John Connelly
Encyclopedia
John Michael Connelly is an English
former footballer. He played as an outside forward
and was capped 20 times for his country.
in the Lancashire Combination. In November 1956, scouts
from Burnley
came to watch another player, but were so impressed by Connelly that he was offered a trial with Burnley, and subsequently a permanent move to the club, who were then playing in the English top division. He made his debut away from home against Leeds United on 11 March 1957. It took two seasons for Connelly to gain a permanent place in the Burnley first team, which he did in the 1958–59 season, scoring 12 goals from 37 appearances, and ending the season as the team’s second top scorer.
He was predominantly a right winger who could also play on the left. He had the ball control and speed to beat the full back on the outside and deliver accurate crosses, but was also able to cut inside and score goals with either foot. For a winger, he was always a prolific goal scorer, scoring 105 goals for Burnley in 265 appearances.
In the 1959–60 season, Connelly played a crucial part in helping Burnley to end as league champions for only the second time. He scored 20 goals in 34 league appearances. Unfortunately for him, he missed the vital last game against Manchester City
that gave Burnley the title. He was in hospital having a cartilage operation, and it was his replacement, Trevor Meredith
, who scored the final winning goal. However, he still received a Championship winner's medal.
In the following three seasons, Connelly played a full part and scored plenty of goals to help Burnley finish fourth, second and third, respectively, in the league. In addition to finishing second in the 1961–62 season, Burnley reached the FA Cup
final where they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur
. Connelly played on the right wing and received a runners-up medal. In the 1963–64 season, the emergence of a talented young Scottish winger, Willie Morgan
, meant that Connelly was forced to play on the left wing. In April 1964 he was transferred to Manchester United
for £56,000.
for £40,000. In doing so he missed out on another championship medal as United won the league title again in the following season.
He stayed with Bury for three years and retired in May 1973. In recent years he owned a fish and chip shop in Brierfield, known as "Connelly’s Plaice". Connelly was chosen amongst 25 former Burnley players for a "Wall of Legends" at Turf Moor
.
at Ninian Park
. He played twenty games for England in all and scored seven goals. He was a member of the England squad that was sent out to Chile
to take part in the 1962 FIFA World Cup
, but he was not selected to play during England’s participation in the tournament. Four years later he was a member of the England squad which won the 1966 FIFA World Cup
. He played in the opening game against Uruguay
at Wembley Stadium, but the match was a goalless draw and England were disappointing. For subsequent games Alf Ramsey
, the England manager, decided to drop Connelly and later do without wingers. This proved to be his last international game. Connelly was one of four England players to play for England in the tournament without playing in the final itself, the others being Jimmy Greaves
, Terry Paine
and Ian Callaghan
.
In the 1966 World Cup final
only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the 4-2 win over West Germany received medals. Following a Football Association
led campaign to persuade FIFA
to award medals to all the winners’ squad members, Connelly was presented with his medal
by Gordon Brown
at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street
on 10 June 2009.
Manchester United F.C.
International
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former footballer. He played as an outside forward
Outside forward
Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...
and was capped 20 times for his country.
Career with Burnley
Connelly began his playing career with St HelensSt Helens Town F.C.
St Helens Town A.F.C. are an English football club based in St Helens. The club are currently members of the Premier Division of the North West Counties League and play their home matches at Ashton Town's Edge Green Street.-History:...
in the Lancashire Combination. In November 1956, scouts
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
from Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
came to watch another player, but were so impressed by Connelly that he was offered a trial with Burnley, and subsequently a permanent move to the club, who were then playing in the English top division. He made his debut away from home against Leeds United on 11 March 1957. It took two seasons for Connelly to gain a permanent place in the Burnley first team, which he did in the 1958–59 season, scoring 12 goals from 37 appearances, and ending the season as the team’s second top scorer.
He was predominantly a right winger who could also play on the left. He had the ball control and speed to beat the full back on the outside and deliver accurate crosses, but was also able to cut inside and score goals with either foot. For a winger, he was always a prolific goal scorer, scoring 105 goals for Burnley in 265 appearances.
In the 1959–60 season, Connelly played a crucial part in helping Burnley to end as league champions for only the second time. He scored 20 goals in 34 league appearances. Unfortunately for him, he missed the vital last game against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
that gave Burnley the title. He was in hospital having a cartilage operation, and it was his replacement, Trevor Meredith
Trevor Meredith
Trevor George Meredith is a retired English professional footballer who played as a winger. Whilst playing for Burnley, he scored the winning goal in the 2–1 victory over Manchester City on 2 May 1960, a win which saw the Clarets crowned Champions of England for the first time since 1921...
, who scored the final winning goal. However, he still received a Championship winner's medal.
In the following three seasons, Connelly played a full part and scored plenty of goals to help Burnley finish fourth, second and third, respectively, in the league. In addition to finishing second in the 1961–62 season, Burnley reached the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final where they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. Connelly played on the right wing and received a runners-up medal. In the 1963–64 season, the emergence of a talented young Scottish winger, Willie Morgan
Willie Morgan
William "Willie" Morgan is a Scottish former professional football player.A winger, Morgan started his career with Burnley, making his first-team debut against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in 1963...
, meant that Connelly was forced to play on the left wing. In April 1964 he was transferred to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
for £56,000.
Career with Manchester United
Connelly stayed at Manchester United for just over two seasons, making 113 appearances and scoring 35 goals. In that first season his new club finished second, but the next season, 1964–65, they finished as league champions and Connelly received a second championship medal to go with the one he won with Burnley. The following season, 1965–66, the team finished fourth in the league and were knocked out of the European Cup in the semi-finals. At the start of the 1966–67 season, Connelly was transferred to newly relegated Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for £40,000. In doing so he missed out on another championship medal as United won the league title again in the following season.
Subsequent career and retirement
He played for Blackburn Rovers for four years, but was unable to help get them back into the top division. He was released by Blackburn in May 1970 and signed for BuryBury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
He stayed with Bury for three years and retired in May 1973. In recent years he owned a fish and chip shop in Brierfield, known as "Connelly’s Plaice". Connelly was chosen amongst 25 former Burnley players for a "Wall of Legends" at Turf Moor
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of Burnley Football Club, which has played there since moving from its Calder Vale ground in 1883. The stadium, which is situated on Harry Potts Way, named so after the club's longest serving Manager, has a capacity of...
.
International career
Connelly made his England international debut whilst still a Burnley player, on 17 October 1959, against WalesWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
. He played twenty games for England in all and scored seven goals. He was a member of the England squad that was sent out to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
to take part in the 1962 FIFA World Cup
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
, but he was not selected to play during England’s participation in the tournament. Four years later he was a member of the England squad which won the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
. He played in the opening game against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
at Wembley Stadium, but the match was a goalless draw and England were disappointing. For subsequent games Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
, the England manager, decided to drop Connelly and later do without wingers. This proved to be his last international game. Connelly was one of four England players to play for England in the tournament without playing in the final itself, the others being Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter 'Jimmy' Greaves is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit -...
, Terry Paine
Terry Paine
Terence Lionel Paine MBE is a former English footballer.Paine made 713 football league appearances for Southampton F.C. and 111 for Hereford United F.C...
and Ian Callaghan
Ian Callaghan
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.-Life and playing career:...
.
In the 1966 World Cup final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the 4-2 win over West Germany received medals. Following a Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
led campaign to persuade FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
to award medals to all the winners’ squad members, Connelly was presented with his medal
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
by Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
on 10 June 2009.
Honours
Burnley F.C.Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
- League TitleFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1960 - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalists: 1962
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
- League TitleFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1965
International
- England Squad 1962 FIFA World Cup1962 FIFA World CupThe 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
- England Squad 1966 FIFA World Cup1966 FIFA World CupThe 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
External links
- John Connelly profile at the Post-War Player Database