Callum O'Dowda

Callum O'Dowda

Personal information
Full name	Callum Joshua Ryan O'Dowda[1]
Date of birth	23 April 1995[2]
Place of birth	Kidlington, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Playing position	Left winger
Club information
Current team	Bristol City
Number	11
Youth career
0000–2013	Oxford United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2016	Oxford United	87	(12)
2016–	Bristol City	14	(0)
National team^‡
2015–	Republic of Ireland U21	9	(1)
2016–	Republic of Ireland	3	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:26, 3 December 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:59, 9 October 2016 (UTC)

Callum Joshua Ryan O'Dowda (born 23 April 1995) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Bristol City and the Republic of Ireland national team. His main strengths are his pace, skill and crossing.^[3]

Career

Oxford United

O'Dowda is a product of the Oxford United youth academy, which he joined when he was nine.^[4] His performances for the academy in the 2012–13 season led him being awarded a Young Player of the Year award,^[5] after which he was offered his first professional contract with the club, keeping him for two years with a further one-year option.^[6][7]

After making an impression in a pre-season friendly,^[8] O'Dowda made his professional debut on 6 August 2013 in a League Cup first-round tie against Charlton Athletic.^[9] His league debut came as a substitute versus Southend United in a League Two fixture on 6 October 2013.^[10] In his first season at Oxford United, O'Dowda made 13 appearances for the club in all competitions.

The 2014–15 season proved to be a breakthrough for O'Dowda, with his first-team opportunities increased by new manager Michael Appleton.^[11] He scored his first league goal for Oxford United against Exeter City on 13 September 2014,^[12] a goal that was nominated for Goal of the Season.^[13] Between 17 January 2015 and 31 January 2015, he scored two goals in three games, against Southend United^[14] and Stevenage respectively.^[15] O'Dowda signed a three-year contract with the club in February.^[16][17] A few weeks later, he scored his third goal, in a 1–0 win over Bury on 7 March 2015.^[18] O'Dowda finished the 2014–15 season having made 39 league appearances and scoring four times.

O'Dowda made a promising start to the 2015–16 season, scoring twice in his first five league appearances, against Notts County^[19] and Yeovil Town.^[20] He began to attract interest from other clubs, though no bid was received.^[21] O'Dowda scored two more goals at the end of 2015, against Accrington Stanley in the league^[22] and Yeovil Town in the Football League Trophy.^[23] He scored three more goals in the second half of the season, the first against Notts County^[24] and then twice against Barnet.^[25] On 3 April 2016 he scored Oxford's first goal in the final of the Football League Trophy at Wembley Stadium, though Oxford ultimately lost 3–2 to Barnsley.^[26] Nine days later, he scored his seventh league goal of the season, in a 5–1 win over Crawley Town.^[27] O'Dowda scored the final goal in a 3–0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers on 7 May 2016 that secured Oxford United's promotion to League One.^[28] Despite international commitments and injuries,^[29] O'Dowda finished the season with 38 league appearances (20 as a substitute) and 8 league goals.

Bristol City

On 14 July 2016, O'Dowda signed for Football League Championship side Bristol City for an undisclosed fee of around £1.25 million, potentially rising to £1.6 million depending on incentives. He signed on a three-year contract.^[30] Upon signing for Bristol City, O'Dowda said that had been a difficult decision to leave his hometown club.^[31]

International career

In March 2015, O'Dowda was called up by Republic of Ireland U21 after becoming eligible for the national team through his late grandfather,^[32] Brendan O'Dowda,^[33] a famous Irish tenor who was born in Dundalk. O'Dowda told the club's website "I am very proud and very excited to have the call up. It is a privilege to be included. I was approached a few weeks ago to see if I would be interested because of my family’s Irish background. I jumped at the chance and can’t wait to be involved."^[34]

O'Dowda made his Ireland U21 debut on 26 March 2015, playing 90 minutes, in a 1–0 win over Andorra U21.^[35] He scored his first goal for the U21s in a qualifying match for the 2017 U21 European Championships on 28 March 2016, the only Irish goal in a 3–1 defeat to Slovenia.^[36][37]

On 12 May 2016, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad.^[38] He made his début for Ireland on 31 May, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Belarus.^[39] However, on 31 May 2016, O'Dowda was among few players to be cut from the UEFA Euro 2016 squads.^[40]

On 9 October 2016, he made his competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier in Moldova, coming on as a second-half substitute for Shane Long.^[41] As a result, he is tied to Ireland and no longer eligible for England.

Career statistics

As of 6 August 2016^[42]

Club statistics

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Oxford United	2013–14	10	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	13	0
	2014–15	39	4	3	0	0	0	1	0	43	4
	2015–16	38	8	5	0	2	0	5	2	50	10
Total	87	12	9	0	3	0	7	2	106	14
Bristol City	2016–17	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Career total		98	12	9	0	3	0	7	2	107	14

References

1. "Professional Retain List & Free Transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
2. "Callum O'Dowda". 11v11. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
3. "Callum O'Dowda Profile". Oxford United F.C. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
4. "Callum O'Dowda lands award". Oxford Mail. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
5. "Mr Wright". Oxford United F.C. 20 April 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
6. "Oxford United sign academy trio". BBC Sport. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
7. "U's give young trio a chance". Sky Sports. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
8. "O'Dowda delivers as Oxford United are held". Oxford Mail. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
9. "Charlton 4–0 Oxford Utd". BBC Sport. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
10. "Oxford United 0–2 Southend United". BBC Sport. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
11. "xford United: Callum O'Dowda hails 'incredible' breakthrough". BBC Sport. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
12. "Exeter City 1–1 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
13. "Goal of the Season". Oxford United F.C. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
14. "Oxford United 2–3 Southend United". BBC Sport. 17 January 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
15. "Stevenage 0–2 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
16. "Callum O'Dowda Signs New Deal With Oxford United". Oxford United F.C. 25 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
17. "Jeremy Balmy: Oxford United sign French striker on short-term deal". BBC Sport. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
18. "Bury 0 – 1 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
19. "Oxford United 3 – 1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
20. "Oxford United 2 – 0 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
21. "No moves for Callum O'Dowda, says Oxford United chief executive". Oxford Mail. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
22. "Accrington 1–3 Oxford: Sercombe brace sinks Stanley". Sky Sports. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
23. "Oxford 3–2 Yeovil: United reach Johnstone's Paint Trophy area final". Sky Sports. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
24. "Notts County 2 – 4 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
25. "Two-goal Callum O'Dowda: Oxford United fans made win at Barnet feel like a home game". Oxford Mail. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
26. Cartwright, Phil (3 April 2016). "Barnsley 3–2 Oxford United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
27. "REPORT Crawley Town 1 Oxford United 5". Oxford United F.C. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
28. "Oxford Utd 3 Wycombe Wanderers 0". BBC Sport. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
29. "MacDonald and O'Dowda Return to Training". Oxford United. 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
30. "Callum O'Dowda: Bristol City sign Oxford United and Republic of Ireland winger". BBC Sport. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
31. "Callum O'Dowda: 'It was a hard decision to leave Oxford United'". Oxford Mail. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
32. Gill, Kieran (17 January 2016). "Derby's £1million move for Oxford United winger Callum O'Dowda held up over 20-year-old's £10,000-a-week wage demands". Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
33. "O'Dowda proud of U21 call-up". Sky Sports. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
34. "Callum Called Up for Republic". Oxford United F.C. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
35. Dalton, Dan (26 March 2015). "Republic of Ireland U21 1–0 Andorra U21: Connolly strike spares blushes". Goal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
36. "VIDEO: Callum O'Dowda's goal for Ireland Under 21s". Oxford Mail. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
37. Murphy, Ronan (28 March 2016). "Slovenia U21 3–1 Republic of Ireland U21: Boys in Green edge closer to Euro exit". Goal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
38. "Callum O'Dowda: Oxford United midfielder handed Republic of Ireland call-up". BBC Sport. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
39. "Belarus spoil Ireland's Euro 2016 send-off in Cork". The42.ie. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
40. "Oxford United's Callum O'Dowda: It's been a dream season for club and country". Oxford Mail. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
41. Malone, Emmet (9 October 2016). "James McClean's double wipes away Moldova challenge". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
42. Callum O'Dowda career statistics at Soccerbase