A Debut
U23 Tooting & Mitcham V Eversley and California, 2-0
I woke to the last Monday of the school holidays, tomorrow would be my first day at 6th form. Life would be very different to the last couple of months which had been pretty much all about football training. I knew there was one last excitement - I had been asked to be on the bench for an U23 game that night which was going to be a great experience for me. I had already been training with the U18s over the summer and had had a few sessions with the U23s. I was looking forward to warming up with a very high-level keeper and the first team keeper coach. I understood that I was most likely not going to get on but either way I was excited. The worst-case scenario was that I would get to watch the adult team I’ve played for at junior level since I was eleven for free, to enjoy being a part of the U23 squad and to bank a bit more experience.
I arrive at our ground and enter the changing room. A few players are already there, listening to music and putting kit on. I take my seat under the number 13 goalkeeper kit. As I get changed the room begins to fill out; I talk to Justus about his first team debut and ask Lee how Bagshot got on at the weekend. It’s a pretty chill atmosphere. We run through the tactics and go through the opposition. Me and Pete go and warm up early. I know I am there mainly just to work him and help get him as prepared as possible. He’s looking sharp and training well. Every now and then when he’s resting, I’ll have a set or two, taking in some shots. As we are working Pete’s distribution, he pulls up. I go and check if he’s alright. He seems in some pain as he struck through the ball.
I know that I am the only keeper sub. As the game approached there was still not much clarity on Pete’s injury and whether or not I was going to play. We tried to help Pete walk it off and stretch it, but he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t play, and I wish him the best of luck with the injury and the rest of his season.
So, within five minutes, I must mentally prepare myself to play 90 minutes of a competitive U23 league game, as a 16 year old. I have trained hard, have made improvements and have felt the faith my coaches place in me. It was comforting to have Tony, Lee and Justus play in front of me as I know all of them quite well.
As the ref blew to start the match, I remember that one of my thoughts was that people were spending not only their time but also their money to watch a game I was playing in. That’s a responsibility - I wanted to make sure that I didn’t let just the team down, but also the support. I had a quiet first half - a catch here and there, with a bit of footwork as well. We were leading by one goal going into the tunnel at half time. I hear two of the Eversley and California players piping up behind me saying,“We’re playing alright, we just need to take more shots, the keeper’s f****** s***.” I shrugged it off, but it made me think about my performance to be honest; ‘should I have made this pass instead of that one?’ or ‘could I have done this quicker?’. I told myself not to worry about it, maybe they had wanted me to hear it? Anyway we were winning, and if they couldn’t score against a *FS keeper, then how *FS were they?
I was much more involved in the second half, and it was much closer. It was a good collective performance though, and you could see how much it meant to us. Players throwing bodies in front of the ball, brave tackles being put in and defending from the front. I was kept on my toes and was busy. A one on one, a full stretch save, and some sweeping. We got another goal towards the end, and I was yearning for the full-time whistle to go. Nothing would frustrate me more than the opposition scoring a lucky tap in, or even worse, me making a mistake leading to a goal. As the final whistle went relief spread throughout me, knowing that I put in a good performance, well for a *FS keeper anyway!
I’d like to thank the players for a great performance and for welcoming me into the team. I feel very honoured to be a part of it. I’d like to thank Dan and Tony for trusting me and allowing me to be included in the squad, let alone play. I would also like to thank Warren Andrews for my development throughout my age groups and for getting me to this position. Finally, I’d like to thank everyone that came to watch the game, and all the supportive messages I got online.
Until next time, Up The Stripes.
