Newport County AFC are saddened to announce the immediate retirement of club captain Mark O’Brien.
The 27-year-old central defender requires heart surgery which will prevent him from carrying on with
his playing career.
Mark joined the Exiles on a short-term contract in January 2017 and ended that season by scoring arguably one of the most significant goals in the club’s history since returning to the Football League. He netted the winning strike against Notts County that secured the Great Escape and wrote his name into County folklore.
Since then, Mark has been a first choice for the club and played a key role in our FA Cup runs and reaching the League Two Play-Off Final last year. He was appointed club captain at the start of the 2019-20 season.
After starting his career at Derby County, Mark played for Luton Town before joining County. He also made loan appearances at Motherwell and Southport. Mark appeared in 204 matches during his senior career, scoring 5 goals – including 127 appearances and 4 goals for the Exiles in all competitions. Mark also won two caps for the Republic of Ireland U19 team.
The Club will be doing everything it can to support Mark at this difficult time.