The Reds third choice goalkeeper found himself in thrust into the spotlight and it turned out to be a roller coaster of emotions in an eventful match.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rovers-c40385, a side who were battling to avoid relegation, on the back of the Reds worst league run for over two decades.
Brad Jones found himself on the bench as Alexander Doni, Liverpool’s second choice keeper, was given the nod by manager Kenny Dalglish, in place of the suspended http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pepe-Reina-c29672.
One would not have guessed that the away side would be using their third choice keeper anytime soon, yet whoever writes the scripts for the phenomenon that is football needs to be commended for what was written on the 10th of April 2012.
A wayward back pass from Liverpool’s Youth Academy graduate, John Flanagan, had http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Doni-c11553 rushing to close down the opposition striker, who was probably wondering how he managed to get such a big slice of luck.
Doni did not connect with the ball yet he took out the striker and the referee had no choice other than to pull out a red card. It was tragedy for Doni, who will now miss Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final match against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Everton-c13019.
The keeper made his way off the pitch on the verge of tears and Brad Jones found himself warming up on the side-line, readying himself for his debut in a Liverpool jersey.
His first task was to face a Yakubu penalty. One has to admit that it was not the most ideal of circumstances for Jones to be making his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt, yet there he was.
What happened next was pure magic as Jones dove low to his right and held onto a weak effort by Yakubu. The celebration afterward by both the Liverpool players and the keeper said it all. His teammates were ecstatic and pointed straight up.
Brad Jones’ son Luca had passed away 18 months earlier in what was a tough period for the Australian shot stopper. However, his girlfriend recently gave birth to another child and to top it off Jones saved a penalty with his first touch in a Liverpool shirt.
Jones later revealed how he kept a picture of Luca with his training kit as well as a few of his son’s toys with him at all times. So it was a special moment for him.
However, things took an ugly twist when Liverpool showed how much they miss http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pepe-c29670 Reina’s ability with the ball. A back pas to Jones was poorly cleared by the keeper as the ball ballooned into the air after rebounding off a Blackburn player.
Jones could not hold onto the ball and conceded a penalty after fouling the same player who had moments earlier, blocked his clearance.
Yakubu made no mistake the second time around, yet Jones’s night ended on a high when he tipped an Andy Carroll effort over his own bar. If that had gone in it would have turned what was otherwise a magical night into an absolute nightmare for everyone.
Yet, in the end, it was a night to remember for everyone associated with football, none more so than Brad Jones.
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