Date / Year of birth: 9th October 1970

Position: Centre-back / Right-back

Season of first appearance: 1997/98

Season of last appearance: 2003/04

Also played for: Southend United (1+4,0), Dover Athletic, Chelmsford City and Great Wakering Rovers

Colourful 6' 2" tall aggressive defender born in Rochford, Essex known for his bravery and will to win.

Iain started his career with Southend and signed apprentice forms for them in the summer of 1987. He went on to make five first team appearances (four as sub) during the 1989/90 campaign and played as a winger at that time. He was released at the end of the season.

After turning down approaches from Gravesend & Northfleet and Chelmsford Iain opted to join Dover for the start of the 1990/91 campaign and manager Chris Kinnear soon converted him into a defender. At the end of 1990 Iain was seriously injured in a road accident and one side of his body was paralysed for a while but fortunately he made a full recovery and quickly became a hugely popular player for Dover. Iain won both the players' and supporters' 'Player of the Year' awards for 1992/93 - a feat never accomplished at Dover before. In October 1993 he was sent off 13 minutes into a 3-0 loss at Woking. Iain missed most of the 1995/96 season through injury but by the end of 1996/97 he'd made over 250 appearances and on 14.4.97 Dover played a Peter Taylor X1 at Crabble in a testimonial for him. In the match programme Iain said his personal ambition was "to live into my forties" and Chris Kinnear called him "A great player."

Iain did some coaching in the USA during the summer of 1997 and in August 1997 Chris Kinnear signed him for Margate at a cost of £4,000.

Iain made his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Trowbridge at Hartsdown Park on 16.8.97 and the Thanet Times said he would "undoubtedly be a considerable asset". He made his first start in the number two shirt in Margate's next game - a 3-0 win at Baldock on 20.8.97 - and from then on Iain was a regular at right-back for the first three months of the season. On 25.8.97 he scored his first goal with a header from an Eliot Martin corner in a 1-1 home draw with Dartford and on 30.8.97 Iain made it two goals in two games with another header from another Martin corner in a 2-1 win at Newport IOW.

On 15.10.97 Iain was sent off in the last minute of a 1-0 defeat at Dartford after what the Isle of Thanet Gazette called a "totally unnecessary brawl" with the Darts' Phil Collins who was also dismissed. Within a year the pair were Margate team-mates. Iain scored again in a 4-0 home win over Tonbridge on 28.10.97 but was kicked in the face as he forced the ball home and had to be substituted. His wounds required hospital treatment.

On 16.11.97 Iain played as Margate lost 2-1 to Fulham in an FA Cup 1st Round tie at Hartsdown Park that was broadcast live on Sky Sports and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said that he was "outstanding" at right-back. In December 1997 Iain missed six matches through injury and when he returned to the side for a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Bashley on 27.12.97 he wore the number seven shirt and played in midfield. On 10.1.98 he played at right-back as Margate won 1-0 at holders Woking in a famous FA Trophy tie and the Thanet Times praised Iain's "tight marking and vigorous tackles". In the aftermath of the game Chris Kinnear recalled his previous visit to Woking when he was in charge of Dover and Iain was sent off. Kinnear told the Times "Iain was so incensed he kicked the dressing-room door...I noticed that the dent is still there". After the Woking game he started playing as a centre-back and stayed there for the rest of the season.

On 7.4.98 Iain was in the side that beat Redditch 2-0 in the 1st Leg of the Southern League Cup Final at Hartsdown Park but soon afterwards he picked up an injury that ruled him out for six matches, including the 2nd Leg of the Final. Iain returned to the side for the last game of the 1997/98 campaign - a 1-0 win at Gravesend & Northfleet that secured the Kent Senior Cup for Margate. In total he made 48 appearances during the season (one as sub) and scored five goals.

Iain started the 1998/99 campaign with a goal in the Southern League Championship Match at Forest Green on 9.8.98. The match finished 1-1 but Margate lost 2-0 on penalties. He became a fixture in the number five shirt during the season and formed part of an impressive central defensive trio that also included Bill Edwards and Tony Dixon. On 7.11.98 Iain scored his second goal of the campaign in a 3-0 home win over Yate and he was also on target in a 3-2 defeat against Welling at Hartsdown Park on 23.3.99. He was harshly sent off on 10.4.99 after a mass brawl towards the end of a 2-0 home win over Havant & Waterlooville. Iain was seemingly picked out at random for a red card and the ban he received ruled him out of the last three games of the season as Margate closed in on promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. He ended the campaign having scored three times in 41 appearances.

Iain started the 1999/00 season in good form and the Thanet Times praised his "brilliant goal-line clearance" in a 3-2 win over Ilkeston at Hartsdown Park on 28.8.99. However in a 0-0 draw at Cambridge City on 30.8.99 Iain suffered a freak ankle injury. He collapsed whilst running up to take a free-kick and had to be stretchered off. Chris Kinnear told the Thanet Times "Iain is upset because he has been playing well this season and does not want to miss out" and the injury kept Iain out of the first team for almost three months. He played a few reserve team games at the start of November 1999 and then made a substitute appearance for the senior side in a 0-0 draw at King's Lynn on 23.11.99 but Iain didn't start a match again until 21.12.99 when he played at centre-back in a 4-2 home win over Baldock in a Southern League Cup tie. He was a regular again after that and on 15.1.00 surprisingly wore the number nine shirt as Margate lost 3-0 at Boston although he still played in the centre of the defence.

On 26.2.00 Iain was sent off for handling to prevent a goal in a 2-1 home defeat against Tamworth to maintain his record of one dismissal every season and he served a one match ban as a result. He belatedly got his first goal of the campaign in a 4-0 win at Gloucester on 29.4.00 and struck his second during a 3-1 win over Halesowen at Hartsdown Park on 6.5.00, the last day of the season. Iain made 34 appearances (five as sub) during the campaign and the Thanet Times' end of season review said that he "overcame a serious ankle injury early in season and came back as good as ever".

Iain was a fixture in the number six shirt at the start of the 2000/01 campaign and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said he was "in top form" in a 2-1 home win over Cambridge City on 5.9.00. On 19.9.00 he scored his first goal of the season with what the Gazette called an "unstoppable header" from an Eliot Martin free-kick as Margate thrashed Welling 5-0 at Hartsdown Park and he also scored in a 3-0 home win over Weymouth on 7.10.00. Iain's next goal came in a 6-0 home win over Sittingbourne in the Kent Senior Cup on 31.10.00 and he was ever-present up to the end of 2000.

He started the new year with a double strike in a 3-2 win over Folkestone at Hartsdown Park on 1.1.01 and both Iain's goals were headers from Martin corners. The Thanet Times said he was "impressive in defence" during a 1-0 win at Worcester on 6.1.01 and the paper described Iain as "virtually faultless" in a famous 2-1 win at Woking in the FA Trophy on 13.1.01. He scored in the next round of the FA Trophy as Margate lost 2-1 at Stevenage on 3.2.01 but after featuring in a 1-0 win at Salisbury on 10.2.01 Iain missed two matches due to suspension. He returned to the side for a 1-0 home win over Tamworth on 24.2.01 but a groin injury then effectively ended Iain's season. He made one further appearance as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Weymouth on 10.4.01 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said he "played well" but Iain didn't feature in any of Margate's last eight games. Despite his absence Margate clinched the Southern League Premier Division title to gain promotion to the Conference and Iain had made 32 appearances (one as sub) and scored six goals before injury intervened.

Iain's groin problem kept him out of action altogether for the first three months of the 2001/02 campaign but in mid-November 2001 he made a comeback in the reserves. After his second reserve team appearance - in a game against Ramsgate on 20.11.01 - Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Iain's not fit, but he's getting better." Unfortunately he then picked up a knee injury that further delayed his return to the senior side.

On 5.1.02 Iain finally returned to first team action almost nine months after his last appearance when he came on as substitute in a 2-1 win over Farnborough at Hartsdown Park. The Thanet Times said it "didn't look as if he'd ever been away". Iain then made his first start wearing the number two shirt as Margate entertained Hayes in an FA Trophy tie on 12.1.02. He scored with a header from a Paul Lamb free-kick in a 3-1 win and The Non-League Paper said he was 'man of the match'. Chris Kinnear told the Thanet Times "Iain O'Connell's enthusiastic and it's good that he scored. He'll be full of himself now, and we need him because he's a laugh a minute and a good spirit."

Iain played twice more at right-back before moving into the heart of Margate's defence for the rest of season and on 2.2.02 he scored again in a 2-0 home win over Leigh in the FA Trophy. During a 3-1 defeat at Stevenage on 2.3.02 he had to go off for ten minutes to have stitches in a head wound and Iain then broke his nose during the first half of a 2-1 win at Folkestone in the Kent Senior Cup on 19.3.02. Typically the injury didn't stop him playing in Margate's next game - a Conference match against Southport at Hartsdown Park on 23.3.02 - and the Thanet Times said Iain was "immense at the back" in a 2-0 win. The paper again described him as "immense" in its report on a 1-1 draw at Northwich on 30.3.02 and Iain picked up yet another head injury as Margate were thrashed 5-0 at home by Gravesend & Northfleet in the Kent Senior Cup Final on 6.5.02. He had to leave the field for ten minutes to have stitches in a bad cut above his eye and Iain's injury-hit season then ended with him having scored twice in 24 appearances (one as sub).

In the summer of 2002 he signed a new contract and Iain started the first six games of the 2002/03 campaign, Margate's second in the Conference. On 31.8.02 he was sent off in the second half of a 2-0 defeat at Leigh after picking up two bookings and it was Iain's fourth dismissal in Margate colours - a record for the club at the time. Disaster struck before Iain could serve his suspension when he suffered a broken ankle 18 minutes into a 2-2 draw with Barnet at Margate's adopted home in Dover on 3.9.02. He was injured after falling awkwardly and Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Losing Iain is a big blow - he's done well for us."

Iain returned to the side after almost five months on 28.1.03 when he lined up for a Kent Senior Cup tie against Sittingbourne at Hartsdown Park. He scored after 28 minutes and Margate went on to win 3-1 but Iain then sat out the next six matches. On 8.3.03 he was back in the team and captain for the day as Margate travelled to Essex to take on Dagenham & Redbridge but after only five minutes Iain was stretchered off after colliding with his own goalkeeper Phil Smith. Initially there were fears that Iain had suffered a fractured skull but fortunately his injury only turned out to be a badly bruised and gashed head. Margate lost the game 3-0 and the Thanet Times said Iain "must be the unluckiest player in the Nationwide Conference".

After missing another four games he made a comeback as a substitute in a 3-2 win at Hereford on 29.3.03 and Iain then made his last start of the season in a 3-0 win at Erith & Belvedere in the Kent Senior Cup semi-final on 1.4.03. After that he had three more outings as a sub and the last of them came as Margate won 2-1 at Welling in the Kent Senior Cup Final on 30.4.03. Iain finished the campaign having scored once from 13 appearances (four as sub).

In the summer of 2003 Southern League Premier Division club Chelmsford made an offer for Iain but he chose to stay at Margate and fight for a place in the side although he was transfer-listed a few weeks later. He started the first three games of the 2003/04 season but after a 1-0 defeat against Exeter at Dover in the Conference on 16.8.03 Iain was dropped to the subs bench as Sam Sodje took his place in the centre of Margate's defence. Iain came on in two of the next three matches but after his sub appearance in a 2-1 win at Forest Green on 30.8.03 he picked up an injury that ruled him out for almost two months.

He returned to action in a friendly at Sevenoaks on 20.10.03 and Iain scored as Margate won 2-0. He'd missed the last 11 competitive games when he returned to first team duty as a substitute in a 3-3 draw at Morecambe on 1.11.03. After sitting out another three matches Iain made his first start since 16.8.03 when he replaced the suspended Sodje for a Conference game at Chester on 29.11.03. Margate lost 3-0 but the Thanet Times said Iain had been "solid on his return". It was his 199th appearance and turned out to be Iain's final outing in Margate colours. On Christmas Eve in December 2003 he signed for Chelmsford and the Thanet Times paid tribute to him. The paper described Iain as "a dedicated and hard-working player" and added "O'Connell was always a popular player with Gate supporters, forming defensive partnerships with Tony Dixon and Graham Porter".

Iain told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I wanted to stay at the start of the season, but I wasn't getting in the team and I'd had enough. There were several reasons for me leaving, but the main one is that I wasn't going to play. I love the club and spent a big part of my career there. I've won two promotions and a few medals. I've got an affinity with Kent, having played there for 14 years. I've got so many memories from both clubs." Asked to name the highlights of his six years with Margate Iain said "Promotion to the Nationwide Conference was really good, but the best for me was scoring two goals against Folkestone in the New Year's Day game the season we won the Dr Martens Premier. We came from behind to win 3-2. It was the first time I had scored two goals in senior football and it earned us three valuable points. The 0-0 draw away to Dover in the Conference was good as well, because they gave me loads of stick and it was important not to get beaten there after losing at home on Boxing Day. You could see that promotion from the Dr Martens League Southern Division meant a lot as well because Margate had been stuck in that league for so long." Asked about his future plans Iain said "I don't think my legs have got it in them to get back into the Conference. I'd definitely like to have a go at management in the next couple of years. I've got the first stage and need two more for my full UEFA coaching badge." The paper's article concluded "O'Connell's role in Margate's two promotions will long be remembered - and maybe some day he might just return in the managerial hotseat".

Iain stayed with Chelmsford until February 2005 when he became player-manager of Essex-based Southern League club Great Wakering Rovers. He said "This has all happened pretty quickly, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge." During the first half of the 2004/05 season he'd made 11 Isthmian League appearances (three as sub) for Chelmsford and scored twice. Iain had got both goals in a 2-1 win at Heybridge on 14.9.04.

During the 2005/06 campaign he made 40 appearances for Great Wakering and at that time he was living in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex and running his own cleaning business.

In June 2006 Iain was interviewed for Dover's website and said "My best year (at Dover) must have been the 1992/93 season. I won three player of the year trophies: Players' player, Supporters' player, Sponsors' player." Recalling his time at Margate Iain said "it looked as though I might achieve at Margate what I had hoped to achieve at Dover; a return to League football. We only spent two seasons in the Doc Martens Premier Division before winning promotion to the Conference. We finished second in the first season and then won it. One of my best memories of Margate was our FA Cup 1st Round tie against Fulham at Hartsdown Park. That was such a good day. We battled away but lost 2-1. Obviously, they were full-time professionals. They were a lot fitter than we were but what a day. My days at Dover and then Margate were great days. I always look for Dover's and Margate's results whenever I open a newspaper."

The 2006/07 season saw Iain winding down his playing career and he only made nine Isthmian League appearances for Great Wakering (four as sub). He had his final outings during the 2007/08 campaign before retiring aged 37.

On 19.7.08 Iain returned to Hartsdown Park when his Great Wakering side won 2-1 at Margate in a pre-season friendly and in April 2009 he ran the London Marathon and completed it in 4 hours and 25 minutes.

After five years in charge of Great Wakering Iain left the club in February 2010 and became Margate's new manager. In March 2010 he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk "It was hard for me to leave Wakering because they gave me my first chance in management and they are an absolutely lovely fantastic club. But you know that I've always had a special bond with Margate ...part of my heart will always belong at Hartsdown Park. Let's face it I won a load of trophies while I was there and when I looked back on it I wouldn't have changed one thing. I travelled a lot of miles to play football but they gave me some of my best memories in the game, and the happiest time of my life in football - it's got a massive place in my heart and always will have."

In April 2010 Iain played for Dover in the Isthmian League's Veterans Cup and he spent just over a year in charge at Margate before leaving the club in March 2011 having been told his contract wouldn't be renewed for the 2011/12 season.

In September 2011 Iain was appointed as Director of Football at Catholic United Minors, an Essex-based youth football club.