Taffy O'Callaghan
Encyclopedia
Eugene "Taffy" O’Callaghan (6 October 1906 – 4 July 1946) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a forward
for Tottenham Hotspur
, Leicester City
and Wales
during the 1920s and 1930s.
, Wales
and joined Tottenham from Ebbw Vale
in 1925, making his debut for the first team in January 1927 against Everton F.C.
, having impressed with his two-footed play and accurate passing
. Again in 1928 he impressed against Everton, scoring four goals in February of that year.
Taffy helped the team achieve promotion back to Football League First Division
at the end of the 1932–33 season and in the following year was a key member of the side known as the ‘greyhounds’ as they played with speed and style. During his time at Spurs he made 252 league appearances scoring 93 goals and a further six in eleven FA Cup matches for the club.
He was transferred to Leicester City
in March 1935 although playing once again for Tottenham as a ’guest’ during the war years at the time when the Football League had been suspended. After the war he went on to a coaching role at Fulham F.C.
.
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for 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....
, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Wales
Wales 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...
during the 1920s and 1930s.
Club career
Taffy was born in Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and joined Tottenham from Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale F.C.
Ebbw Vale Football Club were a football team from Ebbw Vale, South Wales.Ebbw Vale played in the first season of the League of Wales in 1992-93. The club then finished 11th before finishing 3rd in two successive seasons to 1997-98. During the years when they finished 3rd the Giles brothers, Paul...
in 1925, making his debut for the first team in January 1927 against Everton F.C.
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, having impressed with his two-footed play and accurate passing
Passing
Passing is the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of social groups other than his or her own, such as a different race, ethnicity, social class, gender, intelligence, age and/or disability status, generally with the purpose of gaining social acceptance...
. Again in 1928 he impressed against Everton, scoring four goals in February of that year.
Taffy helped the team achieve promotion back to Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The 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....
at the end of the 1932–33 season and in the following year was a key member of the side known as the ‘greyhounds’ as they played with speed and style. During his time at Spurs he made 252 league appearances scoring 93 goals and a further six in eleven FA Cup matches for the club.
He was transferred to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in March 1935 although playing once again for Tottenham as a ’guest’ during the war years at the time when the Football League had been suspended. After the war he went on to a coaching role at Fulham F.C.
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
.