By David Williams
Mark O’Brien has become the second Newport County player in little more than a year to retire because of heart problems.
The County captain – a goalscoring hero from the Great Escape season three years ago – has been forced to end his playing days on medical advice at the age of 27.
O’Brien has been told he requires surgery and follows Fraser Franks into retirement after Franks was advised to quit in March 2017.
O’Brien, formerly of Derby and Luton, scored four times in 127 appearances for the Exiles.
The defender netted the winning goal against Notts County in 2017 which helped Newport avoid relegation from League Two and retain their Football League status.
A Newport statement read: “The club will be doing everything it can to support Mark at this difficult time.”
O’Brien did have heart surgery when a teenager at Derby before going on to earn regular football at Motherwell.
He joined Newport in 2017 and became a fan hero that year when he scored the last minute winner against Notts County that kept the Exiles out of non-League.
He played a key role in helping the club reach the League Two play-off final last year while also impressing for Newport in the FA Cup.
He was appointed club captain at the start of the 2019-20 season.
Speaking about his previous heart operation to the Daily Mail last year, O’Brien said: “I made my debut at the end of the 2008-09 season and after coming back for the new season we had these routine scans and they just said one day I had a faulty valve.
“The fitness coach had always said my heart rate was really high and I put two and two together and asked if it was down to the valve.
“I was taken to see the specialist and got told I wouldn’t need an operation for 60 years. I then saw another specialist who did an MRI and said on a scale of 1-10, bleeding back into your heart is about seven. Suddenly alarm bells start.
“They were like, “You might not need an op for 20 years but we need to keep an eye on it”. Then we were referred to a surgeon to get his opinion and we were in this tiny room — me, my parents, the physio and the surgeon — and he had a model heart in his hand.
Defender Mark O’Brien Sparks Wild Newport County Celebrations https://t.co/lBU2bY9wLg via @Dai_Sport_
— Terry Phillips (@ElTelPhillips) May 7, 2017
“He said, “Your heart is three times the size it should be and if you don’t have this operation soon you’ll die this year”.
“I’m like, “OK, what was that now?” Oh my god. I’d gone in weeks from making my debut at 16, to needing surgery in the next two weeks or maybe dropping dead on the pitch.
“What does a kid do with information like that? My only question was could I still play after I had the surgery? He said he couldn’t guarantee it.’
“I came around in intensive care and I was in hospital for a week. At first I couldn’t walk from my bed to the door without stopping and I was on seven tablets a day for four months.
“Nigel Clough was fantastic with me, really supportive, but it’s hard to keep away dark thoughts about your career in that situation.
“I just remember telling myself if I ever made it back from that surgery, I would never doubt myself again.”