O’Brien: George
1957-1959
(Player Details)
Inside Forward
Born: Dunfermline: 22-11-1935
Debut: v Newcastle United (h): 16-03-1957
5’6” 10st 11lb (1958)
O’Brien began with Blairhall Colliery before joining Dunfermline Athletic in October 1952,
winning promotion with them to the Scottish League First Division in 1954-55, when he scored
ten goals in twenty-nine starts as the club finished runners-up to Airdrieonians, with just
four points less. He scored twenty-six goals in ninety-three League games for the Pars. He
also scored twice in three Penman Cup games, eight times in sixteen Scottish League Cup games
but could not find the bet in four Scottish Cup games. In March 1957 Raich Carter signed him
for Leeds towards the end of United’s First Division campaign following their promotion.
United had lost Albert Nightingale, who was forced to retire due to injury and ageing Harold
Brook, at thirty-seven, was ready to retire. O’Brien and Chris Crowe were looked upon as
their young replacements with Bob Forrest also in contention. United sold the irreplaceable
John Charles at the end of that season and although Hugh Baird scored regularly they went
into decline and O’Brien, who was also serving his National Service at the same time,
struggled accordingly and his scoring record was poor. He was not alone, as most of United’s
forwards were similarly afflicted as United fought two seasons of avoiding relegation. The
arrival of Wilbur Cush and Noel Peyton gave United more options, but the signing of Don
Revie in November 1958 made the competition for places even harder. O’Brien was sold to
Southampton for £10,000 in July 1959 and there he showed his true value. He forged a highly
effective partnership with England International Terry Paine at the Dell. He spent seven
years with the Saints as they rose from Division Three to Division One and his powerful
shooting brought him one hundred and fifty-four goals in two hundred and forty-three League
games. In all games he scored one hundred and eighty-eight goals and that made him
Southampton’s fifth all-time highest goalscorer. He was Southampton’s leading goalscorer in
four of the seasons that he was there, with twenty-two in 1960-61, twenty-six in 1961-62,
twenty-two in 1962-63 and thirty-two in 1964-65. He would probably have topped the scorers
in his other seasons but injury saw him score sixteen in only twenty-four matches in 1963-64.
His twenty-three goals in forty-two games led Southampton to the Third Division championship
in his first season with them in 1962-63 and he scored eleven goals in just sixteen games as
the Saints were promoted, as runners-up, to the First Division in his final season with them
in 1965-66. In March 1966 he went to Leyton Orient in exchange for David Webb, later to
score Chelsea’s 1970 FA Cup Final winner against Leeds, but nine months later, after just
three goals in seventeen League games, he became an Aldershot player. After turning down a
one year contract he left the Shots in 1968 having scored eight goals in forty-one
appearances, including three as a substitute. After leaving football he ran a pub, the
Waterloo Arms, in Southampton and then moved to Edinburgh, where he was a sub-postmaster
before returning to Southampton to run another pub, the Star and Garter in Freemantle. His
son played for Dunfermline between 1979 and 1991 and also East Fife, Berwick Rangers and
Montrose.