John Connaughton

Patrick John Connaughton (23 September 1949 – 12 November 2022) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played 387 league and cup games in a 16-year career. On three occasions, he also represented England at youth level.

Connaughton began his career at Manchester United, turning professional in 1966, but made just three first-team appearances in April 1972. He also played two games on loan at Halifax Town in 1969 and played 25 games on loan at Torquay United in 1971–72. He joined Sheffield United in October 1972 for a £15,000 fee but only played 12 games for the club before he transferred to Port Vale in May 1974. He established himself in the first-team and made 218 appearances, picking up the club's Player of the Year award in 1974–75. He joined Altrincham in 1980 for an enormously successful two-year spell, picking up championship medals for the Alliance Premier League in 1979–80 and 1980–81, winners medals in the Conference League Cup and Cheshire Senior Cup, and runners-up medals in the Conference League Cup and FA Trophy.

Career

Manchester United Connaughton joined the Manchester United groundstaff in January 1965, signing as an apprentice in May. He turned professional in October 1966, but would have to wait almost six years for his United debut, despite playing three games for England youth in 1967 and 1968.

His Manchester United debut finally came on 4 April 1972 in a First Division game against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, a 1–1 draw. He played two further games that month, in defeats to Leicester City and Manchester City; the defeat in the Manchester derby came at Old Trafford. Connaughton kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday despite receiving a kick to the head.

He then faced stiff competition from a young Trevor Dance. Still, he managed to play 44 games in the 1976–77 season, helping the club to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Altrincham He joined Altrincham in time to play 15 league games of the club's Alliance Premier League championship winning 1979–80 season. He also played in the Conference League Cup final defeat to Northwich Victoria.

Later life Connaughton started up in the wastepaper business while playing for Altrincham.

Career statistics

Honours Individual Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year: 1974–75

Altrincham Alliance Premier League: 1979–80 & 1980–81 Conference League Cup: 1981 Cheshire Senior Cup: 1982