A youth with his native Monaghan United and later Wolverhampton Wanderers, Mark joined Bolton at age 17 in the summer of 2009 for a £1,000,000 fee. His first taste of professional football came in Scotland while on loan at St Johnstone, making his debut in March 2010. By 2011, Mark had represented Ireland at U17, U19 and U21 level. He became captain of Bolton Wanderers's reserve side during the 2011-12 season before going on loan to Macclesfield for a short spell. This would be his final season with Wanderers, before leaving to join Crawley Town on a two-year deal.
During his two seasons with Crawley he became a first team regular and was beginning to attract attention from Championship clubs, quickly becoming a favourite amongst supporters for his "head on the line" defensive style. As a free agent in 2014, he opted to join Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock despite offers from the higher divisions in England. In his first season at Rugby Park he held down a place as a regular before a broken collarbone unfortunately ended his season. Following a recovery, Mark was named as Kilmarnock's new captain for the 2015-16 campaign. Injury curtailed his opportunities however and at the end of the season his contract was cancelled.
In the summer of 2016, Mark returned to recently relegated Crawley Town where he played a further two full seasons, this time in League Two. Midway through the 2018-19 campaign, he handed in a transfer request and later left to sign for United on a two and a half year deal for an undisclosed fee. Making his debut against Morton at Tannadice a few days later, he formed an impressive partnership with Mark Reynolds.
One of the leadership group at the Club, Mark is as vital off the park as on the park with his professional attitude and desire for success.
Player Background
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Date of Birth
16/12/1991
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Nationality
Irish
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Height
1,85m
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Previous Clubs
Bolton Wanderers, St Johnstone (loan), Macclesfield Town (loan), Crawley Town, Kilmarnock, Crawley Town
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Date Signed
31/01/2019
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Debut
2.2.19 v Morton
Player Sponsorship
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Home Kit Sponsor
Tayside Machinery Limited
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Away Kit Sponsor
Angus & Perthshire Bearings Ltd
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Boots Sponsor
e-mail commercial@dundeeunitedfc.co.uk to enquire about this sponsorship
The First Team
-
Vice Captain
Benjamin
Siegrist
Goalkeeper
1 -
Liam
Smith
Defender
2 -
Adrián
Spörle
Defender
3 -
Dillon
Powers
Midfielder
4 -
Vice Captain
Mark
Connolly
Defender
5 -
Captain
Mark
Reynolds
Defender
6 -
On Loan
Paul
McMullan
Midfielder
7 -
Peter
Pawlett
Midfielder
8 -
Loanee Player
Marc
McNulty
Forward
9 -
Nicky
Clark
Forward
10 -
On Loan
Cammy
Smith
Forward
11 -
Ryan
Edwards
Defender
12 -
Florent
Hoti
Midfielder
14 -
Logan
Chalmers
Forward
15 -
Adam
King
Midfielder
16 -
Jamie
Robson
Defender
17 -
Vice Captain
Calum
Butcher
Midfielder
18 -
Deniz
Mehmet
Goalkeeper
19 -
Luke
Bolton
Midfielder
20 -
Declan
Glass
Midfielder
21 -
Kieran
Freeman
Defender
22 -
Ian
Harkes
Midfielder
23 -
Lawrence
Shankland
Forward
24 -
Kai
Fotheringham
Forward
25 -
Chris
Mochrie
Midfielder
26 -
Louis
Appéré
Forward
27 -
On Loan
Jake
Davidson
Defender
28 -
Ross
Graham
Defender
29 -
Lewis
Neilson
Defender
30 -
Jack
Newman
Goalkeeper
31 -
Archie
Meekison
Midfielder
32 -
Darren
Watson
Forward
36 -
Jeando
Fuchs
Midfielder
66