Conor Hourihane retires from football to take on new coaching role at Barnsley
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Conor Hourihane has announced his retirement from football and has agreed to take on the role of Assistant Head Coach at Barnsley on a permanent basis.
The Bandon native made over 580 appearances during his 15-year playing career which saw him enjoy spells at Sunderland, Ipswich Town, Plymouth Argyle, Aston Villa, Swansea City, Sheffield United, Derby County and most recently Barnsley.
The 33-year-old won 36 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring one goal in their narrow win over Georgia in their Euro 2020 qualifer at the Aviva Stadium back in March 2019.
The Corkman had intended to be both a coach and a player for the next two years at Barnsley but on Friday he confirmed his decision to focus solely on his coaching role.
“I have loved every second of my time as a player at all the clubs I represented," Hourihane told the club's official website.
"The two Wembley victories with Barnsley and getting promoted and playing in the Premier League for Aston Villa are moments I will remember forever and I am grateful to so many people, starting with my parents who allowed me to come to England at 16 years of age.
“My intention was to play, but a combination of not feeling I could perform to the standard I expected and the amazing coaching opportunity that Barnsley have provided has meant I have come to this decision and I am excited to become a full-time Assistant Head Coach to Darrell at Oakwell.”
Conor Hourihane takes on some quick-fire questions about his impressive career 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EWoLqxRBBL
— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) December 20, 2024
Barnsley Sporting Director, Mladen Sormaz added: “We are delighted that Conor has agreed to take up this role permanently, it has clearly been on the cards for a number of weeks.
“We came to the decision based on two factors, the first was that Conor really impressed in his coaching duties over the summer and at the start of the season, the number of hours he was putting in was massive.
"Secondly, after the opening games, he had felt that he wasn’t able to play to the level he demanded from himself and this coincided with Dean Whitehead’s departure- therefore it made perfect sense to give Conor more responsibility as a Coach and call time on his playing career.
"The club and Darrell collaborated on the decision and collectively we are excited to see what else Conor can bring to the staff after a very positive start.”
Barnsley Head Coach Darrell Clarke said, “Conor has been outstanding as a coach, the workload is huge and it’s a job he has taken very seriously and therefore we are in a position where it’s simply not possible to maintain both roles.
"I’m delighted with Conor’s progress, he is a top coach but also a mentor to a lot of young men within the club looking to replicate the career he has had.
"Along with Martin, Jon, James and all the support staff, we have a backroom group capable of achieving great things.”