Barry John Conlon (born 1 October 1978) is an Irish former professional footballer and Head Coach of New York-based LMFC Blue Jaguars As a player he was a striker from 1996 to 2013.
During the tournament Conlon impressed scouts from top schoolboy club Stella Maris and signed for the Dublin outfit in time for the prestigious Milk Cup held in Coleraine that summer.
Conlon struggled to find the net at Barnsley, and eventually lost his place in the side to players such as Rory Fallon and Michael Boulding.
Conlon was allowed to sign for Mansfield Town on a free transfer along with Lincoln City striker Martin Gritton.
Conlon joined newly relegated League Two side Bradford City on a one-year contract,[10] becoming new manager Stuart McCall's first signing, along with fellow striker Peter Thorne.
[11] His debut came on the first day of the 2007–08 season against Macclesfield Town when he saw a penalty kick saved and the rebound scored by Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu to secure a 1–1 draw.
[13] After missing a number of chances in a game against Brentford later in October, he came in for criticism from the fans and was dropped from the Bradford starting side for more than a month.
However, he turned down two loan moves away from Bradford[14] and scored his first goal from open play to seal a late 2–1 victory over Lincoln City on Boxing Day 2007.
[20] His first league goal of the season came just minutes after coming on as a substitute against Luton Town, to help Bradford gain a point with ten men.
[24] In March 2009, Conlon and defender Matthew Clarke were both dropped for a game with Exeter City and punished following a breach of club discipline.
[27] He scored a penalty in his second game to give Grimsby a 1–0 victory against Aldershot Town and lift them three points clear of the relegation zone.
Having partnered forwards Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and Adam Proudlock up front, Conlon scored five times in eight appearances to help seal Grimsby's league status.
[29][30] Conlon's season began on a plus point, scoring on the opening day game with Cheltenham Town, but he soon lost his place in the first team due to two red cards in three games which left him suspended for seven matches, in which his team seemingly struggled too find an adequate replacement who could find the back of the net.
Conlon's release to Chesterfield had been slightly criticised by some supporters because of the fact he was the Grimsby's current seasonal top goalscorer, and was seemingly the only proven goal scorer in the ranks at Blundell Park.
[33] Conlon later admitted that after an enjoyable loan spell with Grimsby his "heart wasn't in it" when he signed permanently for the club and that his commuting from his Leeds home had left him exhausted.
[35] Conlon scored on his Chesterfield debut to give them a 1–0 victory against Torquay United and lift his new side into the promotion play-off spots.
[36] On 23 January 2010, it was announced that prior to his move to Saltergate, Conlon was offered to Accrington Stanley as part of a six-figure deal to lure striker Michael Symes to Blundell Park.
As a result of failing to qualify for the League Two play-offs, Chesterfield manager John Sheridan released Conlon, along with 11 other players, on 12 March 2010.
[42] He left the club at the end of the 2010–11 season, and briefly joined Monaghan United on trial, but failed to earn a contract.