Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh
Irish association football player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Paul O'Brien-Whitmarsh (born 11 May 2005) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Northampton Town.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Paul O'Brien-Whitmarsh[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 May 2005[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Northampton Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | Fermoy | ||
| 2019–2023 | Cork City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Cork City | 23 | (4) |
| 2024–2026 | Southampton | 0 | (0) |
| 2025 | → Accrington Stanley (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| 2026– | Northampton Town | 6 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019–2020 | Republic of Ireland U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | Republic of Ireland U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 05:02, 24 September 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:29, 12 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Cork City
Born in Dublin, O'Brien-Whitmarsh grew up in Fermoy, County Cork[4] and started his career at local club Fermoy FC before joining Cork City academy in 2019. He signed a professional contract with Cork in 2021.[5] He made his senior debut for Cork City in March 2023 and played for the club in the 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division.[6]
Southampton
He joined Premier League side Southampton in January 2024 from Cork City for an undisclosed fee.[7] He was included in Southampton's match-day squad for the EFL Cup tie against Cardiff City on 28 August 2024, making his debut as a second-half substitute.[8][9]
Accrington Stanley (loan)
On 3 February 2025, O'Brien-Whitmarsh joined League Two side Accrington Stanley on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.[10][11] He made his debut for the club on 8 February in a 0–0 home draw with AFC Wimbledon.[12][13] On 4 March, he scored his first goal in English football during a 2–0 home win over Milton Keynes Dons.[14] O'Brien-Whitmarsh scored a brace on 11 March in a 5–0 victory against Newport County.[15]
Northampton Town
On 17 August 2026, O'Brien-Whitmarsh joined League Two side Northampton Town on a three-year contract for a undisclosed fee.[16] He made his first appearance for the club on 22 August in a 1–0 defeat against Crewe Alexandra after he replaced Logan Briggs in the 66th minute.[17] On 5 September, O'Brien-Whitmarsh scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against Newport County.[18]
International career
He has been capped by the Republic of Ireland at under-19 level.[19] In November 2024, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad for their two friendlies against Sweden U21 in Marbella, Spain.[20] He made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Sweden on 14 November 2024.[21]
Personal life
He is the son of former Cobh Ramblers striker Paul Whitmarsh.[22] His older brother Beineon O'Brien-Whitmarsh has also played professional football in the League of Ireland, with the pair playing for Cork City at the same time.[23]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 September 2026[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cork City | 2021 | LoI First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | LoI First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | LoI Premier Division | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||
| Total | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 | |||
| Southampton | 2024–25[25] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[26] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Accrington Stanley (loan) | 2024–25[25] | League Two | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||
| Northampton Town | 2026–27[27] | League Two | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Career total | 43 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 8 | ||