STOTFOLD | WARRIOR GOOCH

Goalkeeper plays through the pain barrier

Stotfold could have been forgiven for thinking that it was going to be another one of those days ahead of last weekend’s game at Beaconsfield Town.

With defeats in each of their opening three Pitching In Southern League Division One Central games, their preparations were hit when goalkeeper, Liam Gooch, dislocated his thumb in the warm-up.

But the 26 year-old battled on and played through the pain barrier to help his team secure their first point of the season from a 2-2 draw… oh, and he also saved a penalty along the way!

“I took a ball in the warm-up and felt my thumb go,” he told us. “It was very painful, but the painkillers and adrenaline got me through as there was no way I was going to let the lads down.

“I managed to get through the 90 minutes, but I definitely knew about it the morning after!

“It was worth it to help us get our first point on the board and a good away draw. We created chances in both halves and took our goals well.

“The lads in front of me worked really hard all afternoon. I think Beaconsfield knew I’d picked up the injury because they bombarded us straight from kick-off and I was called into action within the opening 30 seconds!

“There were opportunities at both ends and it was also nice to save a penalty too on our way to securing a point.

“We can start to build on it now; it’s been a tough start for us, we’ve played some fancied sides but that is no excuse, we know that we have to be better and things are starting to click into place through sheer hard work.

“Coming into the season we lost a few key players and it is difficult to fill those boots, particularly with so many teams in the local area all vying for the same players and having bigger budgets than ours to go and get them.

“But there’s no reason why we can’t push on now and build some momentum. It’s still very early doors, we’ve only played four League games, so there is a long way to go.

“Things are shaping up to be similar to last season where everyone is capable of beating each other. There are also plenty of local games for us to look forward to, so we’re looking forward to what lies in store during the weeks and months ahead.

“I just want to be playing as much as possible and continue to enjoy my football… that’s the reason we do it, isn’t it?

“As a team, we’ll give it our all and look to be up there challenging at the right end of the table.”

Gooch has a free weekend to recover before his team host Aylesbury United on September 28th.

IMAGE: Stotfold FC

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