NEW SERIES: My 5 best goals – Peter O’Brien (Denbigh Town star of the 1990’s)

Choosing his 5 best goals today is former Denbigh Town striker Peter O’Brien.

In the early 1990s, Peter established himself as a true DTFC legend.

His goals were usually spectacular and his ball-skills and football brain sublime.

Alongside all-time great Mike James, he was one of the very finest players of his era in the Vale of Clwyd.

Peter went on to play to a high standard in his native Liverpool area and in recent years has managed a cracking Sunday League team named Checkemlads.

Being the good sport he is, Peter’s chosen five goals all came in a Denbigh Town shirt.

1 Flint Town Reserves 1 Denbigh Town 1 (away) 1993-94

Ran onto the ball about 25 yards out and hit a left-foot thunderbolt which went in off the bar. Good job there was a net there to stop the ball. Game ended 1-1, a good point at Flint.

2 Prestatyn Town 2 Denbigh Town 1 (away) 1994-95

This was a real needle match and we knew we had to be at our very best to get anything from Prestatyn, who were always hard to beat home or away.

We were 2-0 down (Tommy Jones and Lee Jones scoring for the Seasiders) before I hit one from about 30 yards which flew into the net.

Even the Prestatyn fans applauded and at the end their team gave me man of the match for that goal alone. We lost 2-1 so the goal wasn’t important unfortunately.

3 Rhyl Reserves 0 Denbigh Town 4 (away) 1995-96

About time we talked about a goal I scored in a win – this was a good one.
A big pleasure to play at Belle Vue and on this day I netted a hat-trick.

The best one was when I received the ball wide right.

I should never have beaten the keeper from that angle, but the shot was too powerful and it flew in off the post like a vintage Jimmy Case effort!

4 Denbigh Town 1 Llanfairpwll 0 (home) 1995-96

Got to get a home goal in at my beloved Central Park.

I’d been out of the side for a couple of years and there was a big build-up in the match programme and the local press about my comeback.

Llanfairpwll were just about the hardest opponents I could face on my return.

I was never in the game much, one or two half-chances, but then in the last couple of minutes there was a goalmouth scramble and I managed to poke the ball home.

Not a spectacular goal, but a very important one and the crowd were fantastic, as they always were. We went on to win the title.

5 Llangefni Town 0 Denbigh Town 1 (away) 1995-96

One I will never forget as it put us on the verge of the club’s first Welsh Alliance title in just our second season after promotion.

It was a tight game at our old rivals Llangefni until in the second half, I ran at their defence, beat two or three players, and from an angle fired left footed into the bottom corner.

We were right in the driving seat after this win and seven days later we went to Connah’s Quay where a 2-0 victory ensured we were crowned champions.