McConnell: Peter

1954-1962 (Player Details)

Half Back

Born: Reddish, Nr Stockport: 03-03-1937

Debut: v Bolton Wanderers (h): 20-12-1958

5’9” 11st 9lb (1961)

A pupil of North Reddish Primary School and Stockport Grammar School, he represented Stockport and Cheshire Schools before joining Leeds, turning professional in March 1954. As a fifteen-year-old trialist with Leeds, McConnell was running the line in a First-team v Reserves game when one of the players was injured and he came on to show what he could do. The promise he displayed as a youngster at Elland Road finally bore fruit at Carlisle United. He stayed with Leeds, drifting in and out of the first team, until August 1962 when Carlisle manager Ivor Powell, and a former Leeds United trainer, persuaded McConnell to make the hop across the Pennines. His transfer fee was £4,000. McConnell made three hundred and six appearances for Carlisle in League and Cup competition between August 1962 and July 1969, scored twenty-seven goals along the way and won a Third Division medal in 1964-65. In League matches he made two hundred and seventy-one starting appearances and one as a substitute and scored twenty-six times. McConnell, a dynamic wing half, became an ever-present in the United side of the 1960's and captained the team from soon after his arrival, to the day he left the club. He went through both relegation and promotion whilst with the club, and very rarely had to settle for a dull season. When he first joined Carlisle, United had just been promoted to Division Three and were hoping to push on to bigger and better things. It was not to be. Only one away win all season led to a desperate struggle for Carlisle, one that they eventually lost when they dropped back to Division Four. Peter made forty-nine appearances and scored three goals, and was made team captain by Powell. His inspirational play and strong leadership were not enough to help Carlisle through that difficult first season at a higher level, though on a personal level he did gain a number of ‘man of the match’ awards. The low point of that season came on 5th January 1963. United landed a seemingly easy away tie in the Third Round of the FA Cup, with a trip to non-League Gravesend and Northfleet drawn out of the hat for the Cumbrians. A late goal in front of 9,115 jubilant home fans dumped United out of the competition and gave the sports headline writers easy pickings on Sunday morning. McConnell vowed to put things right in 1963/64 and proved to be true to his word. Fifty-one appearances, in total, brought six goals and some fantastic individual performances. His drive and never ending energy seemed to spur the whole team on and United stormed their way to second spot in Division Four, and automatic promotion back to Division Three at the first attempt. He wore the captain’s armband with pride that season, missing only two League games, and even managed his first double strike in football, scoring two of the goals in a 4-1 away win at Newport. Surely things couldn't get any better than this. Oh yes they could. 1964/65 brought one of the few honours the club has earned since its acceptance into the Football League in 1928. A thrilling, exciting and formidable Carlisle United battled hard all season as they competed for the honour of being Third Division Champions come 20th April 1965. McConnell was there to lead them all the way. He made forty-nine appearances and scored a personal best of eight goals as he took his team into the last game at home to Mansfield, needing victory to secure the title. Any fears there may have been were blown away by half time as Carlisle breezed to a 3-0 lead, and the United fans celebrated throughout the second half though no more goals were scored. Manager Alan Ashman and Captain Peter McConnell were proud to be pictured together with their prize. McConnell was also quick to point out that the defensive trio of himself, Harland and Passmoor was amongst the best that Carlisle fans were likely to see. McConnell adjusted well to Second Division football and so, in fact, did the team. They did enough to finish safely in fourteenth position, McConnell having made forty-six appearances and having scored four more goals. They were by no means totally comfortable, but were definitely beginning to come to terms with it, losing only three of their last nine games. United, led expertly by McConnell, came alive in 1966/67. Forty-five more appearances and four more goals, he missed only four games through injury, saw Peter become the lynchpin around which United's defensive qualities rested. They finished in a hugely impressive third spot in Division Two and pushed Wolves all the way for the right to claim the second automatic promotion spot. It raised hopes so highly that the tenth place finish of 1967/68 was deemed to be somewhat disappointing. McConnell made forty-two appearances and scored his final two goals for the club that season. In the 1968/69 season, at the age of thirty-one, McConnell was pushed out to the right back position. He did play well, but never really looked quite as impressive as he had in the half back positions. After just twenty-four appearances, in a season where he had to struggle against a leg injury, he agreed to make the move to Bradford City in July 1969. Peter McConnell was a giant for Carlisle United in what was an extremely successful period for the club. Successive promotion campaigns, including a championship win, and consolidation in Division Two led to the subsequent success enjoyed by the Division One boys of the early seventies. On the pitch, it was McConnell who was the driving force behind all this. He led by example, an example that always included passion and drive. One of the best captains the club has had, Peter McConnell took his well deserved place in Carlisle United's Heroes gallery. He spent just under two years at Valley Parade, making seventy-nine appearances, including three as substitute, without scoring in League games. A qualified FA coach, he joined Scarborough as Player-Coach in the 1971 close season before making a handful of appearances for them prior to retiring in 1971 aged thirty-four. He became a licensee, being the landlord of the Hare and Hounds at Rothwell. He lived and worked in Leeds before retiring.