Savers turn scorers: there’s a few keepers getting on the scoresheet in North Wales football lately

The role of a goalkeeper is largely to stop the opposition finding the back of their net.

However, a recent trend in North Wales football has seen savers becoming scorers.

The weekend before last, Rhos United keeper Richard Hillier-Evans ‘did a Pat Jennings’ and scored from his own box with a kick out of his hands.

Last Saturday, CPD Sychdyn United glovesman Nathan Bradbrook wrote himself into club folklore when he came up for a free kick with his team losing 3-2 to Rhydymwyn in a cup semi-final and fired home with the final strike of the ball to force extra time.

A true Jimmy Glass moment.

Sychdyn went on to win 5-3 and set up a Two Counties Cup final date against Acton.

And then there was last Sunday….

In the NWCFA Development League Cup, Pentraeth were trailing 1-0 to Henllan when the Ynys Mon side’s stopper Louie Sturrs hit a free kick from his own half which evaded everyone and nestled in the back of the net to force a penalty shoot out.

Unfortunately for Pentraeth, they lost on pens, but at least Sturrs and his team-mates will always have the memory of their keeper’s dramatic impact on a cup tie.

Henllan’s scorer in the game itself was Owen Sidney.

Goalkeepers beating their opposite number is not that much of a rarity in football history, but as in the case of North Wales, it is unusual to see it happen three times in eight days.

GOALSCORING KEEPER TRIVIA

• Six goalkeepers have scored in the English Premier League – Peter Schmeichel, Brad Friedel, Paul Robinson, Tim Howard, Asmir Begovic and Alisson Becker.
• The record for most goals scored by a goalkeeper is held by the Brazilian Rogério Ceni, with 129 goals (69 penalties, 59 free kicks, 1 open play)
• On 2 November 2013, Stoke City’s Asmir Begović scored the fastest goal for a professional goalkeeper in football history (13 seconds)
• The longest range goal to have been officially recorded in the Guinness World Records was scored by Tom King of Newport County on 19 January 2021 against Cheltenham Town. The goal was confirmed to be 96.01 metres (105 yd) long.
• Wrexham-born Wales under-23 international goalkeeper Kenny Simpkins started a game for Hartlepool United as a striker in 1967 and scored in a 3-2 win against Port Vale.[
• Holyhead lad Tony Roberts, whose former clubs include QPR and who won two full caps for Wales, is one of only three goalkeepers to score in an FA Cup tie. netting for Dagenham and Redbridge against Basingstoke Town in the fourth qualifying round in 2001,