 |
Nationality: | Irish |
| Date/place of birth: | 25 March 1992/Dundalk | |
| Position: | Left Back | |
| Height: | 5ft10 | |
| Nickname: | Ozzy | |
| Honours: | None | |
| Ex-clubs: | Drogheda United | |
| Joined: | Saturday 29 January 2011 | |
| Joined from: | Drogheda United | |
| Signed by: | Ian Foster | |
| Club debut: | v Shamrock Rovers (H), 22 February 2011 | |
| First club goal: | None |
Eoghan Osborne (born: 25 March 1992) is a 20-year-old left-back who made his League of Ireland debut with local rivals Drogheda United back in May 2009.
Osborne came off the bench in the 75th minute and helped the Boynesiders to claim a late point as they drew 1-1 with Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium.
He made his full bow two months later when he started against Dundalk at Oriel Park on 24 July, but it ended in disaster as he was stretchered off after just six minutes with damaged ankle ligaments.
In total, Eoghan made five league appearances in 2009, and though there was an opportunity to join Dundalk ahead of the 2010 season, he remained at Drogheda and was a shining light in an otherwise disappointing season for the Louth club.
He appeared 23 times between league and cup competition, and scored his very first league goal with a late, late winner against Saint Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park in April, his free-kick finding the net four minutes into added time. He could do little, however, to prevent Drogheda from finishing bottom of the table.
With the Boynesiders bound for the First Division until a late reprieve, Osborne put pen to paper on a one-year amateur deal with Dundalk on 29 January.
Commenting on his move, Osborne said: “I’m delighted to sign; it’s my hometown. I went to school here and all my friends are in Dundalk so I’m thrilled to be here. I made a good few appearances with Drogheda.
“I’m still young; I’m only 18, so it’s good to have that experience under my belt. I worked with Darius (Kierans) there; he took me from U16s up to the first team in Drogheda. He got me into Drogheda in the first place so I’m delighted that he’s here as well. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait for the season to start now.”
Speaking on the addition of Osborne, manager Ian Foster revealed: “Eoghan is a player that I spoke to this time last year. His parents came in and we had a conversation.
“Obviously we had Wayne (Hatswell) and Nathan Murphy on the books, and I think at the time Eoghan and his parents thought he was more likely to get games at Drogheda than at Dundalk and he made the decision to go down the road.
“I saw Eoghan a few times last year. He has got quality, he’s left-footed and he has got a decent delivery on that side. He defends properly, he’s strong in the tackle, he’s young and he’s local and he’s someone that we believe that we can develop. We’re delighted to get him on board and hopefully he’ll be a prospect for Dundalk.”
Osborne, who has 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland between U17, U18 and U19 level, signed amateur forms at the border venue as he is still studying, at Dublin City University.
“Eoghan is still at college,” Foster explained. “We won’t see Eoghan as often as we will everybody else. He’s not with us full-time. He will train in the evenings sometimes. There are certain days of the week that he can make, and there are evenings that he can make as well where he will train with the younger boys and the A-Championship players.
“We’ll get enough training into him. He’s a student and you have got to respect that and let him concentrate on his studies as well.”
Osborne made his competitive debut three weeks after signing, at home to Shamrock Rovers in the Leinster Senior Cup at Oriel Park on 22 February.
He made his league debut for the Lilywhites at Tallaght Stadium the following week but was forced off early in the second half with a hamstring injury.
That kept him out of action for three weeks and as he was returning to fitness, on 29 March, he suffered a fractured tibia following a training ground tackle, which ultimately ruled him out for the rest of the season.
On 14 January, Osborne extended his stay at Oriel Park by penning a new contract.
He returned to the bench for the EA SPORTS Cup second round tie against Longford Town at Flancare Park on 10 April, but did not feature. Ten days later, he made his long-awaited comeback when starting the 2-1 win over Derry City at The Brandywell.
| 2012 | Apps (Starts) | Goals |
| Overall | 1 (1) | 0 |
| League | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Setanta Sports Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| FAI Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| League Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| All-Time | Apps (Starts) | Goals |
| Overall | 4 (4) | 0 |
| League | 2 (2) | 0 |
| Setanta Sports Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
| FAI Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| League Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
Profile last updated: 23 April 2012
