Talented Limerick defender signs for Reading FC on four-year deal

HIGHLY-RATED Limerick-born defender Paudie O'Connor has signed for EFL League One side Reading FC.

Twenty seven-year-old Ballybrown native O'Connor has joined 'the Royals on a four-year deal through to the summer of 2029.

O'Connor has joined the Noel Hunt-managed Reading side on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Lincoln City.

Boasting almost 350 professional appearances to date, the the Limerick man moves to Berkshire having captained Lincoln City for the past two seasons in Sky Bet League One.

READ NEXT: Munster Rugby confirm five new additions to Academy ahead of 2025/2026 season

During his time with the Imps, O'Connor made 142 appearances, scoring eight goals, having previously played 129 games for Bradford City.

"Paudie is a fantastic lad and will be a big character in the dressing room," Reading boss Noel Hunt told their club website.

"He's exactly the type of person we want at our football club for our rebuild, he's been a huge part of Lincoln's success over the past three years.

"We've had our eyes on him for a while and I've been a big admirer of his for some time.

"I knew about him when he was in the Leeds set-up, and I can't wait to work with him on a day to day basis."

Starting out for local side Kilcornan, O’Connor also appeared for Breska Rovers and Regional United before being picked up for Limerick’s U19s and moving on to the club’s senior side. 

O'Connor graduated into Limerick FCs First Team ahead of the 2015 campaign. He made 16 appearances for the 'Super Blues' in the SSE Airtticity League Premier Division campaign, which would end in relegation. However, Limerick FC bounced back the following season securing promotion in spectacular fashion, winning 24 of 28 league games and losing just once.

His form in the League of Ireland saw him capture the eye of second tier Leeds United, with the Whites signing O'Connor for an undisclosed fee on a two and a half year deal.

His initial spell at the club saw him feature for the Under 23s, before he gained his first taste of First Team action in the latter part of the 2017/18 campaign, a 90 minute performance at Elland Road against Sunderland. He followed up that impressive display with starts in the next three games, including the full 90 minutes at Villa Park.

Valuable loan experience was gained in 2018/19, firstly at Blackpool, with the centre back featuring for the Tangerines 19 times in Sky Bet League One. He scored for the Seasiders on two occasions, the second of which was a goal that halved the deficit in a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in the Carabao Cup.

After initially being recalled by Leeds, he moved to Bradford City on loan for the remainder of the season in January 2019. After impressing new Manager Gary Bowyer, he was handed the captain's armband for the Bantams' final three fixtures.

A permanent move across Yorkshire followed in 2019, signing a three year deal at Valley Parade. His breakout season came in 2020/21, where he made 42 league appearances, playing the full 90 minutes in all but six fixtures. He scooped the Player of the Year Award for his exploits in both 2021 and 2022, and added the Players' Player of the Year Award for the latter.

Following the expiration of his contract, he joined Lincoln City in the summer of 2022 on a three year contract. Following his first season, he was handed the captaincy at Sincil Bank, and would establish himself as a main stay and a fans favourite.

He played the full 90 minutes in three of the four ties between Lincoln and Reading in the past two seasons, so will be no stranger to his new teammates.