Brian O'Donnell
brian, coaching, grass, smiling
Brian O'Donnell at Dorchester Town
Personal information
Full name Brian Francis O'Donnell[1]
Date of birth (1957-08-08)8 August 1957
Place of birth Port Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 5 November 2020(2020-11-05) (aged 63)
Place of death Poole, UK
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1973–1975 AFC Bournemouth
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1976 AFC Bournemouth 0 (0)
1976–1978 Bristol Rovers 0 (0)
1978 Western Suburbs 26 (1)
1978–1980 APIA Leichhardt 30 (1)
1980–1981 Blacktown City Demons 48 (8)
1981–1982 AFC Bournemouth 14 (0)
1982-1983 Torquay United 19 (1)
1983 Yeovil FC 1 (0)
1983–1985 Footscray JUST 55 (1)
1985–1987 Bath City 63 (2)
1987–1989 Basingstoke Town 20 (0)
Total 275 (14)
Managerial career
1993–1999 Bournemouth Sports Club
2000–2001 Bournemouth Poppies
2002–2003 Poole Town
2005–2009 AFC Bournemouth (youth)
2009 Dorchester Town
2013 Frome Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Brian Francis O'Donnell (8 August 1957 – 5 November 2020) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a midfielder in England and Australia, before becoming a manager and coach.

Early life

O'Donnell was one of five children born to Maurice and Elizabeth O'Donnell. Born in Port Glasgow, he spent the majority of his youth in the town of Yeovil, Somerset.

Playing Career

O'Donnell began his football career as an apprentice with AFC Bournemouth - moving to the town in 1975.[2] He turned professional with Bristol Rovers in May 1976.

Western Suburbs & APIA Leichhardt

Frustrated by a lack of playing time, O'Donnell moved to Sydney, Australia. He was one a number of signings made by Western Suburbs SC (NSW) including fellow British signing, John Vernon - who had moved from Stockport County. On 5 March 1978, O'Donnell made his debut in a 1-0 win over Sydney Olympic FC playing left midfield.[3]

He scored his first goal for the club in the last minute of a 2-2 draw away to Canberra City FC in May 1978.[4] O'Donnell made 26 appearances for Western Suburbs until the club were taken over by APIA Leichhardt at the end of the 1978 season.

O'Donnell made 30 appearances over two seasons for APIA and scored his only goal for the club in a 5-1 defeat to Footscray JUST in September 1979.

Blacktown City

1980

O'Donnell started the 1980 season amid rumours that he would be one of several players sold owing to financial uncertainty at APIA. After 6 league appearances for APIA, newly promoted Blacktown City FC signed O'Donnell for AUD$8,000. O'Donnell scored on his debut in a 3–1 win against Brisbane City on 10 May 1980 and was a central figure to the side staying clear of relegation, despite the club's limited resources.[5]

In one of the stand-out matches of the 1980 season, O'Donnell scored two in a 5-1 win over Marconi - a club rumoured to be signing O'Donnell before he moved to Blacktown.

1981

The 1981 season started well for O'Donnell who had established himself as one of the most important players in the squad, notching a goal in the opener against Brisbane Lions in a 2-2 draw.[6] He went on to win Player of the Season for Blacktown City FC and played every league and cup match[7] of the 1981 season.

AFC Bournemouth

O'Donnell's appearances in Australia earned him to the English Football League, he signed for AFC Bournemouth in the Fourth Division. O'Donnell made his debut for the club seven years after he first joined as an apprentice. He made 14 appearances during the 1981-1982 season that saw the club get promoted to the Third Division - in a side that included Nigel Spackman, Tony Funnell and Harry Redknapp as player/coach.[8]

Torquay United

O'Donnell moved to Torquay United in October 1982 on a free transfer, making his debut at left-back in place of Mark Smith in the 3–1 win at home to Northampton Town on 16 October[9] and made 19 league appearances that season.

O'Donnell made one appearance for Yeovil Town F.C.[10] before signing for South Melbourne FC.

Footscray JUST

The proposed move to South Melbourne fell through and instead O'Donnell signed for Footscray JUST. His debut came in a 1-0 loss to Canberra Arrows F.C. in July 1983. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 loss away to Preston makedonia in the 1983 season. He played in the 1984 NSL Cup semi-final 1-0 loss to Melbourne Croatia. O'Donnell went to make 55 appearances over three seasons[11] with a severe torn abductor injury meaning he could only manage 9 appearances in the 1985 season.

Non-league English Football

In February 1986, O'Donnell returned to the UK and joined Bath City.[12] Later, playing for Basingstoke Town,[13] Bashley, Poole Town and Salisbury City.

Managerial & Coaching Career

He was appointed as manager of Bournemouth Sports CMFC in 1993 winning the Dorset Combination League title and Dorset Combination Cup along with notable success in the FA Cup.[14]

In 1999, O'Donnell joined Salisbury F.C. as Reserve team manager before taking over as manager of Bournemouth Poppies in February 2000.

Bournemouth Poppies managed to avoid relegation following O'Donnell's arrival, despite a points deduction placed on the club. In June 2001 amid a mass resignation of the Poppies executive committee,[15] and after steering the club to a comfortable mid-table finish, O'Donnell left and in January the following year took over as manager of Poole Town[16] finishing 5th in the Hampshire Premier League.[17]

However, he left Poole in August 2002.

He later returned to AFC Bournemouth as their youth coach.[18]

In February 2009 he joined the coaching staff at Dorchester Town as caretaker manager.[19]

Despite an impressive start that drew four points from four games, including a 0–0 draw away to league-topping Basingstoke and with only having nine players signed, O'Donnell was not offered the job full-time and instead the position was given to Roy O'Brien by chairman Eddie Mitchell. O'Brien had been due to walk away from the club prior to being convinced to stay on when O'Donnell took over. O'Brien was subsequently sacked later that year due to a string of poor performances[20]

O'Donnell was appointed Manager of Frome Town in 2013 [21] after working as a Scout for Middlesbrough following similar spells with West Bromwich and Hibernian.[22]

O'Donnell later returned to Dorchester Town F.C. as the Director of Football before having to step down due to ill health.[23]

Personal Life

In 2003, O'Donnell took part in the Marathon des Sables.[24]

In 2007, it was revealed in the Bournemouth Echo that O'Donnell was acting as a broker for an unnamed businessman in an unsuccessful takeover bid of the AFC Bournemouth.[25] Following a rival takeover, the club went into administration for the second time in their history the following year.[26]

His father, Maurice O'Donnell was a former footballer and coach - with an association with Yeovil Football Club that lasted over 50 years.[27]

Legacy

Since O'Donnell's death in November 2020, a number of fundraising initiatives have been started in his honour - including an annual celebrity golf day - raising over £30,000 for Melanoma charities.

References

  1. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (1998). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946 – 1998. Queen Anne Press. p. 410. ISBN 1-85291-585-4.
  2. ↑ "AFC Bournemouth youth team from 1976 are identified". Bournemouth Echo. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "1978 NSL Results". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "1978 NSL Results". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Log in or sign up to view". m.facebook.com. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "1981 NSL Results". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Remembering 1981/82 Promotion". AFCB. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Leigh Edwards (March 1997). The definitive Torquay United F.C. Tony Brown. ISBN 1-899468-09-9.
  10. ↑ "YEOVIL TOWN CONFERENCE PLAYERS". Gloverscast. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Aussie Footballers - Nohra to O'Maye". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "Past Players – O". Bath City F.C. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  13. ↑ "Sad News: Brian O'Donnell". Basingstoke Town Football Club. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "Bournemouth Sports AFC – A brief history". Bournemouth Sports CMFC. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  15. ↑ "O'Donnell fears end of Poppies". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 1 June 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  16. ↑ "'Unfit' Dolphins take the points". Dorset Echo. 14 January 2002. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  17. ↑ "Hampshire League 1992-2004". www.nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  18. ↑ "Brian has an eye on the future". Bournemouth Echo. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "O'Donnell joins caretaking team". Dorset Echo. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  20. ↑ "Dorchester Town FC » News » O'Brien axed by Magpies". Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  21. ↑ "FOOTBALL: O'Donnell handed Frome job". Wiltshire Times. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  22. ↑ admin (8 October 2020). "Where Are They Now? Bournemouth Division Four promotion-winners 1981-82". The League Paper. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  23. ↑ "Brian O'Donnell steps down from the Board of Directors | Dorchester Town Football Club". Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "Footballer tackles cancer". www2.newsquest.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  25. ↑ "THERE IS A CHOICE". Bournemouth Echo. 27 January 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "Bournemouth enter administration". 8 February 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  27. ↑ D'Albiac, Stephen (8 February 2018). "Tributes paid to Yeovil Town club stalwart who has died". Somerset Live. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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