Taffy O'Callaghan

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Taffy O'Callaghan
Personal information
Full name Eugene O'Callaghan
Date of birth (1906-10-06)6 October 1906
Date of death 4 July 1956(1956-07-04) (aged 49)
Height 5 ft 8+12 in (1.74 m)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1925 Ebbw Vale
1925–1926 Tottenham Hotspur Reserves
1927–1935 Tottenham Hotspur 252 (92)
1935–1937 Leicester City 84 (30)
1937–1939 Fulham 41 (6)
International career
1929–1934 Wales 11 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Eugene "Taffy" O'Callaghan (6 October 1906 – 4 July 1956) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Fulham and Wales during the 1920s and 1930s.

Career[edit]

Club career[edit]

Taffy was born in Ebbw Vale, Wales and joined Tottenham Hotspur from Ebbw Vale in 1925, making his debut for the first team in January 1927 against Everton, having impressed with his two-footed play and accurate passing. Again in 1928 he impressed against Everton, scoring four goals in February of that year.[2]

Taffy helped the team achieve promotion back to Football League First Division at the end of the 1932–33 season and in the following year was a key member of the side known as the 'greyhounds' as they played with speed and style. During his time at Spurs he made 252 league appearances scoring 93 goals and a further six in eleven FA Cup matches for the club.[3]

He was transferred to Leicester City in March 1935 although playing once again for Tottenham as a 'guest' during the war years at the time when the Football League had been suspended. After the war he went on to a coaching role at Fulham.

International career[edit]

His first cap for Wales was won in May 1929 and he went on to play a further ten times at International level.[4]

Career statistics[edit]

International[edit]

As of match played 16 January 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Wales 1929 2 1
1931 2 0
1932 3 2
1933 3 0
1934 1 0
Total 11 3
As of match played 16 January 2023

Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each O'Callaghan goal

List of international goals scored by Taffy O'Callaghan
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 26 October 1929 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales 2  Scotland 1–2 2–4 1929–30 British Home Championship [5]
2 26 October 1932 Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh, Scotland 5  Scotland 3–0 5–2 1932–33 British Home Championship [6]
3 5–0


References[edit]

  1. ^ "Leicester need a good centre-forward". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. vii – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Taffy O'Callaghan Spurs v Everton 1928 on THFC site".
  3. ^ "Taffy O'Callaghan Biog and Stats on Top Spurs site".
  4. ^ "Taffy O'Callaghan THFC Legends site". Archived from the original on 23 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Wales vs. Scotland 2–4: Summary". EU Football. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Scotland vs. Wales 2–5: Summary". EU Football. Retrieved 16 January 2023.