32 Facts About Garry O'Connor

Garry Lawrence John O'Connor was born on 7 May 1983 and is a Scottish professional football manager and a former player.

Garry O'Connor played for Hibernian, Peterhead, Lokomotiv Moscow, Barnsley, Tom Tomsk, Birmingham City, Greenock Morton and represented Scotland.

Garry O'Connor scored a winning goal in the 2007 Russian Cup final for Lokomotiv.

Garry O'Connor struggled to settle in Russia, and he returned to the United Kingdom later that year by signing for Birmingham City.

Garry O'Connor signed for Russian club Tom Tomsk in July 2012, but was released after making only six appearances.

Garry O'Connor made just four appearances before Christmas in the following season.

Garry O'Connor formed a formidable partnership with Derek Riordan, and between them they scored 42 goals that season, as Hibs earned qualification for the UEFA Cup.

Garry O'Connor scored a total of 58 goals for Hibs in all competitions and scored in his final Hibs appearance, against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup.

Garry O'Connor donated his portion of the transfer fee to the club to fund their training facilities.

Garry O'Connor had to wait until January 2008 for his second league goal, an equaliser against Arsenal.

Garry O'Connor missed several games in early 2008 through illness, and McLeish told him to "write the season off and come back this season all guns blazing".

Garry O'Connor worked with a fitness coach over the summer, lost weight, and returned to training with a positive attitude towards the coming season and towards his manager.

Garry O'Connor had a successful pre-season and started well in the Championship with an assist for Kevin Phillips followed by scoring three goals in three games, but then sustained a groin injury.

Garry O'Connor's contract had been due to expire at the end of the season, but the club extended it for six months to give him a chance to prove his fitness.

Garry O'Connor scored only once in 13 appearances, and his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in April 2011.

Garry O'Connor re-signed for Hibernian on a one-year contract on 15 June 2011.

Garry O'Connor made an excellent start to the season, scoring 10 goals in his first 11 appearances.

Garry O'Connor was rested from matches and given additional training to improve his level of fitness.

Garry O'Connor responded by scoring in three consecutive matches, which helped to earn four league points and a place in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final.

Garry O'Connor returned to Russian football in July 2012, when he signed a two-year contract with FC Tom Tomsk.

Garry O'Connor was initially unable to play for the club, which was subject to a registration ban because of its failure to pay debts to players.

Garry O'Connor was released from his contract in December 2012, having made just six appearances and scored once; he later stated that he and other players had not been paid by the club for several months.

Garry O'Connor left Morton at the end of the season, having scored only one goal as they were relegated to League One.

Garry O'Connor signed a one-year contract with Lowland League club Selkirk on 1 August 2014.

Garry O'Connor was then relegated to the Scotland under-21 squad for a few seasons as he struggled to find his best form.

Garry O'Connor failed to rejoin the squad and was axed from the travelling party by manager Walter Smith.

Garry O'Connor said that his wife was unhappy with life in Moscow and he had decided to stay with her rather than return to training.

Garry O'Connor was recalled to the Scotland squad in May 2007 under new manager, and his former boss at Hibs, Alex McLeish.

On 28 October 2015, Garry O'Connor was appointed as Selkirk caretaker manager following the sacking of Steve Forrest, a role he continued until the appointment of Ian Fergus.

Whilst being interviewed for the programme, Garry O'Connor revealed that he had considered suicide towards the end of his playing career, citing the love of his family and his responsibility towards his three children as motivation for seeking help through mental health counselling.

Garry O'Connor lost the fortune he made as a footballer, and had to move out of his mansion and into a council house.

Garry O'Connor's son Josh is a footballer, who plays in the same position.