EP34: Mark O'Brien (former Derby County, Newport County defender)

Mark O'Brien made his debut for Derby County in the Championship aged 16 and went on to make nearly 200 career appearances for Motherwell, Luton Town, Southport and Newport County. The former Republic of Ireland youth international retired aged 27 having had open heart surgery and in this episode, Mark tells Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Joe Dixon about how he dealt with this life-threatening situation. Since retiring, Mark is now a member of staff at Newport County and is passionate about supporting the development of young players. Reflecting on his own playing career, Mark describes the importance of routine and the need for taking personal responsibility. Mark describes experiencing pre-match nerves in the form of vomiting prior to kick-off and the role of perspective in helping individuals perform under pressure. This episode was recorded via Microsoft Teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices