Ex-Millwall attacker: Wonderful Portsmouth fans made me fall in love with football again after depressing Sunderland times

And he’s determined not to be separated from the club where he believes his future lies.

The Republic of Ireland international arrived at Pompey on January transfer deadline day after becoming disillusioned at the Stadium of Light.

He opened his Blues account by netting with his first touch in his maiden Fratton Park outing after coming off the bench in a 4-0 win over Doncaster.

O’Brien subsequently struck five times in 17 appearances, swiftly establishing himself as a fans’ favourite and forming an instant connection with Pompey.

Now he’s waiting to discover whether has a Blues future – but there exists a strong bond with supporters.

O’Brien told The News: ‘It had been a really depressing dark time for me up at Sunderland – then with my first touch of my first Fratton Park game, I scored.

‘That moment kickstarted me, the fans were unbelievable from minute one, which I’ve not had for a while. Suddenly I was on an absolutely incredible ride in such a short period.

‘The fans have been key to me and the key to my success. I’m coming off the pitch and they’re singing “Sign him up”, which gives you a bit of a boost, that’s for sure.

‘I was basically dead and buried at Sunderland, getting minutes here, minutes there. I was just in the background.

‘Come January, I said to my agent: “I need you to get me out of here ASAP because I’m being wasted”.

‘Throughout that month I was told of Pompey’s interest, but that meant nothing, are we going or not? It was hold your fire, hold your horses.

‘Then Danny Cowley called the night before the transfer deadline. It was “We have a flat for you in Gunwharf, let’s get this done, you’re going to play”.

‘I liked what I heard, I was trying to revitalise my career, to relight that flame. It’s a massive club, I know a few boys there, the manager likes me – I’m going for it.

‘And it brought me back to loving the game again. I’ve loved every minute of playing for such a great football club.’

O’Brien’s last Pompey goal this season was coming off the bench to net a late winner against Wigan.

It capped a remarkable comeback, having trailed 2-0 at half-time, and resulted in the best team performance of the campaign.

O’Brien added: ‘I ended up with five goals, a couple of winners, that assist against Accrington when I just kept going and going. I was loving my football.

‘The fans play a massive part in the club – they know it, all the players know it, the staff know it.

‘When they are still backing us all the way when 2-0 down at home to Wigan, that’s the fanbase you want.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can support our local team of expert Pompey writers by subscribing here for all the latest news from Fratton Park for 9p a day, thanks to our 30%-off transfer window deal.