O’Rourke Peter Image 1 Bradford City 1903

Description

Cambusnethan, near Newmilns, Lanarkshire born centre half Peter O’Rourke was a Scottish junior international who began his football career with Mossend Celtic from where he signed for Scottish League club Glasgow Celtic in February 1895, making his Scottish League debut against Third Lanark the same month.He helped Celtic to The Glasgow Charity Cup title at the end of the season. He played six times for Celtic in their Scottish League title winning season of 1895-96. He had played 9 times for Celtic by the time he signed for Lancashire League club New Brighton Tower in 1896, moving on to Second Division club Burnley in May 1897.

He had two seasons at Turf Moor, helping them to win the Second Division Championship in 1898, but he only played twice in the top flight and joined Lincoln City in the 1899 close season after a single goal in 18 matches for The Clarets. He stayed a single season at Sincil Bank missing only two matches for The Imps, but after 32 appearances he returned to Scotland to join Third Lanark in the summer of 1900.

After a single season with The Warriors he returned to Football League action with Second Division club Chesterfield Town in 1901, where he scored twice in 42 matches before joining newly elected Bradford City for their first Football League season in the summer of 1903. He scored twice in 49 matches for The Bantams over three seasons but after he was appointed as Bradford City’s manager in October 1905 in succession to Robert Campbell, he hung up his boots by the year end and in his third season won promotion and the Second Division Championship with The Bantams, famously guiding them to their 1911 FA Cup triumph when Jimmy Speirs scored their winner in their replayed victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

O’Rourke remained The Bantams’ manager through the First World War years and eventually left the role in June 1921 after 12 peacetime seasons with Bradford City still a top flight club. He managed Welsh League club Pontypridd for the 1921-22 season, and Dundee Hibernian (now Dundee United) from 1922 to 1923 before a return to Bradford and manager of Third Division (North) club Bradford Park Avenue in April 1924, although he lasted less than a year, leaving in February 1925. He returned to Bradford City, themselves now a Third Division (North) club, in May 1928 and immediately guided them to the League title and promotion in May 1929, helping Bradford consolidate in the Second Division before leaving Valley Parade in May 1930. Finally he joined Third Division (South) club Walsall in October 1930 where he had little success and left the club in February 1932. He finally spent 1932-33 as manager of Welsh League club Llanelli before retiring in July 1933.