Tony McMahon


Anthony McMahon is an English professional footballer who last played as a right back for Oxford United.
Born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, McMahon started his playing career with Middlesbrough, with whom he spent eight seasons, including loan spells with Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday, before moving to Sheffield United in 2012. McMahon was capped at international youth level, playing in the 2003 Under-17 and 2005 Under-19 European Football Championships.

Club career

Middlesbrough

McMahon began playing football at Barnard Castle before joining Middlesbrough at age twelve. After signing professional terms upon turning seventeen, McMahon captained the youth team to the 2003–04 FA Youth Cup title, along with fellow academy graduates Andrew Taylor, David Wheater and Adam Johnson. He was then called up to the first team p in pre-season 2003-04 and stood for to cover during friendlies.
At the age of eighteen, McMahon made his Premier League debut against Manchester United on 3 October 2004, playing alongside former manager Gareth Southgate. Eighteen days later on 21 October 2004, he made his European debut in the UEFA Cup group stage match away win at Aigaleo. His good showing earned plaudits from the likes of Alan Hansen. Following this, McMahon received a handful of first team football, starting fourteen matches for the side. This prompted Manager Steve McClaren saying: "If anyone can handle Old Trafford in the way in which Tony did on his debut, then we know that he can be relied on in the future. He did well again at Blackburn and, while he is still very young, he can have a bright future if he continues to learn and make progress." This resulted in the club starting contract negotiations with McMahon in mid-January, and he signed a contract on 4 February 2005, keeping him at the club until 2008.Due to strong competition in the club’s defence, he was dropped from the starting line–up for a month and made his return to the starting line–up, in a 4–4 draw against Norwich City on 22 January 2005. However, after being featured for the next two matches, McMahon’s return to the first team was once again and was dropped from the squad. But he did make an appearance for the side against Sporting CP in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup second leg, which saw Middlesbrough lose 1–0, eliminating them from the tournament. However, during the match, McMahon suffered a knee injury, resulting in his substitution and following surgery, it was announced that he was sidelined for the rest of the 2004–05 season. At the end of the 2004–05 season, in which he made 13 appearances, McMahon was named the club's young player of the year.
However, the 2005–06 season saw McMahon suffered a shoulder injury during the club’s reserve match and was sidelined for the next six months. By January, he made his recovery from his shoulder injury and made his return to training. McMahon returned to the starting line–up in a reserve match and played 61 minutes, in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion’s Reserve. A month later on 19 February 2006, he returned to the first team and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half time, in a 2–0 win against Preston North End in the fifth round of the FA Cup. However, his return was short–lived after McMahon suffered a knee injury following a tackle and was substituted in the 13th minutes as a result, in a 2–1 loss against Charlton Athletic on 11 March 2006. It wasn’t until on 29 April 2006 when he returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 loss against Everton. At the end of the 2005–06 season, McMahon made four appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2006–07 season, McMahon was sidelined with a hamstring injury during a 1–0 loss against Darlington in a pre–season friendly match. But he made his return from injury in a pre–season friendly match against Feyenoord, coming on a 77th minutes substitute, in a 2–0 loss on 6 August 2006. But his return was short–lived when McMahon found himself out of favour under the management of Gareth Southgate. But he did make his only appearance of the 2006–07 season, starting a match and played 61 minutes before being substituted, losing 1–0 against Notts County in the second round of the League Cup. However during a 3–2 win against Liverpool’s Reserve on 20 October 2006, McMahon suffered a leg injury and was substituted in the 30th minutes as a result. As a result, he was sidelined for the next four months. It wasn’t until on 27 February 2007 when McMahon returned to the reserve side, coming on as a 61st minutes substitute, in a 1–0 loss against Blackburn Rovers Reserves. Three months later, however, McMahon suffered a knock towards the end of the 2006–07 season.
Ahead of the 2007–08 season, McMahon continued to recover from the knock he sustained last season. It wasn’t until on 4 September 2007 when he made his return from injury, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool Reserves. After his loan spell at Blackpool ended due to a hamstring injury, McMahon continued to recover from his injury and didn’t make a return until March. It wasn’t until on the last game of the season when he returned to the Middlesbrough first team as a substitute in the 8–1 victory over Manchester City. At the end of the 2007–08 season, McMahon signed a one-year contract extension.
After being recalled by Middlesbrough, McMahon made his first appearance of the 2008–09 season in a 1–1 draw at home to Arsenal on 13 December 2008. Since making his return, he played regularly for the remainder of the season, appearing in and out of the starting line–up. He spoke out about his first team football, saying: "Last year it was up to me to prove myself. The gaffer gave me one more year and it was up to me then to show him and everyone at the club that I’m over my injuries. I’m back fit now and negotiating my new contract with my performances, hopefully. I’ve had a full season now of not being injured. I went out on loan, played well and then came back and got back in the team. I was then out of the team for a while but now I’m back in and I’m getting my head down and working hard and hopefully everything will fall into place." At the end of April, McMahon signed a new three-year deal. However, he ended the season on a low note as Boro were relegated after playing out a draw at home to Aston Villa. At the end of the 2008–09 season, McMahon made fifteen appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2009–10 season, Manager Southgate selected McMahon to start the opening match of the new season, keeping a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against Sheffield United. For his performance, he was named Football League Team of the Week. The team kept four consecutive clean sheets, and McMahon continued in the side for several weeks, becoming the club’s first choice in the right–back position at the expense of Justin Hoyte. This last until he was dropped from the starting line–up in favour of the returning Hoyte. McMahon returned for the next three matches before losing his first team place once again and demoted to the substitute bench. It wasn’t until on 28 November 2009 when he returned to the starting line–up, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against Peterborough United. Following this, McMahon regained his first team place for the next two months, playing in the right–back position. By February, however, he suffered a foot injury that kept him out for the rest of the 2009–10 season, as 'Boro struggled to adapt to life in the Championship. Despite this, McMahon made twenty–one appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2010–11 season, McMahon continued to recover from a foot injury for the next two months. By September, he managed to recover from his foot injury. It wasn’t until on 18 September 2010 when McMahon made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a 79th minutes substitute, in a 3–1 win against Reading. He then regained his first team place, playing in the right–back position. McMahon then played a role when he set up the club’s second goal of the game, in a 2–1 loss against Crystal Palace on 6 November 2010. McMahon spent a month throughout December, appearing from the substitute bench. He then set up the club’s second goal of the game, in a 4–0 win against Bristol City on 15 January 2011. McMahon then scored his first goal for the club, a long-range free kick in a 2–0 win over Scunthorpe United on 1 February 2011, followed by his second three weeks later on 26 February 2011, in a 3–2 win over Millwall. Since the start of the second half of the season, he regained his first team place in the starting line–up, playing in the right–back position for the next seventeen matches. McMahon then set up two goals, in a 2–1 win against Derby County on 8 March 2011. This last until he suffered ankle injury that saw him missed two matches. It wasn’t until on 2 May 2011 when McMahon returned to the starting line–up against Cardiff City, setting up the club’s first goal of the game, in a 3–0 win. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make thirty–five appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2011–12 season, McMahon was sent off during Middlesbrough's 1–0 win against Leeds United after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Jonny Howson. After serving a one-match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up, helping the side win 3–1 against Birmingham City on 21 August 2011. McMahon then kept five consecutive clean sheets between 10 September 2011 and 1 October 2011. McMahon then set up the club’s opening goal of the game, in a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 15 October 2011.Throughout the first half of the season, he continued to regain his first team place, playing in the right–back position. McMahon also played twice in the midfield position later in the 2011–12 season. However by the second half of the season, he found his himself in and out of the starting line–up, which saw him placed in the substitute bench later in the 2011–12 season. Despite this, McMahon scored his first Middlesbrough goal of season in a 2–2 draw against Leicester City on 1 February 2012. He also named the John Ovington Community Player of the Year award for his continued willingness to support good causes at the club’s award ceremony. Having made 39 appearances and scoring once in all competitions, McMahon was released by Middlesbrough, ending his eight-year association with the club despite being offered a new contract. During his time at Middlesbrough, McMahon made 135 appearances and scored three times in all competitions.

Loan Spells from Middlesbrough

McMahon spent a month of the 2007–08 season on loan to Blackpool. He made his Blackpool debut on his first day at the club, playing 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over Scunthorpe United at Bloomfield Road on 10 November 2007. After appearing twice for Blackpool, McMahon returned to his parent club, having suffered a hamstring injury.
It was announced on 9 July 2008 that McMahon moved to Sheffield Wednesday on a month's loan. He made his Sheffield Wednesday debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Preston North End on 23 August 2008. McMahon was selected in the Championship Team of the Week following his performance against Watford on 13 September 2008. This was followed by an agreement to extend his loan until 15 November 2008. However, during a 2–1 loss against Barnsley on 21 October 2008, he was sent–off in the 34th minutes " for showing his studs in a challenge on Rob Kozluk". After serving a three match suspension, McMahon returned to the first team, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 1–0 win against Doncaster Rovers on 8 November 2008. He then scored his first career goal during his time at Sheffield Wednesday, against Norwich City on 29 November, his last appearance for the team. It was announced on 1 December 2008 that McMahon was recalled by Middlesbrough.

Sheffield United

Having been released by Middlesbrough, McMahon signed a two-year deal with Sheffield United at the end of July 2012. Upon joining the club, he was a given a number twenty–nine shirt, the same number he had at Middlesbrough.
McMahon made his debut in United's first game of the season, a loss on penalties to Burton Albion in the League Cup. Since making his debut for the club, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven and played regularly in defence as the Blades chased promotion.
McMahon then helped the side kept four consecutive clean sheets between 20 October 2012 and 6 November 2012. Since the start of the 2012 –13 season, McMahon started in every matches until a match against Milton Keynes Dons on 10 November 2012, he suffered a hamstring injury that saw him substituted in the 25th minutes and missed two matches as a result. It wasn’t until on 24 November 2012 when McMahon returned to the starting line–up against Brentford but his return was short–lived after he suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted in the 61st minutes, resulting in him missing two matches. He then returned to the starting line–up from injury, starting the whole game and helped the club kept a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against Tranmere Rovers on 15 December 2012. McMahon then scored his first goals for United came on 22 December 2012, when he scored two 30-yard free kicks to secure a 2–0 win over Crawley Town at the Broadfield Stadium, taking United to the top of the League One table. Two weeks later on 5 January 2013, McMahon scored "with a first-half free kick from 20 yards" in the third round of the FA Cup, in a 3–0 win over Oxford United. He, once again, helped the side kept six consecutive clean sheets between 12 February 2013 and 9 March 2013. McMahon continued to start every matches since returning from injury until he was suspended for two matches. His first season at Sheffield United ended in play-off failure as they lost 2–1 to Yeovil Town in the play-off semi-finals, though McMahon himself missed the end of the season and the play-offs with an Achilles tendon injury; he was told by a London specialist that he did not require surgery, but still missed most of pre-season. His goal against Crawley Town was declared the Goal of the Season at the Blades' end-of-season dinner. Despite this, McMahon finished his first season at the club, making forty–two appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2013–14 season, McMahon continued to recover from his Achilles tendon injury and missed three matches as a result. It wasn’t until on 17 August 2013 when he made his first appearance of the 2013–14 season, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Colchester United. Since returning from injury, McMahon started in the next eight matches before missing one match, due to suspension. He continued to regain his first team place for the side until his departure from the club in January. By the time McMahon departed from Sheffield United, he made twenty–six appearance in all competitions.

Blackpool

Despite regaining fitness and playing regularly in United's first team during the 2013–14 season, McMahon was loaned to Blackpool in January 2014. Manager Nigel Clough explained his departure, saying: "We have had to sacrifice Tony McMahon to get the deal done but, fortunately, we have managed to bring in John Brayford, which gives us further defensive options. We were not looking to move Tony on but with his contract up in the summer this gives him a chance to impress at Championship level."
McMahon made his second debut for the club in a 1–1 draw with Doncaster Rovers the following day. On 30 January 2014, he turned his loan spell with Blackpool permanent after Blackpool decided to take up the rest of his contract. McMahon started for the next five matches, playing in the right–back position until he was suspended for one match. He then returned to the starting line–up against Millwall on 11 March 2014, setting up the only goal of the game, in a 1–0 win. Since returning, he regained his first team place for the rest of the season. His performance also earned him Wonga Player of the Month award for March. By the end of the 2013–14 season, McMahon had made 18 appearances for Blackpool.
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, McMahon signed a contract with the club, keeping him until 2015, becoming José Riga's first signing. He was given the captain's armband for the first two pre-season friendly matches against Penrith and Burnley,and then retained the captaincy into the league season, starting with the opening game, a 2–0 loss against Nottingham Forest. Since the start of the season, McMahon continued to regain his first team place, playing in the right–back position. He scored his first Blackpool goal in a 4–2 loss against Huddersfield Town on 18 October 2014. Having served a suspension after picking five yellow cards, McMahon was, once again, sent off in the 41st minute of a 2–2 draw against Fulham on 5 November 2014 for a "petulant swing of a leg at Hugo Rodallega". After serving a three match suspension, he returned from suspension, coming on as a 61st minutes substitute, in a 1–0 win against Birmingham City on 6 December 2014. McMahon then set up two goals in the next two matches for the side. Although McMahon regained his first team place since returning from suspension, Blackpool secured just 20 points in 32 matches under his captaincy by the time he departed from the club.At the end of the 2014–15 season, McMahon was released in May 2015.

Bradford City

Having missed the last three games at Blackpool, McMahon signed on loan for Bradford City on 27 March 2015 until the end of the season. He made his Bradford City debut the next day, coming on as a substitute for Christopher Routis in the 85th minute of a 2–0 win over Oldham Athletic. His first Bradford City goal came a week later, on 3 April 2015, in a 3–0 win over Doncaster Rovers. McMahon ended his loan at Bradford City having made eight appearances and scoring once.
McMahon signed permanently for Bradford on 3 July after his contract at Blackpool expired. His first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis was the opening game of the season, a 4–1 defeat to Swindon Town, in which he played as a defensive midfielder and set up Bradford's only goal, scored by Josh Morris. At the start of the 2015–16 season, however, he lost his first team place, due to illness. Since returning from the sidelined, McMahon quickly regained his first team place, playing in the right midfield position. He then set up two goals in two matches between 20 October 2015 and 24 October 2015 against Bury and Wigan Athletic. McMahon, once again, set up two goals in two matches between 3 November 2015 and 14 November 2015. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Aldershot Town in the first round replay of the FA Cup. Three days later on 21 November 2015, McMahon scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Scunthorpe United. A month later, McMahon continued to play a vital role for the side when he first set up two goals, in a 4–0 win against Chesham United in the second round of the FA Cup and then scored his third goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against Chesterfield on 19 December 2015. His fourth goal of the season came on 16 January 2016, in a 1–0 win against Oldham Athletic. McMahon then assisted five goals in four matches between 6 February 2016 and 20 February 2016 against Burton Albion, Peterborough United, Southend United and Rochdale. He then scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Millwall in the first leg of the League One semi–final play–offs. However, Bradford City went on to be eliminated from the League One semi–final play–offs after losing 4–2 on aggregate following a draw in a return leg. Despite this, McMahon’s performance earned him third place in the club’s Player of the Year. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he made forty–nine appearances and scoring six times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2016–17 season, McMahon returned back to his right–back position following Stephen Darby’s injury. He then captained the side at the start of the 2016–17 season in absent of Romain Vincelot and made a good start to the season, earning ten points in the first four league matches. Despite losing to Accrington Stanley 11–10 on penalty shoot–out in the first round of the League Cup, he then scored twice, both coming from penalties and set up the club’s second goal of the game, in a 3–1 win against Coventry City on 20 August 2016. However in a lead up to a match against Coventry City, McMahon suffered a knock but was fit to be in the squad. Following the match against Coventry City, he tore his thigh muscle and was sidelined for initially six weeks but was further sidelined for a month. By mid–November, McMahon recovered from his injury and returned to full training. It wasn’t until on 26 December 2016 when he returned to the starting line–up, in a 0–0 draw against Scunthorpe United. Since returning from injury, McMahon continued to regain his first team place, playing in the right–back position. He then scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Gillingham on 4 February 2017. McMahon’s fourth goal of the season then came on 28 February 2017, in a 2–2 draw against Milton Keynes Dons. He then kept three consecutive clean sheets between 1 April 2017 and 14 April 2017 against Walsall, Bury and Oxford United. McMahon scored a brace, in a 3–0 win against AFC Wimbledon on 22 April 2017. He then helped Bradford City reach the final of the League One semi–final play–offs, beating Fleetwood Town 1–0 on aggregate and played a role of setting up a goal for Rory McArdle in the first leg. However in the EFL League One play-off Final, McMahon started in the match, as Bradford City lost 1–0 against Millwall. At the end of the 2016–17 season, he went on to make thirty–one appearances and scoring six times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2017–18 season, McMahon’s future at Bradford City was uncertain as his contract was set to expire in the summer. But it was announced on 3 July 2017 that he signed a one–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2018. At the start of the 2017–18 season, McMahon captained the side on three consecutive times between 12 August 2017 and 26 August 2017 in absent of Vincelot. He then provided four assists in three matches between on 26 August 2017 and 9 September 2017, including twice against Peterborough United. It wasn’t until on 23 September 2017 when McMahon scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against Northampton Town, which later saw him won September’s Goal of the Month. He then made his 100th appearance for the club, coming against Doncaster Rovers on 30 September 2017 and set up the club’s second goal of the game, in a 2–0 win. In a follow–up win against Milton Keynes Dons, McMahon set up the club’s first goal of the game before suffering a hamstring injury, resulting in his substitution and was out for three weeks. It wasn’t until on 28 October 2017, he returned to the starting line–up against Portsmouth and set up the only goal of the game, resulting in a 1–0 win. McMahon made nine more starts in the right–back position by the end of the year. Between December and February, he was plagued with injuries on three occasions. It wasn’t until on 3 February 2018 when McMahon returned to the starting line–up, in a 2–1 loss against Oldham Athletic. Having started the season playing in the right–back position, McMahon later rotated in playing midfield and defender positions, as well as, captain. At the end of the 2017–18 season, he made forty appearances and scoring once in all competitions. It was announced that McMahon was released by Bradford City at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Oxford United

In June 2018, McMahon signed a two-year deal with Oxford United.
Having quickly impressed the side in the pre–season, McMahon made his Oxford United debut, starting the whole game, in a 4–0 loss against Barnsley in the opening game of the season. However, he found himself out of the starting line–up for the next two months, due to the club’s poor start to the season, competition in the defence and his own injury concern. It wasn’t until on 2 October 2018 when McMahon returned to the starting line–up, helping the side lose 2–1 against Luton Town. He then followed up by helping the side kept three consecutive clean sheets against Southend United, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol Rovers. However, McMahon suffered a rib injury that saw him out for a month and even after returning, he never played for Oxford United again. By the time he was loaned out to Scunthorpe United, McMahon made 13 appearances in his first season, 10 of them in league matches, scoring a single goal, coming against Tottenham U23 on 18 December 2018.
Ahead of the 2019–20 season, McMahon was featured in the club’s pre–season matches, mostly coming on as a substitute. Due to his family living in North East England, he was released from his contract by mutual consent on 3 September 2019.

Loan to Scunthorpe United

Having found his first team opportunities hard to come by, McMahon was loaned to Scunthorpe United for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window. The club tried to sign him while he was at Bradford City but it was unsuccessful.
McMahon made his Scunthorpe United debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Coventry City on 5 January 2019. In a follow–up match against Walsall, he set up the club’s first goal of the game, in a 2–1 win. Since making his debut for the club, McMahon quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position. But he did rotated in playing the right–midfield position on four occasions. It wasn’t until on 12 March 2019 when McMahon scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up the club’s fourth goal of the game, in a 4–1 win against Southend United. Although he missed match, which was against his parent club Oxford United on 2 March 2019, McMahon suffered a hamstring injury during a 1–1 draw against Shrewsbury Town, resulting in his substitution in the 44th minutes; and was sidelined for the rest of the season. Due to his absent, the club were relegated to League Two. At the end of the 2018–19 season, making fourteen appearances and scoring once for the side, he returned to his parent club.

International career

McMahon was called up to the England national under-16 football team in July 2001, and he went on to make six appearances. His England U16 debut was against Scotland U16.
He was called up by England U17 for the Nordic International Tournament in 2002. He went on to make five appearances for the England U17.
After two years without representing England at any level, McMahon was included in the England U19 squad for a friendly match in January 2005 and made his England U19 debut on 9 February 2005, in a 1–1 draw against Belgium U19. He was first-choice right back for the U19s alongside Wheater, Taylor and James Morrison at the 2005 European Championships, where they lost to France in the final.

Career statistics

Personal life

McMahon was born in Bishop Auckland and grew up idolising Paul Gascoigne. Growing up, McMahon supported Manchester United and idolised as a child. He also have an elder brother. McMahon is married and in December 2008, he became a first time father when his partner had given birth to a baby boy.
His father, Tony McMahon Snr, was a Cricket Player. At one point, he played cricket, playing for Evenwood Cricket Club and was expected to follow his father’s footsteps. McMahon reflected on playing cricket, saying: "I played a lot of cricket when I was younger. I played against Australia when I was 15 and that was brilliant. It's really stayed in my mind because you don't get the chance to do something like that every day. I loved cricket and still do, but I only ever played when I wasn't playing football. I think Durham were interested in me at the time, but my football career took off before they were able to do anything about it. People have told me I could have made it in county cricket, but once things started to happen for me in football, it was never an option."
While progressing through the Middlesbrough’s academy, he spent three years at college, studying BTEC National Diploma in Sports Science and passed the course. Early in his Middlesbrough’s career, McMahon launched Future Goals, which is a new football and fitness programme for children and their parents to improve their lifestyles. It was revealed in The Telegraph and Argus article that McMahon plan on studying coaching once he retired from professional football.