Full circle for O'Brien after early rejection at Leeds

Such a feeling was understandable due to the defender being back at Thorp Arch, a place where at the age of 14 he was rejected by Leeds after a short trial.

Being told, 'Thanks, but no thanks' came as a huge disappointment to the teenage O'Brien, but, showing the determination and desire that has since typified his career, it did little to de-rail his ambition to become a professional footballer.

So much so, in fact, that when O'Brien did finally sign for Leeds a little over a fortnight ago, he did so as someone with more than 450 appearances to his name, 26 Republic of Ireland caps and 12 seasons in the Premier League.

"It does feel like things have gone full circle," said the 31-year-old Bolton Wanderers defender when talking to the Yorkshire Post ahead of today's Championship game at home to Bristol City.

"I had actually been at York City for a couple of years from the age of 11 but then the opportunity came up of a trial with Leeds. It was up here at Thorp Arch.

"I didn't play any games or anything like that, it was more them having a look at me in training.

"It didn't work out. Looking back, it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened but at the time it was disappointing.

"Being rejected, if that is the right word, is never nice but that would have been a difficult team to break into. I joined Bradford after the Leeds trial and we played against that team. It had (Jonathan) Woodgate, (Harry) Kewell, (Stephen) McPhail, (Alan) Maybury, Ian Harte and Lee Matthews

"Most of them had been at Leeds since the age of 10 and went on to have very good careers, so maybe me not being taken on by Leeds helped me in the long-run."

United's loss became Bradford's gain when O'Brien graduated from the youth set-up to the first team at Valley Parade. His debut came in the 1996-97 season that saw City successfully fight off the threat of relegation from Division One under Chris Kamara.

Two years later, the Bantams would win promotion to the Premier League and start a 12-year stay in the top-flight for O'Brien that only ended when he made his Leeds debut in the 4-1 win at Scunthorpe United on October 30.

He said: "Looking back, Bradford was great for me. I got my chance the year after the club won promotion (from Division Two) thanks to a lot of injuries. Chris Kamara saw something in me and gave me my chance. I played something like 18 games that season.

"My time at Bradford was eventful, not just with the two promotions but also the managers we had and the chairman. It was a fantastic time to be part of the club.

"The highlight was the Liverpool game when David Wetherall scored to keep us in the Premier League on the final day. That day probably earned Wethers a job for life at Valley Parade.

"Ironically, when Wethers was signed the previous summer, I thought it might mean me having to leave. I had not played much towards the end of the promotion season (1998-99) and thought this would put me even further down the pecking order.

"Instead, what happened was I made my Premier League debut at Middlesbrough marking Gazza in midfield and then stayed in the team all season, mainly as a defender.

"Unfortunately, a few days after we had stayed up, Paul Jewell left to become Sheffield Wednesday manager and the club went with a different philosophy and brought in players on big contracts. They are still paying the price for that today."

The season that started amid much excitement at Valley Parade following the signing of Dan Petrescu, Benito Carbone and David Hopkin would end with City relegated. By then, O'Brien had been sold to Newcastle United for 2m as the Bantams board frantically tried to raise funds.

He would spend four-and-a-half years at St James' Park and become a mainstay of the side that competed in the Champions League under Bobby Robson.

Scoring a dramatic late equaliser against Sunderland in only his fourth appearance for the club meant O'Brien was an instant hit with the Toon Army, even if their initial reaction to his transfer from Bradford was one of being distinctly underwhelmed.

O'Brien explains: "The back page of the local paper on the day I signed was all about Rivaldo possibly joining the club. Instead, they got me.

"I had some great times at Newcastle. In my four and a half years, Newcastle finished third, fourth and fifth. We also played in the Champions League and got to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and FA Cup.

"I owe Bobby Robson a lot. He showed a lot of faith in me."

Robson's successor, Graeme Souness, sold O'Brien to Portsmouth in the summer of 2005, Newcastle getting back the 2m they had paid Bradford four years earlier.

Unfortunately for the defender, the manager who signed him – Alain Perrin – was sacked just three months into the season to be replaced by Harry Redknapp.

O'Brien remained in the team for the rest of the campaign but was then frozen out, making just one start in 2006-07.

A move to Bolton Wanderers then seemed an answer to his problems only for history to repeat itself as the manager who signed him – Sammy Lee on this occasion – was sacked just a couple of months into the season.

O'Brien jokes: "It got so bad that my girlfriend, who is now my fiancee, probably didn't believe me when I said I was a professional footballer, as I was never playing."

Now, however, the Harrogate-born defender is back playing regularly, while on Tuesday night he scored for the first time in 18 months as Leeds drew 2-2 with Hull City.

He said: "I don't get many but I have managed a few important ones down the years. After I scored for Newcastle at Sunderland. I remember Gary Speed saying to me after the game that I would never have to buy a drink in Newcastle again after scoring. I am not a big drinker anyway but it did get me on the right side of the fans.

"I also enjoyed the one I got when Newcastle beat Arsenal 3-1, while I always remember the first one I got against Oxford for Bradford. My mum still has the newspaper cutting at home."

The Big Match: Leeds United v Bristol City, today at 3pm, The Championship.