Outfield players in goal
There’s currently a lot of discussion on outfield players going in goal, due to injuries or red cards.
I’m sure Brownie ended up in goal once but can’t think of any other examples of an outfield player having to go in goal for us. I do recall a period when we didn’t ever have a reserve keeper on the bench, back in the L2 days.
1
Comments
This classic comes to mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDoQZkRPPRc
I have a vague memory of Jason Cousins donning the gloves one game, but could well be making it up.
I think AC Milan are trying to register Giroud as a Goalkeeper and are looking into selling GK Shirts with his name on them for the rest of the season after making some great saves for them over the weekend
Taken from their website at 4pm today (https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/all)
I'm pretty sure there was a game at Rushden where Steve Brown and Richard Harris both played in goal.
Both keepers were sent off in that game Genoa v Milan. Would love to see the stats on how often that has occured? (not very often I would suggest!)
Didn't Jason McCarthy have to play in goal once?
I also think Mark Rogers (the Canadian defender we had) also played in Goal once?
Did you know that Gareth Ainsworth played in goal for Port Vale once?
Gary Patterson and Graham Bressington to name a couple more
As previously mentioned teams shouldn't be allowed to bring on substitute goalkeepers to replace one that has been sent off
Dave Bullock, normally a defender, played several games in goal from the start in the early to mid 70s when John Maskell was injured or unavailable.
Bobby Davies, another defender, did likewise a few years later, but I seem to remember it only happened once for him.
Why not? They could simply hold up a board with the number of an outfield player in red, and the number of the sub keeper in green.
The effect is exactly the same, they end up with 10 men on the field, as happened in the Carlisle game.
Surely that’s cheating.
Farnborough away back in the 80's Graham Bressington played the full match in goal and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0. Gary Lester had got injured in the warm up. My first ever Wycombe away game!
Amen.
But it’s no fun!
Because that's dull, and outfield players in goal is one of the greatest things there is
I remember Sieb Dykstra played a few times in goal for us, and he definitely wasn’t a goalkeeper.
Did Craig Falconbridge ever do it?
His name came to my mind but not sure why as can’t remember any details, so wondering if just my mind playing tricks on me!
I remember arriving for a game at Chesham United, possibly a B&B game, back when the competition was treated with respect.
Our regular centre back Dave Bullock started in goal, and was plenty good enough, I am pretty sure he won the village cricket tournament at Lords as well playing for Booker.
I think Dave Bullock played several games between the sticks that season.
Lionel Ritchie once donned the gloves, just a couple of months after winning the Open, using just a seven wood he'd fashioned from the branch of a beech tree.
You are wrong. The 7 wood was made out of a hickory tree!
Bernie Bremer c.1970, but cannot recall where (I believe Loakes Park)/nor exactly when, but certainly a rarity.
Also recall Dave Bullock and Steve Brown more recently...
I seem to recall Brownie going in goal a couple of times but I may be wrong.
Of course, no substitutes at all used to be allowed prior to 1958 so teams would always have an outfield player ready to take over. I seem to recall seeing it happen at Loakes Park but can't remember the players involved
Matt Crossley once went in goal when Granville got injured. He conceded once in a 1-1 draw.
You can catch a glimpse of Matt's pants, and some atrocious defending from Andy Kerr, at the beginning of this video: https://youtu.be/gLUUNFzkdjQ?feature=shared
From Luke Leahy's Wiki entry. He was at Falkirk from 2012-17.
"Leahy continued to be a peripheral figure under Gary Holt as he struggled to stake a claim for a place in the side; on 7 September 2013, he was even listed as the substitute goalkeeper for Falkirk in their Scottish Challenge Cup Quarter Final against Raith Rovers, as Falkirk didn't have a third choice keeper to put on the bench."
Is there any position Leahy can't play?
I had totally forgotten that but it turns out you’re right - this piece also mentions the Brownie/Richard Harris episode:
https://www.wwfc.com/news/2018/december/the-tale-of-the-five-keepers/