Arbroath captain Tam O’Brien has never been a player to shirk a challenge and he’s in no mood to do so now.
O’Brien has been an outstanding performer for Lichties since his arrival from Forfar six years ago, helping them to the League One title in 2019.
Since then he has marshalled an Arbroath defence that has held its own in the Championship for four successive years.
In doing so he has regularly played through the pain barrier, living up to the ‘don’t give up’ mantra preached by Arbroath boss Dick Campbell.
But he’s not the only man in maroon ready to run through brick walls for the cause.
“I’ve played on in pain a few times for Arbroath,” said O’Brien, who faces Hamilton on Friday.
“Sometimes it’s to my detriment because you can do more damage than you think. But I never want to let the side down.
“We have a lot of players here who will battle on and put their body on the line.
“On Saturday, Hammy (Colin Hamilton) was over the toilet feeling ill at half-time. He insisted he’d be fine in ten minutes and headed back out.
“He played on but after the game he was absolutely done in.
“Hammy didn’t want to let us down and that’s the kind of spirit we have.”
O’Brien’s start to the season was hampered by injury and suspension after he collected two red cards in four games.
But he has more than enough money in the bank with the Arbroath fans after his stunning displays since 2017.
O’Brien is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in the Championship.
Tam O’Brien aims to skipper Arbroath to survival
He's scooped @ArbroathFC Club Player of the Year already – can Tam O'Brien add the Championship Player of the Year to his collection ⁉️ We can't disagree with his reason why he should, to be fair ⬇️🤣 pic.twitter.com/QWcbCIhGbc
— PFA Scotland (@PFAScotland) April 29, 2022
He led Arbroath to the brink of the Scottish Premiership last term.
But he admits this year has been more of a struggle – both personally and for the club.
“I took one for the team when I was sent off against Ayr,” said O’Brien.
“A few games later, I was really unlucky to get a straight red when the ball hit my arm against Hamilton.
“I then had a calf problem and a few strains. I pushed my body to the limits but then started to break down.
“It’s the same for the team. We can never forget what happened last year.
“It was unbelievable and there’s no way any of us wanted to be at the bottom this year.
“Ever since we got into the Championship our first aim has been to stay up.
“When we won the league at Brechin, they had just come down from the Championship without winning a single game.
“We heard some chat that Arbroath could suffer the same fate but no-one in our dressing room felt that way.
“Four seasons on, we are still here and we’d love to stay longer.”
Arbroath’s trip to Inverness, originally scheduled for Saturday March 11th, has been moved to Tuesday April 11th.
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