Loaned Wrexham defender Thomas O’Connor has been sanctioned for sports betting during his time at Southampton and Gilingham.
Be it matchdays or non-matchdays, the Racecourse never disappoints in presenting talkable discussions to the fans. The only catch being that sometimes it surprises the oldest of fans with situations unforeseen and unexpected.
That’s what has happened this time around. While fans may still not be over George Dobson’s TOTW nomination, they’ve been hit by a lightning of update in loanee Thomas O’Connor’s FA sanction.
As per FA’s report, the 26-year-old had breached Rule E8(prohibiting gambling by participants) multiple times during his Southampton and Gillingham days. On account of this, O’Connor has been imposed a £4,200 fine with a formal warning given.
What next for Thomas O’Connor’s playing career?
Despite the sanction by FA, the silver lining for O’Connor remains that his career is safe from any sorts of ban. This comes after the center-back owned up to his offense immediately, with the promise of not indulging in betting again.
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The excerpt from his FA submissions read: “None of the bets he had placed had been based on any inside information, and were nothing other than “honest punts, with small stakes”. He said that he placed bets “simply to alleviate boredom”.
“He had not placed any bets on football matches since May 2021 and would not place any bets on football matches going forward.”
Wrexham get unnecessarily dragged in FA drama
While the timeline clearly reveals about O’Connor’s offence dating back to his pre-Wrexham time, the Welsh club have been somewhat tainted for their proximity with him. Never before had Wrexham or any of their players had been involved in betting offence, which changes now.
Unequivocally, that feels harsh on Wrexham’s part, but it’s not the first time they suffer for FA actions.
Just weeks before, Club Captain James McClean was punished with a 3-game ban for a violent conduct. While the decision stood perfectly fair, Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney got lucky enough despite a similar conduct done within the next days.
Though a Boro draw in that matchday where Wrexham won served unofficial justice, the Welsh club and fans are fair to feel gutted on FA calls.
Is it over for Thomas O’Connor at Wrexham?
Having left Wrexham on loan for getting regular game-time, O’Connor’s spell at Peterborough hasn’t been a bad one sportingly. Still, the recent FA Cup sanction can change his image among the Wrexham faithful.
Contracted to return past this season, O’Connor might find himself out-of-favour again. A permanent departure may be another option for Wrexham if they decide to cut ties from the back-to-back-t0-back promotion winner.
Even ignoring the latest tale, Thomas O’Connor’s days at Wrexham are practically over. Having slipped down Phil Parkinson’s pecking order at the beginning of this season, his scenario feels hardly improving given Max Cleworth, Dom Hyam and Callum Doyle’s performances.
What this means is Thomas O’Connor may be the next one among former Wrexham heroes to part ways with the club. With the Dragons deciding to move on from even Elliot Lee, there’s hardly any chance for O’Connor to walk back into a competitive Wrexham lineup ever again.
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