1972–1976 Everton 1968–1972 St Johnstone Height 1.75 m | Years Team Role Scottish footballer 1966–1968 Glasgow United Name John Connolly | |
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Date of birth (1950-06-13) 13 June 1950 (age 65) | ||
Place of birth Barrhead, Scotland | ||
John Connolly (born 13 June 1950) is a Scottish former football player and manager.
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Connolly played for St Johnstone, Everton, Birmingham City, Newcastle United, Hibernian, Gateshead and Blyth Spartans during an 18-year playing career. He earned one full international cap for Scotland. Connolly became a player-manager while with Blyth and then managed Whitley Bay, Queen of the South and St Johnstone.
St Johnstone
Connolly was born in Barrhead, Scotland. He began his football career as a junior with Glasgow United before turning professional with St Johnstone in January 1968. He played in the 1969 Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park against a Celtic side on their way to their second European Cup final in four seasons. Saints lost narrowly 1–0 with Connolly later commenting, "We gave them the fright of their lives". With Connolly, Saints plundered league wins at Ibrox Park and Celtic Park.
John Connolly's only experience of playing European club football occurred while at St Johnstone after finishing third in Scotland's top division. St Johnstone knocked out Hamburger SV.
Nobby Clark in an interview named Connolly as the best player he ever played directly against.
Everton
Everton manager Harry Catterick paid £75,000 to take Connolly to Goodison Park in March 1972. Such was Catterick's determination to conclude the signing that he forced himself off his sick bed.
While at Everton, Connolly earned a full international cap playing for Scotland against Switzerland in Bern. Connolly already had four under-23 caps.
Connolly twice had to come back from leg breaks. Catterick was replaced by Billy Bingham and the two did not see eye to eye. Eventually, Connolly asked for a transfer and signed for Birmingham City in September 1977 for a fee of £90,000.
Later career
Connolly spent two seasons with Birmingham, the second of which was disrupted by injury, before joining Newcastle United. He later played for Hibernian, Gateshead and Blyth Spartans, where he acted as player-manager.
Queen of the South
Connolly was appointed manager of Dumfries club Queen of the South in July 2000 and he in turn appointed Iain Scott as his assistant. With the captaincy of Jim Thomson and Andy Aitken another defensive mainstay, Connolly led the club to the Scottish Second Division title in 2002, clinched with a 3–0 win away to Forfar Athletic. This made Connolly the first manager to give Queens a national competition victory since Jimmy McKinnell, Jr. with the same competition in 1951.
The following season Connolly's Queens side won the Scottish Challenge Cup after defeating Brechin City 2–0 in the final at Clyde's Broadwood Stadium. Robbie Neilson and Andy Goram were among those lining up beside Thomson for Queens.
When Connolly left QoS Scott was promoted to replace him as Queens manager.
St Johnstone
Connolly left Queens in May 2004 to replace Billy Stark as manager of former club St Johnstone, with his former assistant Iain Scott taking over at Queens. After a disappointing first season, Connolly was sacked from his position with St Johnstone on 4 April 2005, with the team finishing in 8th place and only avoiding relegation in the last few weeks of the season. He was succeeded by Owen Coyle.