Penalty hero Nathan Harker provided his reaction following the Anchors’ progression in the Durham Challenge Cup.
Harker opened by providing his assessment on the encounter: “I thought as a team we played really well in the first-half. We moved the ball nice and quickly, we controlled the game well and we broke through the defence really well.
“It was great to get the early lead, a brilliant ball by Michael Sweet and Josh has leapt like a salmon, somehow hung in the air and headed it home and it was all really pleasing, I thought it was one of the best first halves we’ve had on the ball all season to be honest.
“They came out second-half with a lot more of a press, we were kind of expecting it to die down when they went down to 10-men but they kept going to be fair to them and we probably need to learn to utilise that advantage a bit better but it’s a cup game and we got through which is all that matters.”
The shot-stopper was the hero in the shootout, saving two penalties, including Gary Martin’s fifth and crucial penalty, despite having a very quiet game, and he picks up on that when discussing how he mentally prepares when he knows penalties are imminent: “I think it’s probably in every goalkeeper’s DNA where they secretly look forward to shootouts, because it’s the only time there’s no pressure on you.
“Everyone expects the takers to score and you get to be the hero, but there are plenty of times this season where the lads have been the heroes so it definitely goes both ways.
“To be honest, I hadn’t really done much research on the Hebburn penalty takers, a lot was just gut instinct and being able to read their bodies, and luckily it worked out and we got through, so now we look ahead to Warrington on Saturday and look to build on the positive momentum we’ve just gained.”
