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FEATURE INTERVIEW: Steve O'Shaughnessy. Airbus manager on his career, current job and players.

"Hiya mate" a happy but concentrated Welshman answers the phone, his bubbly family life buzzing in the background.


Family man Steve O'Shaughnessy, the manager of Airbus UK Broughton, has taken time out of his day to talk to us about his career, his plans for the future and his thoughts on his current flock of Airbus players.


"I'll start right at the beginning of my career shall I?" he asked reminiscently.


"I was signed for Leeds United as a schoolboy when Eddie Gray was the first team manager, and he seemed to take a likening to me, but he was sacked not long after I joined and I don't feel like I was ever going to get a look in without him being there".


Following his stint at Leeds, the big Welshman was signed for Bradford City, by then manager Trevor Cherry, who was sacked just days after O'Shaughnessy's arrival.


"I thought going to Bradford was the right move in my career, but as soon as I got there i was facing an uphill battle. A new manager came in straight away, and you know what it's like with new managers: They want their own players to suit their own system and I didn't fit into that, so I never got a chance at Bradford either".

"I think I was quite unlucky at the start. Each time I was ready to kick on at a new club, the manager would get sacked and that would be the end of that" he added.


Steve speaking to us this season

Following his small spell at Bradford, Steve was snapped up by Rochdale, where he claimed to have played some of his best football.

"I felt at home there" he said "it's where I played more than I did at any other club and I put that down to Eddie Gray. He saw me play when I was at Leeds and he was the one that decided to take a risk with me at Rochdale, so I am grateful to him for that, but again, Eddie left when I'd been there for about a year".


O'Shaughnessy went on to make over 100 appearances for 'Dale, scoring 16 teams, making it his most prolific club, and the club that he played most games for.


After Rochdale, Steve had a small spell at Exeter, before signing for Northern side Darlington where he played for two years, scoring just twice.



Steve is now manager of Airbus. Photo by John Pickles


It was his next move, in 1994, at the age of 27, that raised a lot of eyebrows.


Steve, a Welshman, with roots in the British game, playing in the North of England, was approached by Hong Kong Rangers, who wanted to sign him on a one year contract.


Speaking about the way this transfer came about, O'Shaughnessy said "I had received a few offers from England and a couple from Wales that I was seriously considering, but then my agent called me and said that Hong Kong were interested in me".


"It wasn't really a hard decision for me at the time, I thought it would be good to see what a different culture and way of life was like, so I went there for a year".


"I went there alone, no family came there with me at the time, so I arrived knowing no-one and had to get by".


On the football culture in Hong Kong in the 90s, Steve said "it was very very different to over here. They only had a handful of teams and there were only two stadiums in the entire league".


He continued, saying "no-one supported specific teams, they just travelled down to the stadium to see a game of football and wanted to enjoy the game, they did not have individual club fan bases like they have over here. Obviously things might have changed now, but back then it was like that".


"I enjoyed it over there. It was different, but I liked that".


Steve returned to Britain in 1995, after a year in Hong Kong, and played out the rest of his career in the Welsh football leagues, playing first for Inter Cardiff before moving to a number of clubs until he hung up his boots in 2004 at Gresford Athletic.


In 1999, whilst playing for Oswestry Town, Steve was appointed as player-manager, in his first role as a manager.


On this Steve said "I'd been doing my coaching badges for a few years, keeping an eye on what I could do once I retired, I always thought I could be a good coach because I was vocal and a sort of leader in the dressing room".


Speaking about the dynamic of being a player that also manages the club, he said "I started to not pick myself as much, I wanted there to be a line between the players and the coaches so I took myself out of the playing role as much as I thought was necessary".


His first full-time coaching role was at Caernarfon Town, where he stayed for two years before joining Connah's Quay Nomads in 2008, where he lasted just one season.




It would then be eight years before Steve returned to football.


On this, he said "I fell out of love with the game. A lot went on behind the scenes at The Nomads and I was never given what I wanted. I did not agree with some of the things that went on at the club and I could not continue".


"I was done with it and I had no intention to return to management in the near future".


In 2016, however, Steve was appointed manager of Airbus UK Broughton, and insists that there was a "lot of work" to be done in order to make them the successful team they are today.


"We had to come in and change the shape of the club, the youth teams needed reworking and the club as a whole had to chance; I think as a team we have done well with that".


"You just have to look at the youngsters coming through, Elliot (Orton), Oli (Lanceley) and Owen (Payne) have all played a massive part in the club this season, so I think it's been a success and I want more youngsters to come through, because it is such an important thing for local lads to play for their local team".


Academy graduate Elliot Orton, alongside Steve O'Shaughnessy, after signing a new contract at the start of the season. Photo by Airbus UK Broughton


Airbus, who are on the hunt for the JD Cymru North title, next face Llanrhaeadr away from home on 19th March.

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