After signing a three-and-a-half-year contract in January 2022 for an undisclosed sum, the 23-year-old left Burton Albion for The Racecourse.
O’Connor’s number of appearances during the second part of the previous season was limited by injuries, and when the 2022–23 campaign got underway, the Irishman’s play was sporadic.
But after coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at York on December 3, where he scored a spectacular overhead kick, O’Connor went on to have a solid run in the team and was outstanding during Wrexham’s bid for automatic promotion.
Despite having to miss more time due to a hamstring injury sustained during the 3-1 victory against Wealdstone at home on February 11, O’Connor returned from the sidelines on Saturday in the 5-1 thumping of Oldham at The Racecourse.
Before his injury, O’Connor was happy with his performances. Now that he is well again, he is motivated to help Wrexham, which leads the National League by three points and has a game against Notts County left, win the championship.
“It was annoying to sustain an injury during that period,” stated O’Connor, who contributed five goals to the team during his noteworthy tenure.
“I had a good run of games after waiting a while to be added to the squad in the first place.
“Last season, I never really got going, and this season, I started off slowly as well.
It was presumably my first time having a run of games at Wrexham, and hopefully I proved to everyone my abilities.
“It was really disheartening when I had the setback, but it is a normal part of playing football. Hopefully, I can avoid injuries going forward.
“I had to exercise patience and wasn’t rushed back, but it felt good to be back playing against Oldham and I’m ready to support the team.”
Andy Cannon, who signed in December, has taken over as the holding midfielder, and a string of strong performances have ensured that manager Phil Parkinson did not need to rush O’Connor’s return.
Re-entering the team for the first time against Oldham, O’Connor had to make do with a spot on the replacements’ roster. He replaced the lauded former Hull City player Cannon in the 77th minute.
We all know the quality Andy brings, having played against him a few times, according to O’Connor.
“I don’t think his performance since joining the side is shocking.”
O’Connor wants to contribute in the next six games, but promotion comes first.
He went on, “You always want to be playing, but this squad is really good.”
“It’s definitely not a bad thing; the manager could field two 11s and they’d both be competitive in this league.”
“Everyone will be happy as long as we achieve our goal because we are all working toward it.”
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