Darragh O'Connor, the 26-year-old former Motherwell, Morton, and Raith Rovers centre-back, has signed for East Kilbride after giving up full-time football to pursue a career as an electrician. He hopes to bring a spark to K-Park this season as the club prepares for life in League One.
O'Connor leaves full-time football for apprenticeship
O'Connor is currently undergoing an electrical apprenticeship while playing part-time for Mick Kennedy's East Kilbride. He told Lanarkshire Live Sport: "I am absolutely delighted to join East Kilbride. I have watched from afar the success that the club has had in recent years and now I have made the decision to pursue an electrical apprenticeship and leave full-time football."
He added: "To be honest, I spoke to no other club because as soon as I spoke to East Kilbride, my mind was made up. I had a phone call with Mick and before he hung up, I told him he didn’t need to convince me to come to the club, I know what the club is all about, so it was straightforward."
Attracted by East Kilbride's playing style
O'Connor cited the club's attractive style of play as a key factor in his decision. "Mick has alluded to it before, but the way they play is one of the most attractive styles in Scotland. And that is something I always admired from afar; no matter what happened on the pitch, they still kept playing the same way," he said.
He noted that Kennedy demands consistency regardless of the scoreline: "Looking at the evidence so far, he doesn’t want the style to change if you are 1-0 down, 4-0 up. He still wants us to play a certain way. He knows we will have good days and bad days, but it shows character to be able to be losing a game but still keep playing the way he wants his teams to play."
Experience and youth in the squad
Despite being only 26, O'Connor is one of the most experienced players in the East Kilbride squad, bringing a wealth of SPFL knowledge. He admitted surprise at the youthfulness of his teammates: "I didn’t realise how young the squad was until I walked into the dressing room and saw all these baby faces. But, listen, they are all good enough to play. Age is only a number."
He praised Kennedy's recruitment: "Mick is bringing in players that he knows can play. He won’t bring in guys who can’t and don’t fit with his system. There’s boys in there who have come along from the Lowland League to League One with him, so they know exactly how he plays."
League One challenge ahead
East Kilbride open their League One campaign at home to O'Connor's former side Queen of the South on August 1. O'Connor acknowledged the difficulty of the league: "It is going to be a really tough league. There’s five full-time teams in there so it will be difficult. We are going to have to play teams four times but we have one of my old teams in the league opener so that’s one to look forward to."
O'Connor made his debut from the bench in a 4-0 friendly win over Kelty Hearts on Saturday. He said: "I signed last Thursday, trained that night and then got 30 minutes in on Saturday so I am looking forward to building on Saturday’s performance and doing my best for the team." East Kilbride face Irvine Meadow in their next friendly this Saturday.
