David Connolly

For other people named David Connolly, see David Connolly (disambiguation).
David Connolly
Personal information
Full name David James Connolly[1]
Date of birth (1977-06-06) 6 June 1977
Place of birth Willesden, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Playing position Striker
Youth career
000?–1994 Watford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1997 Watford 26 (10)
1997–2001 Feyenoord 25 (7)
1998–1999 → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 32 (6)
1999–2001 → Excelsior (loan) 48 (42)
2001–2003 Wimbledon 63 (42)
2003–2004 West Ham United 39 (10)
2004–2005 Leicester City 49 (17)
2005–2006 Wigan Athletic 19 (1)
2006–2009 Sunderland 39 (13)
2009–2012 Southampton 61 (14)
2012–2015 Portsmouth 38 (11)
2014 → Oxford United (loan) 16 (4)
2015 AFC Wimbledon 8 (1)
Total 463 (178)
National team
1996–2004 Republic of Ireland 41 (9)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


David James Connolly (born 6 June 1977) is a retired professional footballer who last played as a striker in League Two for AFC Wimbledon. He has previously played for the Republic of Ireland and for various clubs including Feyenoord and Excelsior in the Netherlands as well as Wigan Athletic and Sunderland in the Premier League.

Although born in England, Connolly has represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. He was a member of Ireland's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad that lost to Spain in the knockout stage where his penalty kick was saved by Iker Casillas during the shootout.

Club career

Connolly started his career with Watford where he scored 15 goals in 34 games. His goal scoring record, at club and international level, which included a hat-trick in World Cup qualifying, earned him a move to Dutch team Feyenoord Rotterdam. He had loan spells at Excelsior Rotterdam and Wolverhampton Wanderers (where he scored four goals in one game against Bristol City)[2] before joining Wimbledon in 2001 on a free transfer where he scored 42 goals in two seasons.

Manager Glenn Roeder signed Connolly for West Ham United for £285,000 in August 2003.[3] Connolly scored on his West Ham debut in a 2–1 away win at Preston North End on 9 August 2003.[4] He scored 14 goals in 48 games in all competitions for West Ham; his final game coming in the 2004 play-off final defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2004.[5][6]

Connolly signed for Leicester City in 2004 for £500,000, finishing as the club's top scorer in his first season. He managed a hat-trick against Stoke City in August 2005, prior to signing for Wigan.[7]

On 31 August 2005, he joined newly promoted Premiership club Wigan Athletic for £2 million (with the possibility of rising to £3 million if Wigan stayed in the Premiership, which they did).[8] He scored on his debut for Wigan in a 2–1 win at West Bromwich Albion,[9] but was hit by injuries for much of the rest of the 2005–06 season.[10] and Leeds in the FA Cup.[11]

In 2006, also on 31 August, Connolly linked up with his former Republic of Ireland team-mate Roy Keane at Sunderland. His first goal came against Colchester United on 18 November, when he came on as a sub and smashed the ball in off the post from about 18 yards out. Connolly ended up Sunderland's top scorer and was an integral part of their promotion in the 2006–07 season, scoring 13 goals in the campaign and scoring the final goal of the season for Sunderland against Luton Town on 6 May 2007, in the match that made Sunderland champions of the Championship.

In the 2007–08 season, Connolly played just five games, three of them in the league. In the 2008–09 season, Connolly did not make a single appearance. He was released on 28 May 2009.[12]

After being released by Sunderland in the summer of 2009 he became a free agent. On 8 October 2009, Connolly signed a deal with League One side Southampton, lasting until the end of the 2009–10 season but capable of being extended by a further year if he hits an undisclosed number of appearances.[13] He scored on his debut on 17 October 2009 against Oldham Athletic, and grabbed another in the next game against Milton Keynes Dons, once again off the bench. He scored two in the FA Cup first round tie against Bristol Rovers, in a 3–2 victory, his first start. Connolly's contract was then extended for the 2010–11 season.

He struggled with injury in the 2010–11 season, but scored in an FA Cup match against Shrewsbury Town, and then scored a crucial goal in a 2–1 victory away at champions Brighton. He followed that up with a goal in a 3–0 win at Brentford and then on the final day of the season in a 3–1 win over Walsall to end the season with four goals from 18 appearances in an injury-hit season.[14] It was Connolly's late season form that helped Southampton clinch promotion. He also signed a new one-year deal with Saints.[15]

Following Southampton's promotion to the Championship, Connolly continued his goal scoring form into the 2011–12 season by scoring the final goal in Southampton's 3–1 victory over Leeds United in the first game of the season.[16] He then netted the only goal in a 1–0 victory at Barnsley a week later.[17] On 16 August, he scored against Ipswich Town at Portman Road as Saints won 5–2, with the third of the night making the score 3–0 to Southampton at half time.[18] This result firmly planted Southampton on top of the Championship table with three wins from their first three matches. Connolly scored again for Southampton against Leicester City on 27 August, but this was not enough to prevent the Saints from slipping to their first defeat of the season, losing 3–2.[19] However, in January 2012, after the arrivals of Billy Sharp and Tadanari Lee, Connolly lost his place in the starting eleven, and was released at the end of the season.[20][21]

On 31 December 2012, Connolly signed a one-month contract with Portsmouth.[22][23] He made his debut a day later, against Swindon Town.[24] He scored his first goal for Pompey on 26 February, against Milton Keynes Dons.[25] He scored his second goal on 2 March, in a 2–1 win against Crewe Alexandra.[26] On 9 March, Connolly scored twice in a 2–0 win against Bury. He left the club by mutual consent on the 15 January 2013[27]

Connolly joined Oxford United on 31 January 2014 – deadline day, until the summer. Connolly scored on his debut against AFC Wimbledon, after coming on as a 46th-minute substitute.[28] On 15 January 2015 Connolly joined AFC Wimbledon, becoming the 5th player (the others being, Jermaine Darlington, Marcus Gayle, Jason Euell, and Neil Sullivan) to play for both the original Wimbledon and AFC Wimbledon.[29] On 21 February 2015, during one of his final games with AFC Wimbledon, Connolly scored a late winner against friendly local rivals Luton Town to win the game 3-2.[30] On 7 March 2015, Connolly retired from playing.[31]

International career

Connolly has also been a regular member of the Republic of Ireland national team, since making his debut on 29 May 1996 against Portugal. He was sent off in 1997 after coming on as a substitute against Belgium in the play-off for a place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, with Ireland losing by an aggregate score of 3–2.[32]

Connolly was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup squad that lost to Spain in the knockout stage, where his penalty kick was saved by Iker Casillas during the shootout. He has scored nine goals for Ireland in 41 caps and also scored once for Ireland in Niall Quinn's benefit match on 14 May 2002, against his former club, Sunderland as well as once in Mick McCarthy's testimonial on 26 May 1996 against Celtic.

In the 2007–08 season Connolly failed to feature in any of Steve Staunton's squads, despite being Sunderland's top goalscorer, although he was called in to Giovanni Trapattoni's first 40-man squad in 2008 despite being injured at the time.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1[33] 9 June 1996 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.  United States 1–2 Defeat U.S. Cup
2[34] 12 June 1996 New Jersey, U.S.  Mexico 2–2 Draw U.S. Cup
3[35] 21 May 1997 Dublin  Liechtenstein 5–0 Win World Cup Qualifier
4[35] 21 May 1997 Dublin  Liechtenstein 5–0 Win World Cup Qualifier
5[35] 21 May 1997 Dublin  Liechtenstein 5–0 Win World Cup Qualifier
6[36] 6 September 1997 Reykjavík, Iceland  Iceland 4–2 Win World Cup Qualifier
7[37] 10 February 1999 Dublin  Paraguay 2–0 Win Friendly
8[38] 6 October 2001 Dublin  Cyprus 4–0 Win World Cup Qualifier
9[39] 9 September 2003 Dublin  Turkey 2–2 Draw Friendly

Career statistics

Club

Season Club Division League FA Cup League Cup Europe FLT Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1994–95WatfordDivision 120
1995–96118
1996–97Division 21322410--166
Watford Total 2610
1997–98FeyenoordEredivisie10210
1998–99Wolverhampton Wanderers (Loan)Division 13261020--356
1999–00Excelsior (Loan)Eerste Divisie3229
2000–011613
Excelsior Total 4842
2000–01FeyenoordEredivisie155
Feyenoord Total 257
2001–02WimbledonDivision 135182010--3818
2002–03282420---3024
Wimbledon Total 6342401000006842
2003–04West Ham UnitedDivision 142*104222--4814
West Ham United Total 4210422200004814
2004–05Leicester CityChampionship441350---4913
2005–0654----54
Leicester City Total 4917500000005417
2005–06Wigan AthleticPremier League1711131--213
2006–0720----20
Wigan Athletic Total 19111310000233
2006–07SunderlandChampionship361310---3713
2007–08Premier League301010--50
2008–09------
Sunderland Total 3913201000004213
2009–10SouthamptonLeague One20512--20237
2010–111531110-10184
2011–12Championship266----266
Southampton Total 6114231000306717
2012–13PortsmouthLeague One177----177
2013–14League Two17411--10195
Portsmouth Total 3411110000103612
Holland Total 7349107449
England Total 36612422111130040402138
Career total 43717322111131040475187

Stats accurate as of 18 January 2014 (GMT).[40][41]

( * ) Include 3 Play-Off Appearances.

Honours

Sunderland
Southampton

References

  1. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 93. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. ↑ "Bristol City 1 Wolves 6". Sporting Life. 7 November 1998. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "Connolly joins West Ham". BBC Sport. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "Preston 1–2 West Ham". BBC Sport. 9 August 2003. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to the Wonderful World of West Ham United Statistics". www.westhamstats.info. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1 West Ham 0". www.sportinglife.com. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Leicester 4–2 Stoke, BBC Sport 2005-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-09-05
  8. ↑ Wigan secure signing of Connolly, BBC Sport 2005-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-09-05
  9. ↑ "West Brom 1–2 Wigan". BBC. 10 September 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  10. ↑ "Wigan 1–0 Newcastle". BBC. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  11. ↑ "Wigan 1–1 Leeds". BBC. 7 January 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  12. ↑ "Sunderland announce major clear-out". Setanta Sports. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  13. ↑ "Striker Arrives". Southampton F.C. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  14. ↑ Southampton 3–1 Walsall; BBC Sport, 7 May 2011
  15. ↑ Southampton striker David Connolly signs new contract; BBC Sport, 25 May 2011
  16. ↑ Southampton 3–1 Leeds; BBC Sport, 6 August 2011
  17. ↑ Barnsley 0–1 Southampton; BBC Sport, 13 August 2011
  18. ↑ Ipswich 2–5 Southampton; BBC Sport, 16 August 2011
  19. ↑ Leicester 3–2 Southampton; BBC Sport, 27 August 2011
  20. ↑ "Four Join First Team, But Eleven Released". Southampton F.C. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  21. ↑ "Southampton release Lee Holmes, David Connolly and Radhi Jaidi". BBC Sport. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "Ex-Saint Connolly signs for Portsmouth". Southern Daily Echo. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  23. ↑ Weld, Neil (31 December 2012). "Connolly Arrives, McLeod Departs". Portsmouth FC. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  24. ↑ Swindon 5–0 Portsmouth;BBC Sport, 1 January 2013
  25. ↑ Portsmouth 1–1 MK Dons; BBC Sport, 26 February 2013
  26. ↑ Crewe 1–2 Portsmouth; BBC Sport, 2 March 2013
  27. ↑ Portsmouth 2–0 Bury; BBC Sport, 9 March 2013
  28. ↑ "Oxford Utd 2–1 AFC Wimbledon". BBC. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  29. ↑ http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/article/dons-return-for-david-2205635.aspx
  30. ↑ http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/fixtures-results/match-report/index.aspx?matchid=3735431.aspx
  31. ↑ "David Connolly: AFC Wimbledon's former Ireland striker retires". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  32. ↑ Leahy, Ed (10 November 2011). "Ireland's chequered play-off history". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  33. ↑ "Man City Info Via The Alps #201". Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  34. ↑ "Man City Info Via The Alps #202". Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  35. 1 2 3 Jackson, Lyle (15 November 2006). "BBC SPORT – Football – Internationals – Rep of Ireland 5–0 San Marino". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  36. ↑ "SPURS-LIST Digest – 7 Sep 1997 to 8 Sep 1997". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  37. ↑ "Irish Sport News, 11 February 1999". Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  38. ↑ "BreakingNews.ie – 2003/09/09: Connolly and Dunne on target". Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  39. ↑ "Ireland Step Up A Gear". sportnetwork.net. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  40. ↑ "David Connolly Career Stats". Soccerbase. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  41. ↑ "David Connolly". National Football Teams. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
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