John Mahon (Irish footballer)
Irish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Mahon (born 26 November 1999) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Mahon | ||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Sligo, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Waterford | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2015 | Ballisodare United | ||
| 2015–2017 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2022 | Sligo Rovers | 89 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | St Johnstone | 3 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Sligo Rovers | 50 | (1) |
| 2026– | Waterford | 17 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:53, 4 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Sligo Rovers
Mahon began playing for his local club Sligo Rovers at underage under 17 level in 2015, where he played for 2 years before progressing to the under 19 side and then the first team in 2017.[2] He made his first team debut on 17 April 2017 in a 1–0 win away to Finn Harps in a League of Ireland Cup tie at Finn Park.[3] That proved to be his only appearance of the season despite being named as an unused substitute in 19 league games.[4] His League of Ireland Premier Division debut came on 21 April 2018 in a 0–0 draw with St Patrick's Athletic at The Showgrounds.[5] In June 2018 he earned a new two-and-a-half-year contract to keep him at the club until the end of the 2020 season.[6] Mahon scored his first goal in senior football on 26 October 2018 in a 2–0 win over Shamrock Rovers in the final game of the season.[7] He made a total of 29 appearances during his breakthrough season, scoring 1 goal.[4] February 2019 saw reported interest in Mahon from Scottish Premiership arch rivals Celtic and Rangers.[8] On 2 February 2020, Mahon suffered a broken tibia in a pre-season friendly against Athlone Town.[9][10] The injury kept him out of action for almost the entirety of the season but he returned to the side in October 2020 and made 5 appearances in all competitions by the season's end.[4] Upon returning from injury in October 2020, Mahon signed a new two-year-contract with the club.[11][12] On 29 October 2021, Mahon scored his first goal in just over three years when he opened the scoring in a 2–0 win over Drogheda United.[13] On 21 December 2021, he signed a contract with to keep him at the club until the end of 2023.[14] Upon signing his new contract, Mahon stated that he had a desire to play abroad but for now his focus was on helping his club to win trophies.[15] The following month however, the six figure release clause in his contract was met and he departed the club.[16] He made 102 appearances in total for Sligo Rovers during his time at the club, scoring 2 goals.[4]
St Johnstone
Mahon signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone for an undisclosed fee on 23 January 2022.[17][18][19] He left the club only a year into his contract, with the club and player mutually agreeing to terminate his contract.[20]
Return to Sligo Rovers
On 13 January 2023, it was announced that Mahon had returned to Sligo Rovers.[21] In January 2024, Mahon suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon which kept him out of action until the club's final 2 league games of the season.[22] On 15 November 2024, he signed a new contract with the club until the end of 2026.[23] He was made club captain ahead of the 2025 season.[24] On 3 March 2025, he scored a 78th minute winner in a 2–1 victory over Shamrock Rovers at The Showgrounds, his first goal since 2021.[25]
Waterford
On 27 December 2025, it was announced that Mahon had signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford.[26]
Career statistics
- As of match played 29 May 2026[1]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sligo Rovers | 2017 | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[d] | 0 | 32 | 1 | |||
| Total | 89 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 102 | 2 | ||
| St Johnstone | 2021–22 | Scottish Premiership | 3 | 0 | – | – | 1[e] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Sligo Rovers | 2023 | LOI Premier Division | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2025 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 51 | 1 | ||||
| Waterford | 2026 | LOI Premier Division | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[f] | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
| Career total | 159 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 175 | 6 | ||
- Includes FAI Cup & Scottish Cup
- Includes League of Ireland Cup & Scottish League Cup
- Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
- Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in Scottish Premiership play-offs
- Appearances in Munster Senior Cup