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Football

20th Aug 2017

Promising Irish goalkeeper scores cracking winner on his senior debut

Debuts don't come much better than this

Ben Kiely

Mark Travers

Scoring the winner on your debut is one thing, but a goalkeeper scoring  a winner on his debut is something else.

Republic of Ireland youth international Mark Travers had a senior debut to remember for Weymouth on Saturday.

Travers, who has represented the Boys in Green from u-16 right up until u-19 level, grabbed the winner during Weymouth’s thrilling 3-2 win over Bishop’s Stortford in the Southern Premier League. The 18-year-old is currently on a six-month loan at the club which began in July.

The beauty of the goal is that he actually meant it too. After Weymouth won a free kick inside their own half, Travers stepped up to launch it towards the opposition goal.

Travers looked up to spot the opposition keeper off his line and decided to have a crack. Remarkably, the stellar effort sailed right over the shot-stopper’s head and into the back of the net.

Speaking to the Weymouth website about the strike, Travers said: “It’s my first ever goal and, with my debut for Weymouth, it’s a plus to get the winner. I didn’t think I’d be saying that at the start of the day!

“I had a look up first time and saw the goalkeeper on about his 18-yard box.”

“I had another think about it and said ‘right I’ll give it a go’. I ended up hitting it quite well and it ended up going in, so I was pleased.”

‘Quite well’  may be the understatement of the year. It was a phenomenal effort.

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