We are delighted to welcome our second signing of the January transfer window, Morecambe defender Anthony O'Connor.
Born in Cork, O'Connor joined Blackburn Rovers in 2008 at age 16, signing a first professional contract with the Lancashire club two years later.During his time at Ewood Park the centre half would experience EFL football for the first time during loan spells in England's fourth tier with Burton Albion, Torquay and Plymouth Argyle.
O'Connor's final loan spell lead to a permanent move to Argyle, reaching the Play-Offs with The Pilgrims before making the move to Burton Albion and going one better; achieving promotion from League One to the Championship at the first time of asking.
The 6 foot 2 defender's performances for Burton attracted the interests of Aberdeen the following Summer, with the Scottish Premiership club swooping for his services. In his first season in Scotland, O'Connor would feature in the Europa League as well as reaching the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup Final before eventually finishing second behind Celtic with The Dons.
After two years with Aberdeen O'Connor decided to return to England and to Bradford City where he was soon made Club Captain, spending three seasons and making over 100 appearances for the Bantams before returning to League One with Morecambe.
In his first season with The Shrimps, O'Connor racked up 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals, including a memorable header against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.
“Anthony was our first choice on the list of centre halves available and is a really big signing for us.” Explains Manager Simon Weaver.
“We have poured through all the coverage and know that we are acquiring a resilient character who has proven leadership qualities, can read the game defensively and also distribute it well.
“We have been shipping too many straight forward goals throughout the season and we've got to tidy that aspect up, because going forward we are proving to be a handful.”
You can watch our first chat with Anthony here...
O'Connor will wear the number 15 shirt at Town, and be available for Saturday's fixture against Stevenage at The EnviroVent Stadium, subject to EFL clearance.
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