Liam Daniel O'Brien (born 30 November 1991) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for club Stratford Town. He began his professional career at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and received one England U19 cap while at the club. On 1st April 2023 Liam at half time vs the game vs Barwell in a 1-1 draw grabbed a minor around the neck leaning over the advertising hoardings.

Career

Youth career

O'Brien attended Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in Ruislip and St Joan of Arc Catholic School in

Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in southwest Hertfordshire, England, about northwest of central London and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) and t ...

and started his football career as a

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

with Ruislip Rangers, one of the longest established youth football clubs in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. He admitted he became a

by accident and commented that he "started off as a pretty average striker and then I wasn't getting into the team. The team were playing a tournament and didn't have a goalkeeper so I had a try. Once I went in I liked it and did quite well". He later signed schoolboy terms at Championship side Queens Park Rangers, the club he supports.

Portsmouth

In February 2008, after failing to sign scholarship terms at Queens Park Rangers, O'Brien signed a three-year contract with

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

after having trialled for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

.Portsmouth win chase... sign QPR goalie, Liam O'Brien
QPR Report, 8 February 2008 He was enticed by the prospect of training with then-

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

international goalkeeper

David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...

. Portsmouth Director Of Youth operations Paul Hart commented that "in the present climate there are few decent young English goalkeepers, but for a young boy Liam is mature and confident". He began his two-year scholarship at the beginning of the 2008/09 season. Allotted the number 31 shirt, O'Brien received his maiden call into the first team when he was an unused substitute for a 4-1 league defeat to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

on 15 March 2010. He was named on the bench for two more Premier League games during the 2009/10 season and made eight Premier Reserve League South appearances. Following Portsmouth's relegation, O'Brien was promoted to first team for the 2010/11 season in the Championship. He was an unused substitute for five Championship and League Cup games in August, but his contract was terminated by manager Steve Cotterill in October 2010 and he left the club having failed to make a senior appearance.

Eastbourne Borough (loan)

On 9 September 2010, O'Brien joined

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...

side Eastbourne Borough on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

, after seeking a move away from Portsmouth when the ailing club scrapped its

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

. O'Brien made his debut in a 4–0 heavy defeat against

Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...

two days later. O'Brien returned to Portsmouth in October, having made just one appearance.

Barnet

O'Brien signed a contract with

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

in January 2011 after training with the club for a month. Awarded the number 18 shirt, he made his Barnet debut and the first

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

appearance of his career on 8 January 2011 in a 3–1 win over

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

. O'Brien battled it out with

Jake Cole Jake Stanley Cole (born 11 September 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Gloucester City. He previously played for Queens Park Rangers, Hayes, AFC Wimbledon, Farnborough Town, Oxford United, Barnet, Plymou ...

and loanee Sam Walker for the number 1 jersey and made eight appearances during the remainder of the 2010/11 season. Under new manager Lawrie Sanchez, O'Brien served mainly as backup to new first-choice keeper

Dean Brill Dean Michael Brill (born 2 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and is now a coach at the academy of Tottenham Hotspur. Career Luton Town Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Brill joined Luton at the ...

and made only 11 appearances during the 2011/12 season. After starting in Barnet's first four games of the 2012/13 season, O'Brien found himself appearing sporadically as an unused substitute and he was last called into the squad for a 2-0

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

first round defeat to

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

on 3 November 2012. The arrival of Graham Stack and

Sam Cowler Samuel Paul Cowler (born 26 October 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Brightlingsea Town. Career Cowler played for Frinton & Walton YFC before signing a youth scholarship with West Ham United in 2009. He then spent ti ...

further pushed O'Brien down the pecking order. Following Barnet's relegation to the Conference Premier in May 2013, O'Brien was released by the club. He made 23 appearances during his two and a half years at Barnet.

Hastings United (loan)

Isthmian League Premier Division side Hastings United signed O'Brien on a one-month loan in January 2013, after first choice keeper Matt Armstrong-Ford picked up a knee injury just before the club's FA Cup third round tie against Championship side

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. O'Brien saved a penalty from

Ishmael Miller Ishmael Anthony Miller (born 5 March 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Beginning his career in the Premier League with Manchester City, he later played in the top flight for West Bromwich Albion where h ...

but Hastings eventually fell to a 4–1 defeat. After five appearances, O'Brien's loan at Hastings was cut short due to a groin injury.

Brentford

On 15 August 2013, O'Brien signed a three-month deal with League One side

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, as backup for keepers Richard Lee,

David Button David Robert Edmund Button (born 27 February 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club West Bromwich Albion. A product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Button came to prominence at Brentford in 2013. He ea ...

and

Jack Bonham Jack Elliott Bonham (born 14 September 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Stoke City. A product of the Watford academy, Bonham spent time on loan at Harrow Borough, before transferring to Brentford in June ...

. Awarded the number 21 shirt, his first involvement with the first team came on 14 September, when he was an unused substitute for a 4-2 league victory over Tranmere Rovers. O'Brien made his debut for the Brentford Development Squad the following Tuesday in a 1-1 Professional U21 Development League 2 South draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. On 15 November 2013, O'Brien signed a two-month contract extension. On 14 January 2014, it was announced that O'Brien had been awarded a contract extension until the end of the 2013/14 season. It was revealed on 29 April that O'Brien would be released from his contract at the end of the season. He failed to make a first team appearance during his time with the Bees and only made a single outing for the Development Squad. O'Brien's departure was confirmed with an announcement on 14 May.

Dagenham & Redbridge

On 29 May 2014, O'Brien signed a two-year contract with League Two

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...

. On 12 August, he faced his former side

in the League Cup First Round where his team lost 4–2 on penalties after a 6-6 thriller. In May 2016 as his contract expired, he was released along with eleven players as Dagenham were relegated to the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Return to Portsmouth

On 8 August 2016, O'Brien signed a short-term deal with his first professional club Portsmouth. He finally made his debut for the club on 30 August, starting in a 4–3

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

away loss against

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

Yeovil Town

On 2 September 2019, O'Brien signed for

side

on an undisclosed length short-term deal. In January 2020, O'Brien's contract was extended until the end of the 2019–20 season.

International career

O'Brien was called into the England U19 squad for a

friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

versus the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in February 2010 and won his first cap. He was an unused substitute for a 4-0 2010 European U19 Championship elite qualification victory over

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

on 28 May 2010. O'Brien was called into the squad for the finals, but was removed at the request of Steve Cotterill, due to injuries suffered by the Portsmouth's first team goalkeepers.

Personal life

O'Brien said that "losing a friend and a truly great player",

Kiyan Prince Kiyan Josiah Prince (25 November 1990 – 18 May 2006) was a 15-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed outside the London Academy in Edgware, London on 18 May 2006. Prince, who played football for the youth team of professional club Queens Park R ...

, while at Queens Park Rangers, was the worst moment of his career.

Career statistics

Honours

Coventry City * EFL League Two play-offs:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

References

External links

*
Profile
at the FA {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Liam 1991 births Living people People from Ruislip English footballers Association football goalkeepers Portsmouth F.C. players Eastbourne Borough F.C. players Barnet F.C. players Hastings United F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Stratford Town F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League players England youth international footballers Footballers from the London Borough of Hillingdon