Josh O’Connor in action against East Kilbride. Picture: Bob Crombie
Josh O’Connor wants to make his grandpa proud every time he pulls on a football shirt.
The former Hibs youngster says his grandpa Larry was an inspiration and his biggest fan, driving him to games with his grandmother.
Sadly, Larry died earlier this year and Josh thinks of him often.
His grandpa was proud to see him become a professional at Easter Road, following in the footsteps of his dad Garry, and saw him make his debut at Aberdeen and also his home debut, which was also against the Dons.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” said Josh. “He’s (grandpa) my inspiration now, and he always was my inspiration.
“He’s the one who kept me going. He’s the one who took me all around Scotland and England, and came abroad.”
Josh was just a toddler when his dad carved his name as a rising star for the Hibees, which earned him a £1.6 million to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006, the first player from the UK to play in Russia.
After spells with Birmingham City and Barnsley, Garry returned to Hibs in 2012 and Josh has fond memories of being taken to the training ground, meeting senior players and watching his dad play.
Josh is proud of the fact his dad won 16 caps for Scotland, scoring four goals.
“I always wanted to become a footballer and to do it at Hibs was brilliant,” said Josh.
His first appearance for Hibs at Easter Road came as a substitute in a 6-0 win against Aberdeen.
“We were 4-0 up at the time and I came on and won a penalty.”
Josh, who was coached as a young player at Hibs by current boss David Gray, was unable to establish himself in the first team under Gray, but admits he “loved every second” of his five years there as a full-time professional.
“I got to meet people who I will be friends with for the rest of my life. Getting to play for Hibs was brilliant.”
Senior pros like Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon took Josh and other young players under their wing.
He left the Edinburgh club in January to sign for Crusaders in Belfast, one of a growing number of full-time teams in the Irish Premiership, but he didn’t settle in Northern Ireland and when his grandpa fell ill, homesickness prompted Josh to return to Scotland. Allan Hale persuaded him to sign for Elgin City after initial interest from East Kilbride.
“I met some really, really nice people there and Belfast is a great city.”
Josh said the gaffer’s determination to bring him to Borough Briggs was a big factor in the move.
He is having to be patient right now as he tries to make an impact with Elgin.
“I want to help the team as much as I can, put my head down and work really hard,” he said.
Josh has relocated to Elgin and is a housemate with Dylan Gavin and Abs Obasoto.
“They are good lads and we have a good laugh about the house, so I’m really, really enjoying it.”
Aside from squad training on a Tuesday and Thursday night, Josh looks to get extra sessions during the week with Dylan and Abs.
He does some scouting for Five Stars, a firm offering football scholarships in America.
“We’ve got a really big squad, a really talented squad this year, and there is competition for places.
“Obviously, I’ve not played as much as I wanted to, but I’ve got to show in training and in matches, when I get an opportunity, that I should be on the pitch. You have to fight for your place in the squad.
“I’ve played over 50 professional games. I feel like that’s not good enough and I should be pushing 100, 150 right now, but that’s football. I’ve just got to take it game by game. When I get on the pitch, I need to work hard.
“My main ambition right now is to work as hard as I can for Elgin and see what happens from there. I can’t really look into the future too much. I just need to put my head down and work as hard as I can.”
