About John Connelly (footballer, born 1938)
John Michael Connelly (18 July 1938 – 25 October 2012) was an English footballer. He played as an outside forward and was capped 20 times for his country. == Burnley == Connelly began his playing career with St Helens Town in the Lancashire Combination. In November 1956, scouts from Burnley came to watch another player, but were so impressed by Connelly that he was offered a trial with Burnley, and subsequently made a permanent move to the club, who were then playing in the English top division. He made his debut away from home against Leeds United on 11 March 1957. It took two seasons for Connelly to gain a permanent place in the Burnley first team, which he did in the 1958–59 season, scoring 12 goals from 37 appearances, and ending the season as the team's second top scorer. He was predominantly a right winger who could also play on the left. He had the ball control and speed to beat the full back on the outside and deliver accurate crosses, but was also able to cut inside and score goals with either foot. For a winger, he was always a prolific goal scorer, scoring 105 goals for Burnley in 265 appearances. In the 1959–60 season, Connelly played a crucial part in helping Burnley to end as league champions for only the second time.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.