Gary O'Neil, the 33-year-old midfielder currently playing for Bristol City, has opened up about his illustrious career in an exclusive Q&A with EFL sponsors Sky Bet. With 480 first-team games under his belt, O'Neil has enjoyed promotions to the Premier League with Portsmouth, West Ham, QPR and Norwich, and is now imparting his wisdom at Ashton Gate.
O'Neil recalled the 'great escape' at Portsmouth in 2006, when the club were 12 points adrift with five or six games remaining. 'It looked impossible so to finally do it was a hell of an achievement – a massive feeling of satisfaction,' he said. The 2-1 win at Wigan secured safety, sparking a party atmosphere and a celebration at O'Neil's house, as he was captain at the time.
When asked about regrets, O'Neil said he would like to return to Portsmouth one day, as he wasn't ready to leave when he joined Middlesbrough for £5m in 2007. He also shared a memorable anecdote about Croatia legend Robert Prosinecki smoking in the toilet at half-time during a Portsmouth game, and admitted to a weakness for cinema Pic 'n' Mix sweets.
O'Neil named Patrick Vieira and Paul Scholes as the toughest opponents he faced. 'Vieira was the complete midfielder... very physical so it was a big test for me,' he said. Of Scholes, he added: 'He always seemed to make the right decision and to see absolutely everything. His vision was exceptional.'
The midfielder also identified Tottenham's White Hart Lane as his least favourite away ground, citing a nasty injury and poor results there. 'I’m not sure if I’ve ever left there with anything but a defeat actually,' he admitted.
