Taffy O'Callaghan explained

Taffy O'Callaghan
Fullname:Eugene O'Callaghan
Birth Date:6 October 1906
Position:Forward
Height:5 ft 8+1/2 in[1]
Years1:1925
Clubs1:Ebbw Vale
Nationalyears1:1929–1934
Nationalteam1:Wales
Nationalcaps1:11
Nationalgoals1:3
Clubs2:Tottenham Hotspur Reserves
Years2:1925–1926
Clubs3:Tottenham Hotspur
Clubs4:Leicester City
Years3:1927–1935
Years4:1935–1937
Years5:1937–1939
Clubs5:Fulham
Caps3:252
Goals3:92
Caps4:84
Goals4:30
Caps5:41
Goals5:6

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

Club career

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

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

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Wales192921
193120
193232
193330
193410
Total113

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

List of international goals scored by Taffy O'Callaghan
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
126 October 1929Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales21–22–41929–30 British Home Championship[5]
226 October 1932Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh, Scotland53–05–21932–33 British Home Championship[6]
35–0

Notes and References

  1. News: Leicester need a good centre-forward . Sunday Dispatch Football Guide . London . 23 August 1936 . vii . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Taffy O'Callaghan Spurs v Everton 1928 on THFC site.
  3. News: Taffy O'Callaghan Biog and Stats on Top Spurs site.
  4. News: Taffy O'Callaghan THFC Legends site . https://web.archive.org/web/20120123042858/http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/history/legends/taffyocallaghan.html . 23 January 2012 .
  5. Web site: Wales vs. Scotland 2–4: Summary . 16 January 2023 . EU Football .
  6. Web site: Scotland vs. Wales 2–5: Summary . 16 January 2023 . EU Football .