Eamonn O'Keefe

Eamonn Gerard O'Keefe (born 13 October 1953) is an English-born Irish former professional footballer.

He played as a forward, but in later years was moved into a midfield role.

This won him a chance in the Football League, and he turned down Crystal Palace to instead sign with Third Division club Plymouth Argyle in February 1974.

He was told by manager Tony Waiters that he would never be anything more than a fringe player in the professional game, who then allowed him to leave Home Park on a free transfer.

He moved from non-League Stalybridge Celtic to Plymouth Argyle, and back into the non-League scene with Hyde United in 1975.

He returned to Manchester and signed with Hyde United for the 1975–76 season.

He scored on his Cheshire County League debut for the club, in a 5–3 defeat at Nantwich Town.

He scored four goals in a 6–3 victory over Rhyl at Ewen Fields.

In total he scored 19 goals in 36 appearances for the club.

In November 1975 he flew out to Saudi Arabia for a trial at top-flight Al-Hilal, as manager George Smith, the man who had signed him at Stalybridge, offered him the chance to earn a tax-free contract in the oil-rich nation.

He impressed on the trial and was offered a contract, this made him the first European to play professionally in Saudi Arabia.

Club president Prince Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud bought O'Keefe a Pontiac Ventura, before taking the young player on a luxurious tour of Europe, visiting five star hotels in London, Paris, Cannes, and Rome, before returning to Riyadh for the start of the new Saudi season of football.

However, on the trip he asked O'Keefe to give up his football career to become his lover, and was refused.

As Prince Abdullah was such as a wealthy and powerful man in Saudi Arabia (a member of the House of Saud), O'Keefe fled the country, fearing for his safety.

As he needed Prince Abdullah's permission to leave the country, O'Keefe had to convince him that he was only going to stay in England for one week so as to visit his ill father (who was in fact in good health).

Upon his return he informed The Football Association, who gave him advice after forming an emergency meeting.

As the Saudi affair was being resolved, Mossley manager Bob Murphy offered O'Keefe a contract at the Northern Premier League club.

The next year he moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Hilal, before returning to England in 1976 to sign with Mossley.

In December 1976, he duly signed for Mossley after the Saudi club eventually agreed to release him from his contract.

Howard Wilkinson was appointed as Mossley's manager in 1976, only for Murphy to return the following year.

Wilkinson used O'Keefe as a left-back, though Murphy decided to play him an attacking midfielder due to his 'pace, power and eye for goal'.

His 1978–79 Northern Premier League success at the club won him a move to Everton in 1979, before he was sold on to Wigan Athletic in 1982, who were on the verge of promotion into the Third Division.

Under Murphy, the club won the Northern Premier League and Premier League Cup double in 1978–79 – this was the club's first significant success in seventy years.

A part-time player, he also worked as a van driver for the Manchester Evening News.

O'Keefe was snapped up by Gordon Lee at First Division Everton for a £25,000 fee.

He received a red card in the Merseyside derby, after a late challenge on Liverpool's Ronnie Whelan.

He also went on to win five senior caps between 1981 and 1985, scoring one goal at full international level.

O'Keefe was born and raised in Blackley, in the city of Manchester.

He went to school with Mike Pickering, who later found fame as a musician.

As a youth he was a ball boy at Old Trafford, and was on course to join the Manchester United youth team when he broke his leg in a collision with David Allison, son of Malcolm Allison, in a regional schoolboy game.

Upon his recovery he joined Stalybridge Celtic of the Cheshire County League, and playing as a right-back he won the club's Player of the Year award.

He played in the derby again on 24 January 1981, in an FA Cup Third Round clash, and unwittingly set up Imre Varadi for the "Toffees" second goal of a 2–1 win.

He went on to score the only goal of the Fourth Round replay against Southampton at Goodison Park.

However, Manchester City knocked Everton out at the quarter-final stage, whilst O'Keefe broke his leg in a game against Manchester United.

His goals took the club out of the Fourth Division in 1984–85.

He switched to Port Vale the next year, before penning a deal with Blackpool in 1985.

In 1987, he was appointed player-manager at Cork City, where he won the Munster Senior Cup and League of Ireland Cup in 1988.

He moved to Chester City in 1989, after a spell with St Patrick's Athletic.

He joined Bangor City the next year, before retiring in 1991.

An England Semi-Pro international, he also won four under-21s caps for the Republic of Ireland.