Luke O'Brien
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Luke O'Brien (born 11 September 1988) is an English retired 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 ...
.


Career

Born in
Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...
, on 11 September 1988, O'Brien attended Holy Trinity Senior School in the town. His younger brother, Adam O'Brien, is a professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer with
Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sh ...
. O'Brien grew up as a
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. ...
fan and joined the club's Centre Of Excellence when he was eight-years-old, and signed professional terms at the age of 18. He was twice awarded The David Bairstow Trophy which is given to a young player at the club (Under 8's to Under 16's) who have excelled themselves. He was also awarded the Youth Players Player of the Year aged 17. He travelled with the first team squad for the first time aged only 16. He made his debut for
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. ...
as a second-half substitute against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on 4 September 2007 in the
Football League 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 ...
. His first start came in a 3–0
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 ...
defeat to
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
at
Valley Parade Valley Parade, known as the University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they ...
on 1 December 2007. He made his league debut towards the end of the first season when he deputised for
Paul Heckingbottom Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977) is an English football coach and former player who is currently manager of Championship side Sheffield United. Heckingbottom played as a defender for several English clubs, including Sunderland, Scarbor ...
in a 2–2 with
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 ...
on 12 April 2008. He was one of three junior players to be offered a new deal by manager Stuart McCall on 29 April 2008, and was the first of the three to sign his new deal. He played his first game of the 2008–09 season as a second-half substitute against
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
, following fellow left-back
Paul Heckingbottom Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977) is an English football coach and former player who is currently manager of Championship side Sheffield United. Heckingbottom played as a defender for several English clubs, including Sunderland, Scarbor ...
's
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...
. He kept his place in the side and went on to score his first senior goal when he opened the scoring in a 2–0 victory over
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
at the
Don Valley Stadium Don Valley Stadium was a sports stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue, which was completed in September 1990, hosted the 1991 World Student Games. It was designed by Sheffield City Council's Design & Building Services and nam ...
on 22 November 2008. His form also helped him to win the PFA Fans' League Two player of the month in December. O'Brien said: "It is great to win an award like this, especially so early in my career, and the fact that it is voted for by supporters makes it that little bit more special." He followed it up with consecutive nominations in the following two months. Former Bradford City player John Hendrie said O'Brien should win the club's player of the season award because of his consistency to win a regular first-team place. Hendrie said: "He defends well and has also got the energy and desire to overlap going forward and get crosses in the box." O'Brien was voted
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. ...
Player of the Year, Supporters Club Player of the Year, Under 25's Player of the Year and the Alan Hannah Trophy (Players Player of the Year) for the 2008/2009 season. In May 2009 O'Brien's fine individual effort at
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
was voted Goal of the Season 2008/2009 by
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. ...
supporters in a recent online poll. The left back's stunning strike back in November at the
Don Valley Stadium Don Valley Stadium was a sports stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue, which was completed in September 1990, hosted the 1991 World Student Games. It was designed by Sheffield City Council's Design & Building Services and nam ...
beat off 7 other contenders to win the award and this adds to his growing list of honours collected for the 2008/2009 season. O'Brien's contract was due to expire at the end of the 2008/2009 season, he signed a 1-year deal in June 2009 to take his contract to the end of June 2010. The second goal of his career came against
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 ...
on 17 April 2010 at
Valley Parade Valley Parade, known as the University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they ...
. He came on with 15 minutes remaining, scored within 4 minutes then set up Michael Flynn for the winner to give
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. ...
the 2–1 result. He said "It was so special to see it go in. Ive always wanted to score like that in front of the kop.". O'Brien appeared in 49 of the club's 2009–10 season, starting 45 and coming off the bench 4 times. In June 2010, he signed a new two-year deal, the deal also includes the option for the football club to extend his contract into a third year if they wish. O'Brien made the most appearances in the club's 2010–11 season with a total of 46, starting 41 and coming off the bench 5 times. He also had the club's most assists in all competitions with 6. At the start of the 2011 season, Luke did not feature under
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
. His first appearance of the season came against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
on 30 August 2011 coming on for the last 5 minutes of the game, replacing
Jack Compton Jack Louis Paul Compton (born 2 September 1988) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a winger for Cadoxton Barry. Career Compton began his career as a youth academy player with Portsmouth before signing for West Bromwich Albion at the age of 17 ...
. O'Brien joined
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
on 31 January 2012 for an undisclosed fee as a direct replacement for the departed
Scott Golbourne Juliou Scott Golbourne (born 29 February 1988) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. Golbourne's previous clubs include Bristol City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Barnsley, Exeter City and Reading with brief loan spells for Wyc ...
. O'Brien made 149 appearances since making his debut in September 2007 for
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. ...
, he also scored 2 goals. Luke made his league debut against Stevenage at
St James Park St James Park and variants may refer to: Municipalities * St James Park, New Zealand, a suburb of Hamilton, New Zealand Football stadiums * St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England * St James Park (Exeter), Exeter, England * St James Park, gro ...
on 3 March 2012. The game finished 1–1, O'Brien played the full 90 minutes. O'Brien was released by
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
in May 2012. On 14 September 2012, he signed for
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 t ...
. On 22 September 2012, O'Brien made his league debut against his former club
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. ...
losing 2–0 at the
Kassam Stadium The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United Football Club, and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam. The Kassam Stadium currently hosts League One (third t ...
, he played 62 minutes, his first competitive game since 10 March. 23 January 2013, O'Brien extended his current deal to the end of the 2012–13 season. On 7 June 2013, O'Brien signed a 1-year deal with
Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
. He made his debut on 10 August against
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
. On 29 May 2014, Luke got released and would be looking for a new club for the 2014–2015 season. In August 2014, O'Brien signed for
Northern Counties East League The Northern Counties East Football League is a semi-professional English football league. It has two divisions – Premier Division and Division One – which stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the football pyramid respectively. History T ...
Premier Division side
Thackley Thackley is a small suburb near Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. The village is loosely bordered by the village of Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley and elsewhere by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Thackley i ...
. O'Brien made his debut on 9 August in a 3–1 win against Barton Town Old Boys. On 15 September 2014 he signed for Bradford Park Avenue on non-contract terms. On 10 October 2014 he signed for
Shaw Lane Aquaforce F.C. Shaw Lane Association Football Club was a association football, football club based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. They most recently played in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, at level 7 of the English football league system. Histor ...
On 26 August 2016 Luke signed for Goole F.C. on non-contract terms. Just over 2 and a half months later on 9 November Luke signed for one of his previous clubs Thackley F.C. He played 5 games in his previous stint there and was happy to have signed again. He tweeted "Looking forward to the game today @ThackleyAFC ⚽, hoping to be involved at some stage in the game 👊 #dennyboys #3pointsjointtop"


Honours

Individual honours *Bradford City Player Of The Year: 2008–09 *Bradford City Players Player Of The Year: 2008–09 *Bradford City Young Player Of The Year: 2008–09 *Bradford City Supporters Club Player Of The Year: 2008–09 *Bradford City Goal Of The Season: 2008–09 *P.F.A Fans Player Of The Month League 2: December 2008 *NCEL Premier Division Champions: 2014–15


Personal life

O'Brien became a father for the first time on 28 February 2011, when his partner gave birth to daughter Madison. Luke's partner then gave birth to son Grayson on 30 January 2013.


Career statistics

: :A.  The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in
The 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 ...
and
Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
. :B.  The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the
Football League 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 ...
,
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
,
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
and NCEL League Cup


References


External links


Bradford City player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Luke 1988 births Living people Footballers from Halifax, West Yorkshire English footballers Association football defenders Bradford City A.F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players Oxford United F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Thackley F.C. players Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players Shaw Lane A.F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players