Eugene O’Callaghan
Forward 1926-1935 and 1940-1944
Full name : – Eugene O’Callaghan
Born on 6th October 1906- in Ebbw Vale, Wales.
Height : 1.75m (5′ 8″)
Weight : 74.3 kg (11st 10lbs)
Inside forward Eugene O’Callaghan was a major star of the Tottenham team during the pre and inter war years, when the side failed to hit the heights.
An all-action player who could land the ball on a sixpence, O’Callaghan was a supplier for his fellow forwards with his accurate passing ability and he dazzled the crowd with his dribbling and his goal-scoring.
Another product that came out of the coal mines of South Wales, Eugene played for the Ebbw Vale and Wales Schools sides, before playing for some local sides. Spotted by Tottenham playing for Ebbw Vale reserves, he signed amateur forms in September 1924 with the club loaning him out to Barnet and Northfleet to get some playing time and experience in senior football.
Short and lightweight, he played well in the reserves, but some doubted his ability to hold his own in the first team. When Jimmy Seed had to pull out because of flu, O’Callaghan stepped in to play against Everton and while he was nervous initially, he soon got into the game and played well. His quick feet and sense of when to release a pass served him well, because, in the eyes of new manager Billy Minter, he was a player he could build a side around. He allowed Seed to leave in view of his favoured player’s importance, which proved a little hasty, with Seed’s new side Sheffield Wednesday pulling off a great escape, as Spurs were relegated. Eugene had a fine individual 1927-28 season finding the net 24 times, but without Seed’s experience, he could not inspire the other players in the side to stay up.
Despite Spurs dropping into the Second Division, Eugene won his first cap for Wales in February 1929 when they played Northern Ireland, going on to win eleven more caps for his country.
Dropping into Division 2 saw Tottenham struggle and in November 1929 when O’Callaghan had a cartilage injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season, Minter had resigned by the time he was fit again and luckily the new man in charge Percy Smith appreciated his dogged play and determination not to be beaten, allied with his precise passing and trickery on the ball made him a player that needed the right structure around him. Putting players in the side who could benefit from his play by using fast, one-touch football, the team won promotion back to the First Division in 1932-33 as runners-up and then finished third in the top-flight the season after. When battling against relegation in the 1934-35 season, Tottenham suffered catastrophic injuries, with O’Callaghan one of them, so it was a great surprise that he was allowed to join Leicester City for £2,250 in March 1935. He was instrumental in Leicester winning the Second Division championship in 1936-1937, but left in October of 1937 to sign for Fulham. It wasn’t the last the Spurs crowd had seen of the Welshman though, as he featured as a guest 22 times for Spurs during World War II. Upon the resumption of football following the end of the war, Eugene played on for the Cottagers until the 1945-1946 season when he joined the coaching staff at Craven Cottage, staying there until his death.
Eugene O’Callaghan died on 4th July 1956 in Fulham, London.
NICKNAME : – Taffy
Career Record
| Club | Signed | Fee | Debut | Apps | Goals |
| Victoria United | – | – | ??? | – | – |
| Ebbw Vale Corinthians | – | – | ??? | – | – |
| TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (amateur) | September 1924 | – | – | – | – |
| Barnet | – | Loan | ??? | – | – |
| Northfleet United | – | Loan | ??? | – | – |
| TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (professional) | August 1926 | – | 15th January 1927 v Everton (Division 1) (away) won | 263 | 98 |
| Leicester City | March 1935 | £2,250 | ??? | – | – |
| Fulham | October 1937 | £?? | 16th October 1937 v Spurs (Division 2) (home) won | – | – |
Tottenham Hotspur career
252 League appearances; 92 goals
11 FA Cup appearances; 6 goals
50 Other appearances; 23 goals
Honours
Wales international
11 full caps; 2 goals
Debut : – 2nd February 1929 v Ireland (Home International Championship) drew 2-2 at Wrexham
Second Division championship winner 1936-1937 (Leicester City)
Second Division runner-up 1932-1933 (THFC)
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