotion out of the Isthmian League in 2007, and briefly served the club as manager in 2008. He then joined Croydon Athletic, before scoring the winning goal for Cray Wanderers in the Isthmian League Division One South play-off final. In 2010, he became a player-coach at Erith & Belvedere. He joined the coaching staff at Margate in 2013, and was appointed joint-manager with Craig Holloway in April 2013, before losing his job eight months later.
Osborn was educated at Ashburton High School, now known as Oasis Academy Shirley Park, Croydon, from 1983 to 1989. A central midfielder, Osborn started his career as a trainee at Crystal Palace in 1988 under the stewardship of Steve Coppell. He turned professional for the 1989–90 season, when his performances for a newly promoted Palace side secured their First Division survival with a 15th-place finish and saw him voted Young Player of the Year by the club’s fans. However he missed out on a place in the squad for the final of the FA Cup that season, which Palace lost to Manchester United in a replay. They went on to finish third in 1990–91, one of the best finishes in the club’s history. They then dropped to tenth in 1991–92, enough to secure them a place as founder members of the Premier League. They were relegated in 20th place in 1992–93, though had they have won their final game of the season then Oldham Athletic would have taken their place in the relegation zone. Osborn scored in the League Cup semi-finals in 1993, Palace’s consolation in a 5–1 aggregate defeat to Arsenal. New boss Alan Smith led the “Eagles” to the First Division title in 1993–94, Osborn’s last season at Selhurst Park.
Reading manager Mark McGhee handed over £90,000 for his services at the start of the 1994–95 season. The “Royals” narrowly missed out on a second successive promotion as Osborn formed a vital part of the team that finished second in the First Division. They went on to lose 4–3 to Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final at Wembley; the game was necessary due to the Premier League’s reduction in size only allowing one automatic promotion place.
As a result of Reading’s failure to secure promotion, Osborn decided to move away from Elm Park to gain Premier League experience, and got his wish when Queens Park Rangers manager Ray Wilkins splashed out £1.1 million for the midfielder in July 1995. Osborn lasted just six months at QPR, scoring once (against Bolton Wanderers) in nine Premier League games for a side who ended the season in the relegation places, before moving back down a division and signing for Mark McGhee’s Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £1 million transfer fee.
McGhee steered the club to a 20th-place finish in 1995–96, just three points above relegated Millwall. Osborn scored six goals in 39 games in 1996–97, as Wolves finished third, four points behind Barnsley in the automatic promotion places; they went on to lose to his former club Crystal Palace at the play-off semi-finals. They missed out on the play-offs by three places and nine points in 1997–98, Osborn scoring twice in 26 games, including one against former club QPR. Early in the 1998–99 season McGhee was sacked, and replaced by his assistant Colin Lee. Wolves finished seventh, one place and three points behind Bolton Wanderers in the play-offs; Osborn scored three goals in 42 appearances. The 1999–2000 season saw Bolton again finish sixth, one place and just two points ahead of Wolves; Osborn was limited to 26 appearances. Following a poor start to 2000–01, Colin Lee was replaced by Dave Jones in January 2001, and two months later Osborn was loaned out to league rivals Tranmere Rovers for three months, where he scored once against Fulham. At the end of the season his six-year stay at Molineux was brought to an end, after 185 appearances for the club.

photo= http://www.wolvesheros.com

In September 2001, he moved on a free transfer to Brian Horton’s Port Vale in the Second Division. He played eight games in four weeks at Vale Park, before moving back up to the First Division with Gillingham. He scored three goals in 30 games for Andy Hessenthaler’s “Gills” in 2001–02. He missed September to March of the 2002–03 campaign, and left the Priestfield Stadium after 49 league and cup appearances for the club.
Osborn signed for Walsall in July 2003, who were then managed by his former boss Colin Lee. However Lee left the club in April 2004, and Osborn served as assistant to new manager Paul Merson for a short time. The “Saddlers” suffered relegation out of the First Division in 2003–04, with Osborn scoring three goals in 46 appearances. Ironically they finished behind his former club Gillingham, who avoided the drop, on goal difference. Osborn then played 41 games as Walsall finished 11th in League One in 2004–05. He picked up ten yellow cards and two goals in his 36 appearances in 2005–06, as Walsall finished last and suffered relegation into League Two; this was to prove to be his last season at the Bescot Stadium.
Osborn started the 2006–07 campaign with Hereford United, a club Graham Turner had led to promotion back to the Football League after nine years in the Conference. However he played just once for the “Bulls”, and moved on to Bromley in September 2006. The “Ravens” finished the 2006–07 season as runners-up of the Isthmian League, and beat Billericay Town in the play-off final to win promotion into the Conference South. He was appointed player-manager of Bromley in January 2008, assisted by Bobby Bowry, but resigned three months later following a change in ownership, having led them to an eleventh-place finish in 2007–08. He both succeeded and was preceded by Mark Goldberg. Osborn then moved on to Croydon Athletic of the Isthmian League Division One South.
He signed for league rivals Cray Wanderers in February 2009, appearing on the bench against Ashford Town and making his debut for the club in March against Walton & Hersham. He scored the only goal for Wanderers in their 1–0 victory in the play-off final against Metropolitan Police. He left the club at the end of the season and retired from playing football, opting to look for a coaching role elsewhere. However he then came out of retirement in March 2010 to re-sign for Cray Wanderers. For the second successive season Osborn scored in the final game of the season, against Horsham. He then was appointed as player-coach at Erith & Belvedere of the Kent League.
Osborn joined the coaching staff at Margate in January 2013, as assistant to caretaker manager Craig Holloway. He was appointed joint-manager with Craig Holloway in April 2013. He became sole manager in November 2013, but was sacked a month later.
Simon Osborn
Personal information
Full name Simon Osborn
Date of birth 19 January 1972 (age 43)
Place of birth Croydon, England

Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position Midfielder

Senior career
Years                       Team                                     Apps          (Gls)
1988–1994              Crystal Palace                          55           (5)
1994–1995              Reading                                    32           (5)
1995                        Queens Park Rangers               9           (1)
1995–2001              Wolverhampton Wanderers   162           (11)
2001                        Tranmere Rovers (loan)             9           (1)
2001                        Port Vale                                     7           (0)
2001–2003              Gillingham                                 46           (5)
2003–2006              Walsall                                     113           (15)
2006                        Hereford United                           1           (0)
2006–2008              Bromley                                     72           (3)
2008–2009              Croydon Athletic                        20           (3)
2009                        Cray Wanderers                        14           (1)
2010                        Cray Wanderers                          6           (1)
2010–201?              Erith & Belvedere

Total              546          (51)
Teams managed
2004–2005 Walsall (assistant manager)

2008 Bromley

2013 Margate

Walsall player 463. Ifem “Iffy” Onuora

Ifem “Iffy” Onuora (born 28 July 1967) is a Scottish former professional footballer, manager and current equalities coach for the Professional Footballers Association.
As a player he was a forward from 1988 until 2004. He notably had spells with Swindon Town and Gillingham and spent his entire career playing in England. He also played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Mansfield Town, Sheffield United, Wycombe Wanderers, Grimsby Town, Tranmere Rovers and Walsall. Having moved into coaching with the latter, he moved back to former clubs Swindon and Gillingham before briefly taking over as caretaker manager of Lincoln City before his move to Ethiopia. He now acts as a Match Delegate for referees in the Premier League. Between 2010 and 2011 Onuora coached the Ethiopian national football team.
Born in Glasgow to Nigerian parents, Ifem Onuora grew up on Merseyside and attended Sacred Heart Catholic College in Crosby which his cousin Victor Anichebe later attended. He was first spotted playing football on Merseyside and briefly played for Everton’s youth team during the mid-eighties.
Onuora was a journeyman striker who got his professional break playing for Huddersfield Town, he went on to play just under 200 times for The Terriers, and scored over 30 goals for the club before he was transferred to Mansfield Town in 1994.
Onoura stayed with The Stags until Gillingham paid £25,000 for him in August 1996. It was at Priestfield Stadium where Onuora’s goal scoring ability started to show, as he notched himself a tally of just under 30 goals in an 18-month stay with the club, before the Gills cashed in on their big front man by selling him to Swindon Town in March 1998. More goal scoring success was on the cards and he remained at the club until he secured a move back to Gillingham in January 2000, following a short loan spell.
Onuora went on to feature heavily for The Gills for the next two seasons before Neil Warnock tempted the player into moving to Bramall Lane to sign a two-year deal with Sheffield United, reuniting Onuora with his former Gillingham strike partner Carl Asaba. However football for Onoura was rare with the club and after starting the season alongside Asaba, he only made 8 appearances in both league and cup competitions, scoring one goal against Burnley. But after a season-ending Achilles injury, he never played for United again. In August 2003, it was announced that he would be carrying on with The Blades, but was loan listed where he signed for Wycombe Wanderers at the start of the season on a one-month loan deal.
After appearing six times for The Chairboys, Onuora returned to Sheffield, only to be poached by Paul Groves to sign for Grimsby Town also on a one-month loan. After a reasonable month with Grimsby, Onuora made his move to Blundell Park a permanent one, with the club pairing him up front with Michael Boulding in the absence of the injured Phil Jevons.
This seemed to work as a jinx for Onuora, as despite earning himself a permanent deal, his performances slipped and he was singled out by the clubs supporters for booing, something which the player later spoke publicly about to the Grimsby Telegraph. Following the club’s huge dip in form, Paul Groves was dismissed from his managerial duties and Onuora was to be the first player shown the door, after only signing a permanent deal 4 months previously.
He made his next port of call Tranmere Rovers but after 3 league appearances, the club decided to release him a month later. On 25 March 2004, Onuora signed professional terms once again for Huddersfield Town, who were his first career club. He played 5 times for The Terriers, scoring an important goal in the play-off semi final against Lincoln City but didn’t make an appearance in the final at the Millennium Stadium. In July 2004, Paul Merson hired Onoura as a player/coach for Walsall, but this was short lived, and he was released in October 2004 and subsequently retired from playing. He scored 133 goals in nearly 500 professional matches.
Upon retiring in 2004, Onuora moved into coaching. In July 2007 he successfully completed the final part of the UEFA Pro Licence course and joined a group of only 111 coaches holding the game’s top qualification.
His coaching career began when he was appointed first-team coach at Walsall in July 2004 but his contract was terminated by Walsall’s manager Paul Merson in October 2004, with Merson feeling a more experienced coach was required.
Later in the 2004–05 season, Onuora became a coach and youth development officer at Swindon Town. When Andy King was sacked after a poor start to season 2005/06, Onuora was appointed as Swindon’s caretaker manager. In December 2005, Ron Atkinson, who had previously been fired from TV jobs for making racist remarks, was reportedly appointed to work alongside Onuora – one of the league’s few black managers. Onuora later denied that this was the case, claiming that Atkinson was at the club to film a fly-on-the-wall documentary called Big Ron Manager.
Dennis Wise later became the new Swindon manager and Onoura was offered the chance to stay in a reduced capacity but he turned down that offer and left the club. He later commentated on Gillingham matches on BBC Radio Kent.
He returned to Gillingham in June 2007 as a first team coach. When manager Ronnie Jepson resigned in September 2007 he was named, initially alongside Mick Docherty, as joint caretaker manager. He held the position until the appointment of Mark Stimson on 1 November 2007 and briefly remained as a first team coach under the new regime before departing approximately two weeks later. In February 2008 he was appointed assistant to Peter Jackson at Lincoln City.
As of 1 March 2008, he became Lincoln’s acting manager, whilst Peter Jackson underwent treatment for throat cancer. He was assisted in this role by Grant Brown. Under Onuora’s tenure, Lincoln won five and lost six of their remaining fixtures. On 2 September 2009 both Peter Jackson and Iffy Onuora were sacked from their posts at Lincoln after the board were disappointed with the club’s poor start to the season
On 30 June 2010, he signed a one-year deal to coach Ethiopia. Under the contract received a monthly salary of $13,000, free accommodation, a car, two free air tickets and phone service. His salary and other expenses were covered by MIDROC Ethiopia, a company owned by Ethiopian-born billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi.
Onuora was sacked by Ethiopia in April 2011. In 2012 he began working as an equalities officer and regional coach for the Professional Footballers Association.

Iffy Onuora
Personal information
Full name Ifem Onuora
Date of birth 28 July 1967 (age 48)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland

Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position Striker

Youth career
Everton

1988–1989 Bradford University Football Club

Senior career
Years                         Team                                                Apps      (Gls)
1989–1994                 Huddersfield Town                              165      (30)
1994–1996                 Mansfield Town                                     28        (8)
1996– 1998                Gillingham                                             62      (23)
1998–2000                 Swindon Town                                      74       (25)
2000                           Gillingham (loan)                                     1        (0)
2000–2002                 Gillingham                                             85       (26)
2002–2004                 Sheffield United                                       7         (1)
2003                           Wycombe Wanderers (loan)                  6         (0)
2003                           Grimsby Town (loan    )                           8         (1)
2003–2004                 Grimsby Town                                        11         (2)
2004                           Tranmere Rovers                                    3         (0)
2004                           Huddersfield Town                                   3         (1)
2004                           Walsall                                                     0         (0)
Total                      453      (117)
Teams managed
2005–2006 Swindon Town

2007 Gillingham (caretaker)

2008 Lincoln City (caretaker)

2010–2011 Ethiopia

Walsall player 462. Jimmy O’Neill

Jimmy O’Neill (born 24 November 1941 at Larne, Northern Ireland) was a Northern Irish footballer who played for Sunderland and the Northern Ireland national football team as a forward.
O’Neill made his first appearance for Sunderland on 13 January 1962 against Bristol Rovers in a 6–1 win at Roker Park where he scored two goals. Overall, during 1961 to 1962 he made 7 league appearances, scoring 6 goals before moving to Walsall. He spent from 1962 to 1965 at Walsall, but only managed to make 38 appearances, scoring 13 goals. He then moved to Australia with Melbourne Hakoah before returning to England with Darlington. At his time with Darlington he made 23 appearances, and scored four goals. O’Neill returned to Northern Ireland with Coleraine before finishing his career back in Australia with Melbourne Hakoah. He won his first cap for Northern Ireland on 11 April 1962 against Wales in a 4–0 defeat. This proved to be his first and only cap for his country.
The only stats I can find are the ones in the above text. I am unable to say if these are correct or not!.

Walsall player 461 William Anthony “Billy” O’Neill

• William Anthony “Billy” O’Neill (born 29 December 1919) was an Irish professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
• I have done several searches for information on Billy, but always end up at wikipedia and this single line is all that there is…….
Billy O’Neill
Personal information
Full name William Anthony O’Neill
Date of birth 29 December 1919
Place of birth Cork, Ireland

Playing position Inside forward
Senior career
Years                                 Team                      Apps    (Gls)
Cork United                 ?      (?)
Belfast Celtic              ?       (?)
Chelmsford City         ?       (?)
1949–1951                         Burnley                       1       (1)
1951–1953                         Walsall                      51     (16)

Walsall player 460. Gary Paul O’Neil

Gary Paul O’Neil (born 18 May 1983) is an English professional footballer who plays for Norwich City. O’Neil has previously played for West Ham United, Portsmouth where he was the Player of the Season in 2006, Walsall,Cardiff City, Middlesbrough and QPR.

O’Neil was born in Beckenham, London. Tony Pulis gave O’Neil his Portsmouth debut as a 16-year-old on 29 January 2000 at home to Barnsley in the First Division, but kept him out of the spotlight for the rest of the season. The following year both Pulis and his successor Steve Claridge used O’Neil sparingly but Portsmouth’s third manager of a disastrous season, Graham Rix, made O’Neil a starter for the final five matches of the season.

photo Portsmouth FC

Portsmouth went into the final game against Barnsley needing to win to have any chance of avoiding relegation to what was then the Second Division. They won the match 3–0 and survived, with O’Neil scoring the second goal, his first in professional football.[4]
In the 2001–02 season, still a teenager, O’Neil became a key player in a young team. Despite another disappointing campaign for the club, O’Neil’s own reputation continued to increase and he scored a volley against Millwall.
When Harry Redknapp took over as manager at the end of the 2001–02 season, O’Neil was one of the few players not to be moved on in the rebuilding of the squad. In Redknapp’s first full season O’Neil only started 11 league matches, scoring three goals.
The 2002–03 campaign may have been disappointing personally for O’Neil but it was a great one for the club as they convincingly won the First Division title, thereby gaining promotion to the Premier League. He was loaned to Walsall at the beginning of the 2003–04 season in order to gain first team experience. His impressive performances for the Midlands side and Portsmouth’s increasing injury problems led to a recall in November 2003. He went straight into the starting eleven for his Premier League debut against bottom of the table Leeds United at Fratton Park and scored two goals in a 6–1 win. This performance meant that he maintained his place for the next match, away at Fulham but then had to travel to Dubai to captain England Under 20s in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Upon his return, O’Neil found that Portsmouth’s injury problems had cleared up and he could not break back into the team for the remainder of the season.
At the beginning of the 2004–05 season he was loaned to Cardiff City to gain further first team experience, scoring once in the league against Millwall. He was recalled to Portsmouth in November who yet again were experiencing an injury crisis. He made his return to the side in one of the biggest matches of the season, a 2–1 defeat at Southampton. He was picked again for the next match, at home to Manchester City, and scored in a 3–1 loss. This match proved to be a turning point in both the history of Portsmouth and the career of O’Neil as it proved to be the last match of Redknapp’s reign Technical director Velimir Zajec took over a temporary manager and made O’Neil a regular in the Pompey midfield. During Zajec’s five-month reign Portsmouth fell from mid table to relegation candidates and Alain Perrin was appointed to keep the club in the Premier League. O’Neil remained a crucial part of the Frenchman’s plans and was one of the main reasons why Portsmouth were not relegated back to the First Division after only two seasons. His outstanding performances at right midfield and centre midfield and his goal away at Manchester United were enough to convince European champions Liverpool to bid £5million for him, a bid which was rejected by Portsmouth.
O’Neil went into the 2005–06 season as a regular for Perrin’s new-look team and, like in the 2002–03 campaign, he was one of the few players to survive from the previous year. By November Portsmouth were at the bottom of the Premier League and Perrin was sacked only seven months after being appointed. The return of Redknapp was seen by some to signal the end of O’Neil’s Portsmouth career. Many people[ believed that Redknapp did not rate O’Neil and this view seemed to be confirmed in 2004 during the feud between Redknapp and the chairman Mandaric when the latter claimed he has vetoed an attempt to sell O’Neil to Cardiff.[ In Redknapp’s first match back in charge at Tottenham Hotspur, O’Neil retained his place in the team and was picked on the right of midfield. O’Neil’s late handball conceded the penalty for Spurs’ winner. O’Neil was moved into his preferred position of central midfield a few games later and Pompey went on their best run of the season with O’Neil scoring in successive home games. For the home game with Everton in January 2006 O’Neil captained Pompey for the first time but disappointingly for him this was also the game where he was moved back to the right to allow new signings Pedro Mendes and Sean Davis to form a partnership in the middle. Pompey lost the game 1–0[10] and went on a run of form that left them near certainties for relegation in mid-March but O’Neil’s performance in a crucial 1–1 draw against Bolton Wanderers saw him keep his place in the starting XI. Two weeks after this draw, Pedro Mendes’ last minute winner againstManchester City sparked a comeback. Pompey gained 14 points out of the next seven games and secured survival at Wigan Athletic’s JJB Stadium on 29 April with a 2–1 victory.
O’Neil was a regular at the right of midfield for Portsmouth in the 2006–07 and despite only contributing one goal Portsmouth finished 9th, their best in the Premier League at that time. O’Neil signed for Middlesbrough on 31 August 2007 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £5 million. O’Neil, whilst not scoring for Middlesbrough during his first season, was considered a success. His lively displays down the right-hand side of midfield, and occasionally in the centre, have earned him plaudits from the Boro fans and manager, Gareth Southgate. “I think he’s done a fantastic job on the right hand side this year, I think there’s more to come from him”. In all he made 26 appearances in the league, and three in the FA Cup during the clubs run to the quarter-final.
Reports surfacing in May 2008 suggested that O’Neil might look to move on from Middlesbrough after he and his family had failed to settle on Teesside. O’Neil scored his first Middlesbrough goal in the 2008–09 season on 29 October in Middlesbrough’s 2–0 win over Manchester City.
O’Neil started the 2009–10 season as Southgate’s first choice central midfielder, with Julio Arca being dropped to the bench for the first matches of the season. It was soon revealed that O’Neil would require a hernia operation, yet he spoke out and said he would, “Delay the operation so as to ease Boro’s midfield crisis.” The first game after his operation, on 12 September, led to his first goal. He was taken down in the box yet managed to pull himself up to loop Marvin Emnes’ return ball over the Ipswich Town keeper. The game ended 3–1 in Middlesbrough’s favour. Just three days later, on 15 September, he was taken down with a head injury bleeding against Sheffield Wednesday and required stitches, so was taken off the pitch for treatment and returned minutes later. The game ended 3–1, with O’Neil playing an important part in Boro’s midfield dominance. O’Neil managed 119 appearances and scored seven goals in total for Boro.
On 25 January 2011, O’Neil completed a move to West Ham United on a two-and-a-half year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut in the League Cup semi-final, second leg, against Birmingham City, coming on as an 83rd minute substitute for Luis Boa Morte. On 6 February 2011, O’Neil made his Premier League debut for the Hammers against Birmingham City in a 1–0 defeat at Upton Parkand also completed the full 90 minutes. His 2010–11 season was ended prematurely on 16 April 2011 following a tackle by Aston Villa’s Nigel Reo-Coker during West Ham’s 2–1 home defeat at Upton Park. O’Neil was carried off on a stretcher after the challenge. He underwent a two-hour ankle operation and endured several months out of action with concern that his footballing career was in jeopardy. O’Neil was reported as considering taking legal action against Reo-Coker By the end of the 2010–11 season, he had .made nine appearances for the Hammers in all competitions. O’Neil scored his first goal for West Ham in a 4–1 away win against Blackpool on 21 February 2012 and proved to be a key player in the team’s end of season form which saw them reach the Premier League after beating Blackpool2-1 at Wembley in the Championship play-off final. On 7 June 2013 the Premier League confirmed that he had been released by West Ham. Although released, O’Neil said that discussions were taking place related to him being offered a new contract and that he was likely to sign a new deal nearer the start of the new season. However, David Gold announced on his Twitter account that O’Neil had declined a new contract offer, and consequently became a free agent.
On 7 August 2013, O’Neil signed for Championship side Queens Park Rangers on a one-year deal, re-uniting with former manager Harry Redknapp. He scored his first goal for the club on 11 January 2014 in a 3-1 win over Ipswich Town. O’Neil was a member of the Queens Park Rangers side which won the 2014 Football League Championship play-off Final, 1-0 against Derby County on 24 May 2014. He was sent off in the 60th minute in the game at Wembley for a professional foul on Johnny Russell.

photo Norwich City FC

On 5 August 2014, O’Neil signed for Championship side Norwich City, on a two-year deal.
O’Neil has earned caps for England at every youth level, and he has captained the Under-21 side, having held that position at each youth level. Despite this, he has never played for the senior England national team.

Personal information
Full name Gary Paul O’Neil
Date of birth 18 May 1983 (age 32)
Place of birth Beckenham, England

Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)

Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current team Norwich City

Number 28
Youth career
?–2000 Portsmouth

Senior career
Years                   Team                          Apps    (Gls)
2000–2007           Portsmouth                 174      (16)
2003                     Walsall (loan)                  7        (0)
2004                     Cardiff City (loan)            9        (1)
2007–2011           Middlesbrough             109        (8)
2011–2013          West Ham United           48        (3)
2013–2014          Queens Park Rangers   29        (1)
2014–                  Norwich City                   20        (0)
National team
2001–2002          England U19                     8        (0)
2002–2003          England U20                     7        (0)

Walsall player 459. Scott Ollerenshaw

Scott Ollerenshaw (born 9 February 1968) is a former Australian football (soccer) player, best known for his appearances for his country’s national side in the late 1980s.
A prominent forward and winger, Scott Ollerenshaw played for several clubs including St George Saints and Sydney Olympic in Australia’s National Soccer League before heading overseas. He had a season with Walsall FC in England before becoming a popular overseas player for Sabah FA in Malaysia’s M-League. Scoring more than a goal a game in four seasons with Sabah FA, Ollerenshaw twice won the Malaysian Golden Boot and earned the nickname ‘The Ginger Maradona’. After returning home to Australia to join National Soccer League club, Northern Spirit FC, he was forced to retire at the age of 31 because of a serious hip injury.

photo Scott Ollerenshaw.

As a 19-year-old, Ollerenshaw was capped in 1987 by his St George Saints manager Frank Arok who was also the national coach. Ollerenshaw played in the 1988 Gold Cup in Sydney, which marked the Australian Bicentenary and included a shock 4–1 victory over Argentina. Later that year, Ollerenshaw also played in the football tournament at the1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Ollerenshaw now runs his own sports tourism business in Sabah which specializes in organizing junior and senior football tours & tournaments . The tours has included taking the Malaysian u23 & Senior National teams on tours to Australia & Asia . Golf & Lawn Bowls are also included in the sports tourism programme . (www.borneosportsholidays.com)
Ollie also appears on Malaysian television as a pundit for Astro SuperSport for their football programmes including the English Premier League .
Ollerenshaw has evolved into player management for Aussie players venturing into Asia which has included involvement in Adam Griffiths to Malaysia and Bernie Ibini & Daniel McBreen to China .
Most recently Ollerenshaw facilitated the deal between Football Queensland & Football Association Malaysia resulting in Malaysia u23 National Teams historical inclusion into the 2014 Queensland NPL.

Scott Ollerenshaw
Personal information
Full name Scott Ollerenshaw
Date of birth 9 February 1968 (age 47)
Place of birth Sydney, Australia

Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position striker

Senior career
Years                       Team                      Apps (Gls)
1986–1989              St George                  93    (30)
1989–1991              Sydney Olympic        33      (3)
1991–1992              APIA Leichhardt         24      (3)
1992–1993              Walsall FC                 20      (4)
1993 APIA                Leichhardt                   5      (0)
1994–1998               Sabah                      106    (110)
–                                Northern Spirit            8       (4)
National team
1987–1989                Australia                    14       (2)

Walsall player 458. Richard Florence O’Kelly

Richard Florence O’Kelly (born 8 January 1957) is an English former footballer turned manager; who is Dean Smith’s assistant manager at League One side Walsall.
He began his career at Walsall in 1979, as they won promotion into the Third Division in 1979–80, where they remained for his next six seasons at Fellows Park, during which time he scored 56 goals in 204 league games. He was sold on to Port Vale for a £6,000 fee in July 1986, before returning to Walsall on a free transfer January 1988. Helping the “Saddlers” to win promotion via the play-offs, he moved on to Grimsby Town, before retiring due to injury the following year.

photo Walsall FC

After retiring due to injury in 1989 he took up coaching and has served as the assistant manager at Hereford United, Bournemouth, and Doncaster Rovers. He became a manager for the first time with Hereford United in March 2012, but quit the post two months later after the “Bulls” were relegated out of the Football League. He immediately returned to the number two role at former club Walsall.

photo Walsall FC

O’Kelly started his career with Alvechurch before moving into the Football League with Walsall in 1979, after being signed by manager Alan Buckley. The “Saddlers” were promoted into the Third Division as Fourth Division as runners-up in 1979–80, two points behind champions Huddersfield Town. Walsall retained their third tier status in 1980–81 by finishing one place and one point above the drop zone. They came even closer to relegation in 1981–82, finishing ahead of relegated Wimbledonon goal difference. They then improved, finishing tenth in 1982–83, before finishing sixth in 1983–84, eight points behind promoted Sheffield United. However Walsall dropped to eleventh in 1984–85, and O’Kelly was the club’s top scorer with eighteen goals. They finished sixth in 1985–86, nine points behind promoted Derby County. In his seven years at Fellows Park he racked up over 200 appearances, with a goal rate of one goal every four games.
In July 1986, the cultured striker joined fellow West Midlands and Third Division side Port Vale for a £6,000 fee. His Vale Park career started with a bang as he scored on his debut in a 2–2 draw at Middlesbrough on 23 August 1986. After playing the next three matches he was struck down with an injury to his knee ligaments, which required an operation the following January. Sidelined for the rest of the 1986–87 season, he returned to the first team at the beginning of the1987–88 season, and scored three goals in 22 appearances.
In January 1988, John Rudge allowed him to return to Walsall on a free transfer. The club won promotion at the end of the season under Tommy Coakley’s stewardship, beating Bristol City 4–0 in the play-off Final. He then joined former manager Alan Buckley at Fourth Division Grimsby Town, as the “Mariners” posted a ninth-place finish in 1988–89; O’Kelly finished his playing career in 1989 following a bad injury sustained playing for Grimsby in an encounter with Doncaster Rovers.
After finishing his playing career, O’Kelly worked as Port Vale’s community officer from August 1990 to May 1991 before returning to Blundell Park as a youth team coach. He left Grimsby for the same position at West Bromwich Albion in 1994. He spent seven years at The Hawthorns as youth team coach, and then six months at Aston Villa, before joining Hereford United in 2002 as assistant manager to Graham Turner.
He was appointed assistant manager of Bournemouth in the summer of 2004 and two years later followed manager Sean O’Driscoll to Doncaster Rovers. Under the pair’s first full season at Rovers the club gained promotion into the Championship after winning the League One play-off final in 2008 against Leeds United. The pair were placed on ‘gardening leave’ by the club in September 2011, with Rovers sitting bottom of the Championship.
In November 2011 he announced his return to Walsall, coaching for the club on a voluntary basis. On 5 March 2012, O’Kelly was appointed manager of Hereford United, replacing Jamie Pitman, who stayed on at Edgar Street as a coach. He took charge with the club two places and two points above the League Two relegation zone. He signed a contract until the end of the 2011–12 season. On taking charge he said “It’s my first job as manager but what better team to start with. We’ve got 12 games to show and prove to people just what we can do.” He got his first point in charge at the club the following day, when his side squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2–2 with Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose. Four days later they beat Morecambe 1–0 at the Globe Arena, further boosting their chances of survival. He later signed full-back James Chambers and winger James Baxendale on loan from Doncaster Rovers. To avoid relegation on the last day of the campaign, the “Bulls” needed to beat Torquay United and hope Burton Albion could avoid defeat at home to Barnet. Chairman David Keyte said that he should have appointed O’Kelly earlier in the season. His team won a futile 3–2 victory, as a win for Barnet sent Hereford back down to the Conference. He was asked to remain in charge for the subsequent Conference campaign, but declined the offer.
In June 2012, Dean Smith appointed O’Kelly as his assistant manager at League One side Walsall. In accepting the job he turned down Sean O’Driscoll’s offer to join the coaching staff at Crawley Town. However he went on to quit Walsall for Championship side Bristol City in January 2013, after O’Driscoll was appointed as the “Robins” new manager. Four months later he resigned, citing personal reasons. He made an immediate return to Walsall to once again work as Dean Smith’s assistant.
Richard O’Kelly
Personal information
Full name Richard Florence O’Kelly
Date of birth 8 January 1957 (age 58)
Place of birth West Bromwich, England

Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position Forward

Youth career
Alvechurch

Senior career
Years                          Team                                    Apps     (Gls)
1979–1986                  Walsall                                204         (56)
1986–1988                  Port Vale                               28           (4)
1988                            Walsall                                  12           (1)
1988–1989                  Grimsby Town                       39         (10)
Total                                                                         283         (71)
Teams managed
2012 Hereford United

Walsall player 457. James Vincent “Vince” O’Keefe

James Vincent “Vince” O’Keefe (born 2 April 1957) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for a number of Football League clubs between 1974 and 1993, making over 400 appearances.
O’Keefe had two loan stints at Blackpool during the 1980s. The first occurred during the 1986-87 campaign, when he deputised for Barry Siddall in a 4-1 victory at Chester City on 27 December.
Two years later, Sam Ellis brought him back for a further six League games.
A highly talented and well respected keeper, O’Keefe had his arguably greatest moment in a Blackburn shirt as he helped the team win the now defunct Full Members Cup at the old Wembley Stadium, beating Charlton Athletic 1-0 in 1987. Vince is the father of current Kidderminster Harriers midfielder Josh O’Keefe.
Vince O’Keefe
Personal information
Full name James Vincent O’Keefe
Date of birth 2 April 1957 (age 58)
Place of birth Birmingham, England

Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Senior career
Years                      Team                                       Apps     (Gls)
1974-1976               Birmingham City                          0         (0)
1976                        Peterborough United (loan)          0         (0)
1976–1977              Walsall                                          0         (0)
1977–1978              AP Leamington                            42        (0)
1978–1980              Exeter City                                   53        (0)
1980–1982              Torquay United                           108        (0)
1982–1989              Blackburn Rovers                        68        (0)
1983                        Bury (loan)                                     2         (0)
1986                        Blackpool (loan)                             1         (0)
1988                        Blackpool (loan)                             6         (0)
1989–1992              Wrexham                                     83         (0)
1992–1993              Exeter City                                      2         (0)
Total                                                                            365         (0)

Walsall player 456. Joshua Adam O’Keefe

Joshua Adam O’Keefe (born 22 December 1988) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Altrincham.
Born in Whalley, Lancashire, O’Keefe was educated at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn, where along with Frank Fielding he played in their victorious Boodles ISFA Cup team of 2003–04, defeating Millfield School 5–4 on penalties following a 2–2 draw in the final at the Walkers Stadium, whilst also playing representative football for ISFA. He then joined the Blackburn Rovers academy, making his Premier Academy League debut for the club in the 0–0 draw at Newcastle United on 2 April 2005.
He then signed for Walsall on a free transfer and made his debut on 12 September 2009, coming on as a substitute for Richard Taundry, in the Football League One clash with Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park, which ended in a 3–2 win to Walsall. He was released by Walsall on 10 May 2010 along with six other players.

O’Keefe was then signed by Lincoln City on 17 May 2010 on a two-year contract. On 3 January 2011, he scored his first ever goal as a professional, scoring an equaliser in the match against Northampton.
On 26 December 2011 O’Keefe left Lincoln City by mutual consent.
On 1 March 2012, O’Keefe joined Conference Premier League team Southport.
On 24 September he signed a contract for Hereford United for the present season.
On 11 June 2013, O’Keefe signed a new one-year contract to remain with the club for the 2013/2014 season.
On 31 January 2014, O’Keefe signed an 18-month deal with play off hopefuls Kidderminster Harriers.
On 1 September 2014, Josh moved to Telford on a month loan deal where he made 5 appearances.
On 11 November 2014, Josh was sent on a two-month loan to Chester having only made one appearance all season for the Harriers. His loan spell, due to end on 1 January 2015, was cut short due to injury.
On 12 May 2015, Josh signed for Altrincham after being released by Kidderminster having made 20 appearances
0n 8 August 2008, he was called up for the Republic of Ireland U21 squad, qualifying by virtue of his father’s Irish parents. He made his debut as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 draw with the Austria U21 side on 19 August 2008.

Josh O’Keefe
Personal information
Full name Joshua Adam O’Keefe
Date of birth 22 December 1988 (age 26)
Place of birth Whalley, England

Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current team Altrincham

Number 14
Youth career
2001–2007 Blackburn Rovers

Senior career
Years                 Team                                     Apps (Gls)
2007–2009          Blackburn Rovers                      0   (0)
2009–2010          Walsall                                      13   (0)
2010–2012          Lincoln City                               47    (5)
2012                    Southpor  t                                  7    (0)
2012–2014           Hereford United                        51   (15)
2014–2015           Kidderminster Harriers             20    (0)
2014 AFC            Telford United (loan)                    5     (0)
2014–2015           Chester (loan)                            3      (0)
2015–                   Altrincham                                  4      (0)
National team
2008                     Republic of Ireland U21               1      (0)

Walsall player 455. Adolphus Ofodile

Adolphus Ofodile (born December 15, 1979) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward.
After beginning his career with Udoji United, Ofodile first came to Europe with the Belgian club Eendracht Aalst. After spending two years on loan with German amateur club SC Kapellen-Erft, he signed for 1. FC Magdeburgof the Regionalliga Nordost in 1999. Magdeburg finished 10th in Ofodile’s first season with the club, which, due to a restructuring of the Regionalliga, meant relegation to the fourth tier NOFV-Oberliga Süd. Magdeburg had a hugely successful 2000–01 at this level – with a frontline including Ofodile, Josef Ivanovic, David Mydlo andVlado Papic, they won the title, and promotion, scoring 120 goals, and had a memorable cup run, beating 1. FC Köln, Bayern Munich (who would go on to be European champions) and Karlsruher SC before losing in the quarter-finals to eventual winners FC Schalke 04.
Ofodile left Magdeburg in the summer of 2001, moving to England to sign for First Division side Walsall. After a disappointing year, in which he only made one league appearance, as a late substitute for Darren Byfield in a 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace, and one in the Football League Cup, he returned to Germany to sign for FC St. Pauli of the 2. Bundesliga.
Ofodile scored twice on his debut for St. Pauli, after coming on for Tobias Kurbjuweit in a 7–1 over Eintracht Braunschweig, but only made ten further appearances, all in the first half of the season, without getting on the scoresheet, and left the club in July 2003. He spent two years with Hallescher FC and one with Grün-Weiß Piesteritz before returning to Nigeria. In 2012 he went back to Germany for a brief spell with SC Herford of the seventh tier Landesliga Westfalen.

Adolphus Ofodile

Personal information
Date of birth December 15, 1979 (age 35)
Place of birth Nigeria

Playing position Forward

Youth career
Udoji United

Senior career
Years                    Team                             Apps (Gls)
1996–1999           Eendracht Aalst
1997–1999           SC Kapellen-Erft (loan)
1999–2001           FC Magdeburg                    51 (22)
2001–2002           Walsall                                  2   (0)
2002–2003            FC St. Pauli                        10  (2)
2003–2005           Hallescher FC                     34 (13)
2005–2006           Grün-Weiß Piesteritz
2006–2012           Unknown
2012                      SC Herford