English McConnell
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| English McConnell | |
| Full Name | David James English McConnell |
| Date of Birth | 14 May 1883 |
| Place of Birth | Larne, Northern Ireland |
| Position | Wing half Centre half |
| Chelsea career | 1910–1911 |
| Debut | 16 April 1910 |
| Games (goals) | 21 (0) |
| Other clubs | Cliftonville Glentoran Sunderland Sheffield Wednesday South Shields Linfield |
English McConnell (14 May 1883 — 1928) was an Irish international half back from Ulster who made 21 appearances for Chelsea in 1910.
Career
Reputedly an attacking centre half, [1] McConnell started his career in Belfast, playing for Cliftonville and Glentoran, before crossing the sea to northern England. He enjoyed spells at Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday before moving south to Chelsea in April 1910. At this point in the season the Blues were threatened with relegation and running out of games, so had sought to strengthen their side with experienced players in order to avoid the drop. [2] He made his debut two days after signing, in a 1-0 away loss against Bristol City on 16 April. Chelsea failed to avoid the drop, but McConnell retained his place in the first team for the first half of the 1910-11 season. His last appearance came in December however and he left to join South Shields in the summer of 1911. He returned to his native Ulster in 1912, joining Linfield, where he would win the Irish league championship in 1914 and see out his playing career.
Statistics
| Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 1909-10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1910-11 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
International
McConnell won 12 caps for Ireland, having made his debut on 21 March 1904 in a 1-0 win against Wales.
