We can’t afford to get shirty!

Athletic’s goalkeeer writes every week for Chron Sport


I HAVE been lucky enough to swap shirts after a Champions’ League game.

It was a few years ago, when I was on the bench for Manchester United. I was young and it was the done thing.

Today, players at the top level get two shirts a game, so I am sure Mario Balotelli didn’t see much wrong with exchanging his Liverpool jersey for the one worn by Pepe of Real Madrid at half-time.

If he tried that here, he might be in for a shock. I don’t think we get two shirts a season, never mind a match - and if one is ripped off your back, you still fork out for a replacement!

One player who was handed a first-team shirt for the first time on Tuesday night was youth team goalkeeper Paul Tyson.

For those who don’t know a lot about him, Paul took up goalkeeping relatively late but has proven to be a quick learner. He picks things up very swiftly and with his large frame and stature, he stands a great chance of becoming a very accomplished goalkeeper.

We were the architects of our own difficulties against Coventry. Had they scored to make it 3-2 shortly after half-time, rather than hitting the post, it could have cost us.

As it was, we used that incident to rally and scored once more to win comprehensively.

The chances are still coming thick and fast for us and we have strikers who are all getting on the score sheet. Danny Philliskirk and Jabo Ibehre both struck on Tuesday night and with Jonathan Forte at the moment, you are half-celebrating a goal as soon as he starts running through one-on-one.

Tomorrow, Bradford won’t be pushovers in any sense. But as a team we work the ball really well and every opponent has struggled to cope with our energy.

Since I came into the side towards the back end of last season, we have only lost three out of 27 fixtures. Our target is to win the next game, no matter who we play.