He hadn’t picked up a guitar in months before Jake Bugg turned up at Notts County. But whether it’s music or football, you never lose it. And Jim O’Brien is living proof of that.

Next year he’ll appear in a video playing alongside Bugg, one of his favourite singer-songwriters. O’Brien’s talent as an artist left the boyhood Magpies fan suitably impressed. But the sport he has dedicated the last 25 years of his life to will always be his first love.

And at 36 he’s showing no signs of slowing down. O’Brien is arguably enjoying the best spell of his career at Meadow Lane, fighting to get them promoted from League Two. Under gaffer Luke Williams, the Scot has found a new thirst for the game. And when he’s not playing for County, he’s working in Sheffield United’s academy, coaching their midfielders of the future. That, allied to spending time with eight-year-old son James, means he’s immersed in it. It’s a wonder he can fit a millionaire musician into his busy schedule.

But O’Brien – who entertained dressing-rooms from Dundee to Dingwall with his guitar – wouldn’t have it any other way. “I hadn’t picked up music for ages until recently,” he told Mail Sport. “But I’m really into Jake’s stuff and he’s a big Notts County fan. I’ve been to a few of his concerts and speak to him now and again. He was filming at the club and asked me to join in. We played one of his older songs together.

“On social media leading up to his album release next year, he’s going to drop wee videos, including the one I’m on. I buzzed off it – and I think he was quite surprised at my standard which was good!” On the pitch, O’Brien wouldn’t be playing every week for County if he didn’t have quality – and experience.

Williams spotted that when he took over and his influence inspired O’Brien to get into coaching. That has led to a life of 24/7 football, which can get tough in your late 30s. He gets joy out of developing youngsters, the way Tommy Burns did for him as a kid at Celtic. But he’s not sure just yet on whether he’d like to be a manager.

O’Brien said: “I don’t know right now if I want to be a coach or gaffer. But when the opportunity presents itself I’ll probably have a better idea. I’ll find my own path. There’s more longevity as a coach working in an academy. But there’s more money as a manager!

“On a Thursday I get a full day at Sheffield United, in with their Under-21s. The head coach there always has something to do, something to organise. And he has to deal with his players. It’s mad at times. When you get a bit blurry, you think: ‘Could I do that, could I really be a manager?’ Last December I got the opportunity at Sheffield United to be a midfielder-specific coach.

“They were looking for someone still playing or just finished to teach young players some of the finer details of the position. It can be technical stuff to the dark arts of the game. I couldn’t knock it back and it snowballed from there. I get to work with boys from Under-12 to Under-21, specifically with the midfielders. I watch games, clip them and send them stuff to work on.

“I put on sessions tailored for them which are real to the game. It’s tough and full-on. My schedule is full and literally all I do is play, coach then have my little boy. That’s my life. But I know there’s a means to an end with it. What that looks like, I don’t know. Will I end up working at Sheffield United or be with the gaffer at Notts County? There might be a time where I have to make a decision.”

But aside from all of that, O’Brien is still playing in Notts County’s engine room. So after a career spanning over two decades and 11 different clubs, what gets him out of bed in the morning and keeps him motivated? He said: “There was a period after I left Ross County in 2018 when I was a free agent over the summer. I ended up signing for Bradford in September. Before that I had probably taken it for granted. Most players do. But when I went into Bradford I decided to play every game like it was my last.

“I had been ringing people trying to get in somewhere at the wrong side of 30. People look at you differently in a situation like that. They think there must be a reason you’re a free agent. So from Bradford I’ve just tried to ride the wave because you never know it might be all over. It’s hard when you’re tired on a Monday morning. But I still love the game. I must because last season when we were going for promotion against Wrexham it was high intensity every day.

“At the same time I was at Sheffield United, which is high-tempo, high-stress as well. I was going from one pressure cooker to another, which is tough mentally. I’d train in the morning, go straight to Sheffield to put on a session then go home and lie in bed asking how I could have made it better. You end up not sleeping properly because it’s just constant football. It might be an Under-13s session. But I want to get better as a coach so it’s on your mind and before you know it’s 1am. I have to get up at 6am to go to training.”

It’s that kind of dedication that has O’Brien still charging about Notts County’s midfield at 36. Which isn’t bad for a boy from Dumbarton who says the odds were stacked against him to make it as a professional at all. He said: “When I hang up my boots I’ll feel really proud of what I’ve done in my career. I’m closing in on 550 appearances now. When I got to 500, I thought: ‘Wow’. Coming through the ranks as a kid, I was never the most talented. I had a wee bit but I was never going to be a superstar.

“So to work my nuts off and have a long career is a real achievement. You’ll see better players than me not making it. When I look back at Celtic, I had Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura in front of me. And then James Forrest at the back of me.

“We used to do crossing drills with Tommy after training and Jamesie was only 15 or 16. When I think of the career Jamesie’s had – one of Celtic’s most decorated players of all time – that’s what I had coming after me. So what chance did I have really? It probably means more to my family because they ran about after me for years.

“I’m proud that I did it for them. All the sacrifices were worth it because I never p****d it away. And that has now led me on to this coaching patch. Hopefully I can help the next James Forrest come through.”