| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Simon O'Neill | ||
| Date of birth | 13 April 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Republic of Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Outside Right / Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1952–1956 | Stella Maris | ||
| 1956–1958 | Home Farm | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1961 | Arsenal | 2 | (0) |
| 1961–1974 | Shamrock Rovers | 274 | (87) |
| 1967 | → Boston Rovers (guest) | 12 | (3) |
| 1974–1976 | Waterford | 26 | (7) |
| 1976 | Athlone Town | 5 | (2) |
| 1976–1978 | Belgrove F.C. | ||
| 1978–1980 | Dundalk F.C. | 5 | (1) |
| 1980 | St Patrick's Athletic F.C. | 3 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1961–1971 | Republic of Ireland | 20 | (1) |
| 1961–1969 | League of Ireland XI | 15 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1969–1971 | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 1981 | Shelbourne | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Frank O'Neill (born 13 April 1940) is an Irish former footballer who spent most of his career at Shamrock Rovers. As an international he also played for the Republic of Ireland.
O'Neill joined Stella Maris at the age of twelve before moving onto Home Farm. He also played for an FAI Youth Selection against a Liverpool County FA XI at Goodison Park, and in 1958 he played against the youth teams of some of the leading European clubs in a tournament in Germany.
O'Neill signed for Arsenal as an eighteen-year-old, initially as an amateur but subsequently turned professional in April 1959. He spent the next two seasons playing for Arsenal Reserves, making just 2 appearances in the English League. On both occasions, during the 1960–61 season, he deputised for the injured Danny Clapton. He made his senior debut for Arsenal on New Year's Eve 1960 in a 5–3 away win against Nottingham Forest and then played again in a home game against Blackpool.
O'Neill signed for Shamrock Rovers for £3000 in September 1961 after playing well on Rovers' tour of North America that summer. He scored twice on his debut against Waterford United on 17 September, in a 4–0 win in the League of Ireland Shield. He went on to become a prominent member of the Rovers team that won the FAI Cup six times in a row during the 1960s. He, along with Pat Courtney, is a holder of the six in a row medals. During his career with Rovers he played over 300 games. His teammates at the club during this era included Liam Tuohy, Johnny Fullam, Pat Dunne, Bobby Gilbert, Mick Leech and Paddy Mulligan. [1] During the 1965–66 season O'Neill scored 6 goals during the FAI Cup run including one in the final against Limerick. In 1967, he also scored a penalty in the final, a 3–2 win against St. Patrick's Athletic. He scored a further 2 goals during the 1968–69 Cup run. [2] During the summer of 1967, O'Neill also played for Rovers when they competed as Boston Rovers in the United Soccer Association league. [3] O'Neill also scored 2 goals for Rovers, one in each game, during a European Cup Winners Cup tie against CA Spora Luxembourg, helping them to an 8–2 aggregate win. [4] In total he played 18 times in European competition.
Frank signed for Waterford United in September 1974 and scored twice on his debut. [5]
He won the Texaco Cup after scoring the only goal in the first leg in November 1974.
O'Neill signed for Dundalk F.C. as assistant manager in 1978. He moved to St Patrick's Athletic in January 1980.
Between 1961 and 1971, while playing for Shamrock Rovers, O'Neill made 20 appearances and scored 1 goal for the Republic of Ireland. He holds the record for the number of international caps won by a League of Ireland player. He made his international debut on 8 October 1961 in a World Cup qualifier against Czechoslovakia at Dalymount Park. O'Neill finished on the losing side as the Republic lost 3–1. He scored his only goal for the senior national team on 11 November 1966 in a 2–1 home win against Turkey in a European qualifier. He made his last appearance for the Republic of Ireland on 10 October 1971 in another European qualifier, a 6–0 loss away to Austria. [6] [7]
He served as player-manager for Shamrock Rovers after being appointed to the position on 19 October 1969. He guided the club to the league title play-off at the end of the 1970–71 season.
O'Neill was later assistant manager of Dundalk between 1978 and 1979, winning the League of Ireland and FAI Cup double. [8]
FAI Cup: 7
James Dunne was an Irish footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Southampton. Dunne was also a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams: the FAI XI and the IFA XI.
Stephen O'Donnell is an Irish professional football coach and former player. During his playing career the clubs he played at were Arsenal, Falkirk, Bohemians, Cork City, Galway United, Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk.
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Scully is an Irish football manager and former player.
Ronan Finn is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland First Division side UCD, where he is also club captain. Across a playing career spanning nearly 20 years, he has turned out for UCD, Sporting Fingal, Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers. Having made over 50 appearances in European competition, Finn competed in the group stages of the Europa League with both Shamrock Rovers (2011) and Dundalk (2016).
Bobby Gilbert is an Irish former footballer who played for, among others, Derry City and Shamrock Rovers. Gilbert scored in European competitions for both City and Rovers. As an international he also played for the Republic of Ireland.
James Chambers is an Irish coach and former professional footballer who is the head coach of USL Championship club Colorado Springs Switchbacks.
Paddy Coad was an Irish football player and manager. He played as a forward for Waterford, Glenavon, Shamrock Rovers and Ireland. Although known, primarily, as a maker of goals, Coad scored 126 goals in the League of Ireland and a further 41 in the FAI Cup. In 1946–47, he was top goalscorer in the League of Ireland. As a player manager, he also guided Shamrock Rovers to three League of Ireland titles and two FAI Cups, before he returned to Waterford and guided them to their first league title in 1966. He was appointed manager of Limerick in September 1967.
Liam Tuohy was an Irish footballer and manager. During the 1950s and 1960s, Tuohy played as an outside left for Shamrock Rovers, Newcastle United, and the Republic of Ireland. In 1959, while playing for Ireland, Tuohy scored the first ever goal in the history of the European Championship. After retiring as a player, Tuohy became a coach and managed several clubs in the League of Ireland including Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk, and Shelbourne.
Stephen Bradley is a retired Irish footballer, he has been the manager of Shamrock Rovers since July 2016. Besides the Republic of Ireland, he has played in England and Scotland.
Alan O'Neill is an Irish football goalkeeper who played in the League of Ireland in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Noel Synnott is an Irish former football player and manager.
Mick Leech is a former Irish professional football player who made his name with Shamrock Rovers in the 1960s.
Seán 'Socky' O'Connor is an Irish former professional footballer who played for St. Patrick's Athletic over two spells, Limerick & Shamrock Rovers over two spells. He is currently coach with League of Ireland Premier Division club St Patrick's Athletic.
Graham Dylan Burke is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Shamrock Rovers. Burke has represented the Republic of Ireland at senior level.
The LFA President's Cup was an association football cup competition featuring League of Ireland clubs affiliated to the Leinster Football Association. It was played for between 1930 and 2002. It was a de facto national super cup and on twenty four occasions featured the League of Ireland champions against the FAI Cup winners. The Football Association of Ireland also organised similar competitions, such as the Top Four Cup and the FAI Super Cup, both of which co-existed with the LFA President's Cup. Since 2014 the FAI has organised their own similarly named super cup, the President's Cup.
Ciarán Kilduff is an Irish football manager and former professional footballer, who is currently the manager of League of Ireland First Division club Dundalk. He has played for seven clubs in the League of Ireland throughout his career and appeared 16 times in European competition, playing in the UEFA Europa League group stages in two separate seasons. The first occasion was with Shamrock Rovers when they became the first Irish side to reach the group stage of the Europa League in 2011, and he was also part of the Dundalk team that qualified for the Europa League group stages after becoming the first Irish club to reach the play-off round of the Champions League in 2016.
Dane Massey is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a defender for League of Ireland Premier Division clubs Bray Wanderers, Dundalk and Drogheda United, as well as for the Republic of Ireland national futsal team. Massey has made all 14 of his appearances in European competition for Dundalk and was part of their team that became the first Irish side to reach the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League in August 2016.
The 2019 FAI Cup Final, known as the 2019 Extra.ie FAI Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, was the final match of the 2019 FAI Cup, the national association football cup of the Republic of Ireland. The match took place on Sunday 3 November 2019 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, and was contested by defending champions Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers.
Michael O'Connor is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Glenavon. He previously played for Scottish Premiership club Ross County, League of Ireland clubs Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, Finn Harps, Waterford and Shelbourne, NIFL Premiership sides Linfield, Glentoran and Dungannon Swifts, and in Sweden for Ytterhogdals IK and Gottne IF.
Daniel Cleary is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Shamrock Rovers. His previous clubs are Liverpool, Birmingham City, Solihull Moors, Dundalk and St Johnstone.