There’s nothing much that stands out when it comes to links between Derby County and their FA Cup Second Round opponents, Newport County.
The two sides have only faced each other four times in history with the last of those games coming well over 30 years ago in 1986.
One thing that does link both however brings us right into more recent times in the shape of former defender Mark O’Brien.
The 30-year-old suited up for both the Rams and the Exiles, fittingly starting his career in Derbyshire in 2009, playing 35 times, before finishing up with the Welsh outfit in 2020.
Unfortunately for O’Brien, his career was cut short due to health issues at just 28-years-old and with 200 appearances to his name, having undergone heart surgery in his early years with Derby in the Academy. He required more surgery while at Newport, forcing him to call time on his playing days.
He remains part of the set up at Newport in a non-playing role and admits he’s been wanting this fixture to happen for as long as he can remember.
RamsTV sat down with the Irishman ahead of the contest for an exclusive interview earlier this week.
On Sunday’s game…
I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been a fixture, ever since I left Derby, that I always wanted to happen. I just wish I was on the playing side of things. I was over the moon to see it happen once Derby got through against Torquay in the replay last week.
On staying with Newport after retirement…
I’m part of the staff. The club have been amazing for me through retirement and through the open-heart surgery.
My allegiance will be with them, but I’ve always said from the beginning that Derby is somewhere that feels like a home from home for me. It’s where I started my career. They are a team I’ve always kept an eye out for - but Sunday will be a little bit different!
On his relationship with Derby…
They were a team I chose at the age of 15 to come over and play for. They were more than happy to sign me, they were looking forward to getting me in the building and I made my debut for the club at only 16. It was somewhere that felt like home, I always felt so comfortable and relaxed.
I probably didn’t play half as much as I would have liked to but the times I did play, I hope I showed that the club itself meant a lot to me.
They stuck with me through thick and thin, through my very first open-heart surgery and without the club backing me at such an early time in my career, I may not have had a career so the club means an awful lot to me.
On his role at Newport now…
I’ve taken up a player care role which is something that I feel, in my own experience, is incredibly important. When you have someone in a club that you feel is there for you and has your best interests at heart, you are going to play your best football there. For me to play that part of: if someone is having an off day, if someone has troubles at home, troubles settling in or anything else, I can be there for a shoulder to lean on and try and help them out. I’m also not someone that is shy of pulling them if they aren’t doing something they are supposed to be doing and telling them to pull their finger out.
It stems down to the academy too, when they are trying to build their careers I’m someone that is going to tell them the realities of what it takes to be a football. It’s a really tough job and business to sustain but if they are given all the tools early on to succeed then they have every chance.
I think it’s an important role for every club but the fact I’ve been given the opportunity to take that role on here with the experiences that I’ve dealt with in my career, it’s something that has gone hand in hand together.
On what Derby can expect from Newport…
A very, very tough game. Under the new management of Graham Coughlan, Newport have gone back to what we always used to know Newport; a tough team to beat, very resilient, very hardworking and very honest in the work that they do.
At Rodney Parade itself, the fans are extremely close to the pitch and they are the driving force behind it all. If Rodney Parade can create that atmosphere, make it intimidating like it can be, then Derby are going to have to be on their metal on the day to get a result.
On how much he’d like to play in the game…
This is the only part of this week that is killing me the most, the fact that I don’t get a chance to play in it. Over the past years when we’ve done so well in the FA Cup, I’ve always looked out and wanted to play Derby County - whether it was Pride Park Stadium or Rodney Parade but sadly these things sometimes don’t happen.
To get to be in the position I’m in now though and still be a part of it, I’m really looking forward to it. To see the team where I started my career and the team where I finished my career – it’s going to be special for me.
