The Players Lounge · Episode 1
Mark O'Brien on Newport's Great Escape and the life behind the goal
By Gerryn Hussain · 20 October 2026 · 2 min read
Mark O'Brien's goal on the final day of the 2016/17 season kept Newport County in the Football League. In the first episode of The Players Lounge, Gerryn Hussain asks him to return to that day, then makes time for the experiences surrounding it.
The Great Escape, from inside the team
O'Brien remembers Newport being eleven points from safety with twelve games remaining. Under Michael Flynn, the team kept finding results until survival came down to the final day at Rodney Parade.
He describes the anticipation before kick-off, the crowd and the changing situation as news arrived from Hartlepool's match. When the cross reached him, the finish was instinctive. The memory is still vivid, but his understanding of what the goal meant to Newport has grown with time.
A goal with more than one perspective
The conversation includes the instruction to stay back, the encouragement to go forward and the celebrations afterwards. O'Brien also remembers calling his father in Dublin, who wanted to discuss Jeff Stelling's reaction.
Newport's survival meant Hartlepool's relegation. The episode acknowledges that wider story through O'Brien's recollections and the familiar television moment. Gerryn gives him space to describe how a goal that took seconds to score became part of the club's history.
Football beyond the famous finish
The goal is a starting point for a conversation that is mostly about football. O'Brien talks about a Wembley sending-off, facing Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and being part of a group that found a way to compete together.
He also returns to leaving Dublin at fifteen for Derby County, making his first-team debut at sixteen and the people who helped a young player settle into the professional game. Memories of Nigel Clough and Robbie Savage bring the early part of his career into focus.
When the playing career changes
O'Brien discusses the heart condition that affected his career and the operations he underwent. He explains what it felt like to face decisions about his health while football remained central to his life.
The later part of the episode covers the end of his playing career, the difficult period afterwards and becoming more open about what he was experiencing. These are his personal recollections. The conversation gives him time to explain them alongside the football, humour and relationships that also belong to his story.
Watch the first Players Lounge conversation
The episode closes with Manchester United memories, a trivia round and Gerryn's final questions. O'Brien's choice of player to stand beside in a United shirt brings the conversation back to the kind of football detail that supporters enjoy debating.
Episode 1 was released on 4 September 2026. Watch Mark O'Brien with Gerryn Hussain for the full conversation about the goal, the career and the person beyond both.
The goal belongs to Newport's history. The fuller story belongs to Mark.
More stories
Hayden Mullins on the FA Cup final he missed and the life around a football career
The Players Lounge · Episode 3
Robert Earnshaw on confidence, family and life beyond football
The Players Lounge · Episode 2
Want this voice on your campaign? Start with the enquiry form.