The full back put in a solid shift and scored a crucial equalising goal as the Saints drew with Lithuanian outfit Zalgiris in the Uefa Europa League

LEAGUE OF IRELAND PLAYER OF THE WEEK

GER O'BRIEN| ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC





PERSONAL Position Defender Age 29

Nationality Irish

2013 PREMIER DIVISION SEASON STATS Appearances 19 Goals 0

Cards 3



Moving from club to club has become a fairly regular occurrence in the Airtricity League in recent years, meaning the number of local players lining out for their boyhood club has dwindled. However, Ger O’Brien remains one of those players and having not scored a goal for St Patrick's Athletic since moving to Richmond Park last year, the full-back picked the perfect time to find the net for the first time in a Saints jersey.O'Brien capped off a week in which he celebrated his 29th birthday with a stunning equaliser in Lithuania during the first leg of the Europa League first qualifying round to leave Liam Buckley's side in pole position to advance to the second round. O'Brien latched onto Shane McFaul's pass to hit a thunderous shot from 25 yards past Zalgiris keeper Armantas Vitkauskas, levelling the tie at 2-2 and handing the Inchicore club a massive psychological boost heading into Thursday's return leg at Richmond Park.While his goal may have been a rare occurrence, the Dublin-born defender has been an ever present in the St Pat's team since joining from Bohemians in 2012 and continues to put in consistently strong performances every week. The former Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Bohs full back has played every single minute of the League of Ireland season to date and if Liam Buckley's side are to lift the league title come September and enjoy a lengthy European campaign, then O'Brien will be central to their success.