Matthew O'Neill (footballer)

Matthew Paul O'Neill (born 25 June 1984) is an English professional footballer who played in the Football League as a midfielder for Burnley.

Matty O'Neill
Personal information
Full name Matthew Paul O'Neill[1]
Date of birth (1984-06-25) 25 June 1984[1]
Place of birth Accrington, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2000–2003 Burnley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 Burnley 13 (0)
2005 → Accrington Stanley (loan) 3 (0)
2005–2006 Accrington Stanley 3 (0)
2005 → Radcliffe Borough (loan) 11 (1)
2006–2007 Radcliffe Borough 52 (6)
2007–2013 Ashton United
2013 Nantwich Town
2013–2015 Nelson 54 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:33, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Career

O'Neill started his career in the youth system at Burnley, starting a three-year scholarship in 2000.[2] His professional debut for the club came in April 2003, coming on as a substitute for Mark McGregor in a 7–4 defeat to Watford.[3] He made his first start in a 2–0 win over Gillingham. In June 2013, O'Neill signed his first professional contract with the club on a one-year contract.[2] In his first year as a professional, O'Neill struggled to make an impact only making four appearances. In the summer of 2004 he signed a one-year extension to his contract.[4] In November 2004, O'Neill played his final game for the Clarets in a 2–1 win over rivals Leeds United.[5] In February 2005, O'Neill joined Conference National side Accrington Stanley on an initial one-month loan deal, which was later extended to two months.[4] He made his debut for the club in a 2–2 draw with Forest Green Rovers. His only goal for the club came in a 4–3 Conference League Cup win over Northwich Victoria.[6] O'Neill returned to Burnley in May 2005 but was however released by manager Steve Cotterill due to the expiry of his contract.[5] In July 2005, O'Neill re-joined Conference National side Accrington Stanley after training with the club during pre-season.[5] In August 2005, O'Neill was on the move again, joining Northern Premier League Premier Division side Radcliffe Borough on loan until October 2005.[7] In January 2006, he joined Radcliffe on a permanent basis after leaving Accrington.[8] O'Neill stayed with Radcliffe for another season but the club struggled throughout the campaign and were relegated from the NPL Premier Division in 2007.[9] He made a total of 85 appearances in all competitions during his time with Radcliffe scoring eleven goals.[9][10] O'Neill remained in the NPL Premier Division with Ashton United after manager Danny Johnson had been impressed with his form at Radcliffe.[9] He scored an incredible volley on his debut for the club in a 7–2 demolition of Frickley Athletic.[9] O'Neill stayed with Ashton United for six years making over 170 appearances as they continued to compete in the NPL Premier Division. He also won the Supporters' Player of the Year award in 2010.[11] In September 2013, he joined fellow NPL Premier Division side Nantwich Town, making his debut as a substitute in the FA Cup defeat to Rugby Town.[11] O'Neill spent three months at Nantwich before dropping down the football pyramid to join North West Counties Football League First Division side Nelson.[12] His debut for the club came in December 2013, in a 3–1 home win over 1874 Northwich.[13] He finished the season with three goals in fourteen appearances for the Admirals as they were crowned champions and gained promotion to the NWCFL Premier Division.[14]

Personal life

O'Neill attended Mount Carmel RC High School in Accrington along with fellow professional footballers Joel Pilkington and Richard Chaplow.[2] He is the brother of former Preston North End, Bury, Mansfield Town and Chester City professional footballer Joe O'Neill, and also Ed O'Neill.[15] In March 2014, the brothers made history in the 8–1 win for Nelson over Widnes Vikings, being the first three siblings to score in the same game in the North West Counties Football League.[15]

Career statistics
Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Burnley 2002–03[16] First Division 700000—70
2003–04[17] First Division 400000—40
2004–05[18] Championship 200000—20
Total 1300000—130
Accrington Stanley (loan) 2004–05[18] Conference National 3000—1[lower-alpha 1]141
Accrington Stanley 2005–06[18] Conference National 3000—0030
Total 6000—1171
Career total 190000011201
  1. Appearance in Conference League Cup

Honours

Nelson

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. p. 308. ISBN 9781852916626.
  2. "O'Neill and Pilkington sign up". Claretsmad. 19 June 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  3. "Matt O'Neill - Claretsmad profile". Claretsmad. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  4. "O'Neill goes to Accrington Stanley". The Longside. 18 February 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  5. "Matt joins Stanley". Claretsmad. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  6. "Accrington Stanley 4 Northwich Victoria 3". Accrington Observer. 10 March 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  7. "Transfers - August 2005". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  8. "Matt O'Neill - 2005/06 Stats". SoccerFactsUK. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  9. "Matty O'Neill - Ashton United profile". SoccerFactsUK. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  10. "Matt O'Neill - 2006/07 Stats". SoccerFactsUK. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  11. "Matty O'Neill - Nantwich Town profile". Nantwich Town FC. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  12. "Matty O'Neill - Nelson profile". Nelson FC. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  13. "Blues in 7th Heaven". Nelson FC. 7 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  14. "NWCFL D1 Statistics". App Box. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  15. "Oh Brother! A day of records as Nelson siblings make history". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  16. "Games played by Matthew O'Neill in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  17. "Games played by Matthew O'Neill in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  18. "Games played by Matthew O'Neill in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
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