Connor Malley
English footballer (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Connor Malley (born 20 March 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays for League of Ireland Premier Division side Shamrock Rovers.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Connor Malley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 March 2000[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Hebburn, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Sunderland | ||
| 2015–2018 | Middlesbrough | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Middlesbrough | 3 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Ayr United (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | → Carlisle United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Gateshead (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Rochdale | 9 | (0) |
| 2023 | Dundalk | 33 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Sligo Rovers | 47 | (4) |
| 2025 | → Shamrock Rovers (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2026– | Shamrock Rovers | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:19, 9 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Career
Middlesbrough
Born in Hebburn, Malley started his career in the youth academy of Sunderland before joining Middlesbrough.[3] He signed his first professional contract with the club in May 2019, signing a three-year contract lasting until the summer of 2022.[4]
Ayr loan
He joined Scottish Championship side Ayr United on loan to the end of the season on 31 January 2020.[5][6] He made his debut for the club on 25 February 2020, where he scored in a 2–1 win over Greenock Morton.[7] He went on to make five appearances for Ayr, scoring once.[2]
Carlisle United loan
On 2 October 2020, Malley joined League Two side Carlisle United on loan until January 2021.[8][9] He returned to Middlesbrough at the end of his loan in January 2021, having made five appearances in all competitions.[10][11]
He made his debut for Middlesbrough on 21 April 2021 as a first-half substitute for the injured Grant Hall in a 2–1 away victory over Rotherham United, with Malley's performance described as "outstanding".[12][13] He made two further appearances for Middlesbrough that season as they finished 10th in the Championship.[11][14]
Gateshead loan
On 5 March 2022, Malley joined National League North side Gateshead on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.[15] He scored three goals in eleven appearances as the club won the league to gain promotion to the National League.[16]
Rochdale
On 15 August 2022, Malley signed for League Two club Rochdale on a free transfer after being released by Middlesbrough earlier in the summer.[17] Malley departed the club upon the expiration of his short-term contract in January 2023.[18]
Dundalk
On 12 January 2023, Malley signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Dundalk on a multi-year contract.[19][20] He made his debut on 28 February 2023 in a 1–1 draw at home to UCD at Oriel Park.[21] At the end of the season the club opted against activating the second year of his contract and he was allowed to leave the club on a free transfer.[22]
Sligo Rovers
On 23 December 2023, it was announced that Malley had signed a one year contract with fellow League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers for the 2024 season.[23] He scored his first goals for the club on 3 June 2024, when he scored both goals in a 2–1 win at home to Drogheda United.[24] On 1 October 2024, he signed a contract extension with the club until the end of the 2025 season.[25] A month later he was subject to transfer interest from Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne, with Sligo not interested in letting him leave the club unless a substantial transfer fee was received.[26] In May 2025, Malley drew criticism from manager John Russell who left him out of the team and squad in recent weeks due to how he had trained and conducted himself around the group.[27][28]
Shamrock Rovers
On 24 July 2025, Malley was loaned out to Shamrock Rovers until the end of the season to the expiry of his Sligo contract.[29] He made six league appearances as his side won the 2025 League of Ireland Premier Division title.[30] On 9 November 2025, came off the bench in the 2025 FAI Cup final as his side defeated Cork City 2–0 at the Aviva Stadium.[31] On 27 November 2025, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk at Tallaght Stadium in the UEFA Conference League.[32] On 5 December 2025, it was confirmed that Malley had signed for Shamrock Rovers on a permanent basis, on a multi-year contract.[33]
Career statistics
- As of match played 9 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Middlesbrough U21 | 2017–18[34] | — | — | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2018–19[35] | — | — | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | — | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||
| Middlesbrough | 2019–20[36] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[11] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22[37] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Ayr United (loan) | 2019–20[36] | Scottish Championship | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Carlisle United (loan) | 2020–21[11] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Gateshead (loan) | 2021–22[38] | National League North | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||||
| Rochdale | 2022–23[39] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Dundalk | 2023[40] | LOI Premier Division | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | 4[d] | 0 | 0[e] | 0 | 40 | 3 | |
| Sligo Rovers | 2024[40] | LOI Premier Division | 35 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | – | – | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2025[40] | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | – | – | 12 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 47 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | – | – | 48 | 4 | |||||
| Shamrock Rovers (loan) | 2025[40] | LOI Premier Division | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 6[f] | 1 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Shamrock Rovers | 2026[40] | LOI Premier Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[g] | 0 | 1[h] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Career total | 120 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 151 | 12 | ||
- Includes the FA Cup, Scottish Cup & FAI Cup
- Appearances in the EFL Trophy
- Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup
- Appearances in the UEFA Conference League
- Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in the President of Ireland's Cup
Honours
- Gateshead
- Shamrock Rovers