The Week In Goalkeeping 41: TWIG #41: Raya foul controversy, bizarre own goal, and more


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Dean Kiely has stood between the sticks - and mentored those who do - at the very top for decades. Adapatability is a virtue - but the standards don't change. November 3rd 2003 It’s a cold autumn night in the West Midlands, and Dean Kiely’s goal is under siege. His Charlton Athletic side have taken the lead through a Matt Holland header, and Birmingham City are launching attack after attack forward in hope of levelling the scores. Kiely makes three sharp saves before the break to maintain the lead. Early in the second half, a floated cross finds World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry’s head just five yards from the Addicks’ goal. The striker makes perfect contact, but Kiely springs into life, clawing the bullet header over the bar. Non-plussed, the Frenchman’s face goes blank before contorting into a rictus of disbelief. That stop would later be named the Premiership’s save of the season in 2003/4, a campaign that would end with the Addicks in seventh place and Kiely being named the club’s Player of the Season for the second time. “When I was at my best, I felt like I played on autopilot,” Kiely tells Goalkeeper.com. “That was one of those days where everything went right. “To see his reaction to it, that’s one of the best feelings you can have as a goalie. To see the disbelief on a striker’s face when you make an incredible save. It’s like you’ve broken their heart.” Kiely’s natural agility and penchant for demoralising opposition goalscorers made the shot-stopper a hero at The Valley. An almost ever-present during Charlton’s seven-year stint in the Premier League in the 2000s, he carved out a career at the very top of the English game after travailing every level of its professional pyramid. “We did some special things. We beat Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. It’s only when you look back on it, that you realise it’s a golden era for the club, and also a golden era for me professionally.” Born in Manchester to an Irish dad and a mum from the Black country, Kiely would eventually pick up football after his parents moved back to the Midlands, initially training with Birmingham before landing at West Bromwich Albion’s academy. At the age of 14, the Baggies put the youngster forward to attend the FA’s National School at Lilleshall in 1985, training with the top talent in the country for two years. On his 17th birthday, Kiely signed his first professional contract with the reigning FA Cup winners Coventry City. Playing in the reserves and youth teams, he was unable to dethrone club legend Steve Ogruzovic. “He showed me the grind it takes to play at that top level. His standards were incredible. I was never going to break into the first team with Steve there, so I was sent out on loan to Ipswich and then York City.” After a couple of months training with the fourth tier club, Kiely made a permanent switch and took over the number one spot. He would go on to make 215 appearances and keep 83 clean sheets for The Minstermen, securing promotion with a penalty shootout save in the Third Division playoff final at Wembley. 🥳 Happy 53rd Birthday to former Minsterman Dean Kiely.We hope you've had a great day, @deankiely40! 🎂YCFC 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/3QWjJdTWOB— York City F(C) (@YorkCityFC) October 10, 2023 “From the moment I broke into the first team, I was playing regular professional football for the next 21 years of my career,” says Kiely. “That’s all I ever wanted to do.” Throughout our conversation, the theme of consistency and a commitment to a steadfast work ethic come up, time and time again. After York barely survived relegation from the third tier in the 1995/6 season, a £125,000 switch to Bury beckoned.“What would Bury want from me?” Kiely says, rhetorically. “I would imagine it would be to train and play at a consistently high standard. To perform, and improve to the best of my ability.” They got that in spades. Kiely became a crucial member of the now defunct club’s modern golden era. Winning the Second Division crown in his first season, and helping the Shakers maintain their status in the second tier in his sophomore campaign, he would go on to keep 18 clean sheets in his final term despite the club’s relegation. The shotstopper missed just one game in his tenure, his only absence due to international commitments with the Republic of Ireland. Prior to the 1999/2000 season, Alan Curbishley and his first-team coach Mervyn Day, a former FA Cup-winning goalkeeper, were scouring the market, looking for a goalie that could propel the Addicks back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. With Kiely between the sticks, Charlton would keep 19 clean sheets as they romped to the First Division title, securing their seat at the top table once again. That would be Irishman's final promotion in a career that saw him successfully climb out of all levels of the professional pyramid. Kiely had that sometimes hit and miss virtue in the modern game: the ability to prove a transfer worthwhile. “I can say this now, having been in recruitment meetings as a coach, I would imagine throughout my career, the coaches are saying, ‘we’re alright at goalie’. The evidence says Dean is available and consistent, so we can look at other positions.“Often, a keeper gets parachuted into those teams that come up and they can’t sustain a run of games. “It was the same at York and at Bury. But obviously, the Premier League has that little bit more gravity to it, because of the standard.” Even with the standard of strikers he references as his most fearsome opponents - “Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo” - he more than held his own, helping Charlton to multiple top half finishes and bagging a spot in Mick McCarthy's squad for the 2002 World cup along the way. But how did he adapt his game to meet the grade? “My strengths were always my agility, my speed, how I moved around the goal. Everything else had to come up incrementally. Before every game, I’d cross myself, touch the post and repeat the mantra: be positive, be strong, come for crosses, kick well, clean sheet. “I started working with a sports psychologist working on visual cues and visualisation. Like when I played at Anfield, I would visualise kicking towards the scoreboard in the corner of The Kop. I knew if I nailed a kick towards that scoreboard, I’d be ok.” While he initially worked with Day on his drills, he would eventually settle into a working relationship with Micky Cole, a physio turned de facto goalkeeper coach. They enjoyed a collaborative relationship, using Cole’s expertise in the gym to build a position-specific exercise regime. “We were doing things you see a lot on Instagram now, working with resistance bands and plyometric exercises. I didn’t want to bench press, to be built like Arnold Schwarzenegger, it all had to feed back to on-field performance.“I was fortunate to have both. Mervyn who had been there at the top level, and Coley who was just so enthusiastic about goalkeeping but with that strength and conditioning approach.” Kiely’s openess eased the transition to coaching. After short stays at Portsmouth and Luton, he would return to West Brom, eventually taking up the number two spot behind Scott Carson. In his final year as a pro, outgoing goalkeeper coach Joe Corrigan suggested he take on a player-coach role. While Kiely was initially reluctant, manager Tony Mowbray’s counsel opened his eyes to the possibility. “He said, ‘you don’t realise this, but you’re coaching every day. The way you talk to the young players. The way you interact with the staff is really positive.’“I was inquisitive as a player. I wanted to try things. I’m like that now as a coach. I want to set an environment where you have to deliver, but if there’s something you don’t like we’ll discard it. It was like that when I was working with Scott [Carson]. We’d be out there for another 45 minutes or an hour after everyone’s gone in. What did you like about drill? What didn’t you like? We’d be open and honest, because that’s how you get your evidence.” That approach has seen Kiely forge a decade-long career as a goalkeeper coach at both international and club level. Since 2021, he has been a part of Ireland’s set-up. From 2018 until last summer, he was back in south London, this time working with top shot-stoppers like Dean Henderson under the auspices of managers including Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace. Even with the changes in the top job creating slightly shifting demands, Kiely says he was largely working towards the same principles in his one-on-one work. Hanging on his every word 🗣️When Dean Kiely talks, you listen 🤲GKUnion | WEAREON | COYBIG pic.twitter.com/7bEd6P4BlZ— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 26, 2021 “If you compare Roy with Patrick, they both play a 4-3-3, but Roy was more defensive and Patrick was more attacking. That means different demands for the goalkeeper, you might have to make more saves. Ultimately, I’m doing the same things most of the time, but with little tweaks in line with what the manager wants.” Kiely is now at Maccabi Tel Aviv, his first time working outside of the UK. At first, he suggests the demands remain the same, although he catches himself at one point. “You don’t go on a coaching course and have a module on what to do if your number three keeper gets called up for national service,” he says, wryly. “Sometimes you have to get off the training pitch because the air raid siren goes up and missiles are being launched. “But you still have to get the football right.” Even in the face of geopolitical interventions in his routines, the basics that saw Kiely make 757 club appearances, keep 246 clean sheets, win 11 caps for Ireland and become a legend at York, Bury and Charlton remain the same. “I’m a Premier League player and coach, an international player and coach. I’m not going to rock up somewhere and be different. They’re the standards, that’s what I bring. Embrace it. If you don’t like something, let’s change it. But let’s crack on, and embrace it.” 
Whether it's saving spot-kicks, or joining the singalong, Crystal Palace’s number one has become a favourite at Selhurst Park, and knows what it takes to win. If Palace reach the Red Bull Arena for the Europa Conference League final, Dean Henderson will be ready.“I think it’s just togetherness. In my opinion, it is togetherness and confidence that make the group so successful,” he says, speaking exclusively to Goalkeeper.com at Crystal Palace’s training ground, recounting the secret behind previous trophy successes in the EFL Play-Offs and FA Cup. On 27th May, Palace will have another chance to lift silverware against Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League Final. “Obviously, momentum in football is such a big thing, and something I’ve noticed over my career is when things are going well, you’ve got to hold on to that moment and just keep rolling.” He does like a big occasion. The 2025 FA Cup Final was dominated by the England international, with a penalty save helping secure Palace’s superb 1-0 win over Manchester City and their first major trophy in 119 years.The Whitehaven lad, reflective, honest, and humble, may not claim to be the hero on that groundbreaking afternoon for the South London club, but he takes on the power dynamics of a goalkeeper where it really counts. “I woke up that morning, and I thought it was our opportunity to win something. So I had a choice that day to make sure it happened. And that was my mindset from moment one. Make it happen.” When Omar Marmoush took the ball from Erling Haaland, the Palace stopper knew where it was going.  “I knew he would hit it hard, so I thought I had to go early. I’ve seen the ball come towards me – well, I barely saw it, and it bounced off my hand. I am just like ‘Get up, quick. Get up.’ And the noise from behind was insane. That’s when I knew it was going to be our day.” The Crystal Palace goalkeeper is not backward in coming forward, as Guardiola will know. That is a priceless advantage when the nature of goalkeeping is all about filling the net with more than a body. It’s been a long journey and taken a huge amount of self-belief  on the snakes and ladders board that is pyramid football. There’s nothing like being a shooting board for older siblings to cement resilience from the beginning.“I think the earliest memory of goalkeeping was when my two brothers used to go to the park. I was the youngest, so I had to go in the net for their mates, and I enjoyed diving around in the mud and making saves against people older than me.” The 6ft 2in shot-stopper says he enjoyed “breaking hearts” even back then. Henderson has always stood up for himself, He was calling for a starting spot as a teenager on loan at League Two Grimsby, and determined to pursue a starting spot at different clubs. But the hardest step was a half-hour drive away from the Manchester United academy after joining them as a 14-year-old. “I think it would go back to my Stockport loan, to be honest, in the National League North on loan from United. I struggled with that transition period into men’s football in all honesty.” It was a reality check to go through the initiation of  direct football. “I got a rude awakening when I turned up, and the first game didn’t go well. But I think that was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it builds up mental resilience to come back from it. You’ve got to find a way to survive.” Now that the Premier League has become more physical with set-pieces and corners, those early experiences are so valuable now. The running thread through a career was playing above his station in age, from those early days in the park to training with the Carlisle first team at 13. The journey to Wembley (which also includes a penalty save for Shrewsbury in the 2018 League One Play-off Final, and Liverpool in the Community Shield shootout last August) shows a mentality to step up at the business end. The World Cup adventure this summer could bring a different vibe from the internal tribalism of the Premier League roundabout. “It’s a nice change of environment, a different style of play, possession-based”, he says of working with the national team. “We’ve got a good togetherness within the group as well. So, hopefully we can build that up until the summer and see where it takes us.” For all of the statistical analysis and deeper dives into modern 21st-century stat attacks, Henderson does value the original simplicity of his role. “There are a lot of things that don’t need to get so complicated. I think the bread and butter of defending the goal and making saves stays constant”, he explains.For a man who has worked with a plethora of great managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson, it's the value of his relationship with their goalkeeper coach relationship that Henderson deems central to success. “Your goalkeeper department is where you learn the most, especially in terms of different ideas, strategies and positions to take up. “It’s not black and white, especially when you build habits with one coach and then reverse or adapt them with another one who has a different view. It’s all about building connections rather than ‘you’ve got to do it this way’.”Now 29 and, the Englishman is centred by his family, albeit with the same presence of being in the moment. “Family comes first. I’m quite quiet off the pitch, really. As I’ve gotten older, I have become very mellow, very chilled out and just enjoy spending time with the kids, making them smile.”  It’s important to recharge, especially given the intensity that the number one position brings - both physically and psychologically. “I would say that the game is 80 per cent mental, I can tell you that, and I think every other goalkeeper would tell you that”, he states emphatically. With two Guinness World Records to his name and an accomplished track record batting and wicket keeping as a schoolboy, Henderson admits it’s the golf course rather than the crease that he’ll be visiting more often when the time comes to hang up the gloves. But looking backwards, what might he say to his younger self? “I was very young when Manchester United happened, and I wanted it all now. But I’m so grateful. I’ve come across so many goalkeepers who went on trial and have fallen away. I’m in such a fortunate position to be able to sit where I am today. I think you’ve ultimately got to enjoy it, because your career goes so fast.” A life in football is a whirlwind of success, failure, pressure and belief. But, above all, it’s a privilege. Dean Henderson is a man who revels in all of it. 
Cambridge United's promotion-winning goalkeeper discusses defensive records and looking forward to League One football.As Jake Eastwood puts it, Cambridge United’s final day contest against Crewe Alexandra was “a real emotional rollercoaster.”With a team performance that he admits was “horrendous” and his side seeing a penalty saved, the 29-year-old tells Goalkeeper.com that he remembers thinking “this is gonna be one of those days.” Thankfully for him and the U’s, it was a day that would end up living long in the memory for the right reasons, as their goalless draw was enough to see off Salford City to take third place and promotion to League One. It’s also a very different set of circumstances to how both the club and player entered last summer.Eastwood had been sad to leave “a great club” in Grimsby Town which had “one of the best groups of lads I’ve been a part of,” having come close to reaching the Play-Offs in the previous campaign.That made the former Sheffield United man a free agent for the first time in his career, and admits that “It's difficult not knowing where your future lies. You don't know if there is going to be another club.” Even so, he was helped mentally by taking part in the PFA’s pre-season camp. He wasn’t there for long, though, training with Salford before joining up with the U’s. “I went in and trained at Cambridge, and I remember that was a Monday, and then I played in one of their preseason friendlies away at Northampton the following day. Straight after the game, the manager said they'd love to sign me,” Eastwood recalls. We are pleased to announce the signing of Jake Eastwood, who signs with the Club on a one-year deal. ✍️— Cambridge United FC (@CambridgeUtdFC) July 10, 2025 He explains that “it was almost too good to be true” how well of a fit Cambridge was for him. “It's a very strong club for the division, but also somewhere that I know I'll be playing every week, that's a big thing,” he says. “It's a couple of hours away from home, and at the time we were a couple of months away from expecting our first baby, so that meant a lot for me to be in a position where I can get home.”Coming in as part of a squad overhaul after relegation, results have proven that he was also the perfect fit for the club. The 29-year-old finished the campaign with the EFL’s best defensive record having just 33 goals in 46 matches, while he also kept a joint-highest tally of 19 clean sheets.That record “means a lot” to Eastwood and is the result of a career of varying experiences. “I've had plenty of setbacks, injuries, been dropped, sat on the bench. I've not been allowed to go out on loans. I've had the frustrating side of it,” he says.“I've played in a relatively successful team and then I've also not played, but been part of a group, that's achieved promotion, and then another promotion, and then just missed out on Europe in the Premier League. Being able to use all of those experiences this season has been vital.”Even so, he continues: “I've had to figure out how to put it all together and maintain it in performances, because that's only half of the battle because I've still got to do the work on the pitch.”Another important factor was developing an understanding with the defenders in front of him. That includes Kell Watts, who would go on to feature in League Two’s Team of the Season, and his tendency to knee the ball back to his goalkeeper. “At first, I didn't know, and then he started doing it, and the goalkeeper coach said to me ‘he's known for that, so just be ready’,” Eastwood says. “So I can adjust where I start in the goal because if I see the ball bouncing towards Kell, I know I can get quite close to it.”The U's' goalkeeper has also been meeting Neil Harris’ expectation from when he was signed, as the manager referred to him as “a real Cambridge United goalkeeper”. Both player and manager would describe that as being “a proper goalkeeper.”Nobody else we'd want between the sticks. 💪Jake Eastwood is your @GolfGirton Player of the Month for November. pic.twitter.com/sV1lhYb1Ls— Cambridge United FC (@CambridgeUtdFC) December 8, 2025 As Eastwood puts it: “I think that's someone who commands the area and keeps the ball out of the net, and that's it. Catch it and kick it, which is as basic as it comes, but it's brought so much success.”He continues to reminisce on his manager’s instructions at times, saying: “We've had games where he's literally said to me, ‘You get the ball and you kick it as far as you can, and that'll do, because the opposition won't defend properly, and we'll get after them.’”That approach has been paired with the attention to detail of goalkeeper coach Martin Davies, who Eastwood refers to as “one of, if not the best I've worked with at this level.”“If you look at most goalkeepers, if not all professional goalkeepers from Premier League down to League Two, they're all good. Everyone knows how to catch a ball and save a shot, and the positioning is all good enough. The techniques are fine,” he says. “The small details are where you can find improvements. And he's very good at finding the small details and implementing them into your game. I'd say I've come out of this season a better goalkeeper.”He points to home matches against MK Dons and Barnet as examples of his strong performances, even if they both ended in draws. The point earned from each of those turned out to be vital, though, and Eastwood is more focused on maintaining a high level throughout the campaign.“It's been a season where there's been a lot of good performances, but it's hard to pick any standout ones because the results haven't always been on my side,” he declares. “I personally wanted to work on making sure I keep that consistency through the season and I've achieved that, so I'm happy with that.”The Cambridge goalkeeper's performances have also benefited from his work with mental performance coach Jayson Leutwiler. “Being able to take any sort of problems to him or any areas where I need to improve mentally, or what my thoughts might be after I've made a mistake or when I'm doing well, and just keeping on track and keeping a level head throughout the season has been very good,” he shares.Even so, Eastwood can be forgiven for not knowing quite what to think as the final whistle approached against Crewe. “Both sets of fans were cheering, Crewe saying we're staying down, our ones are saying we're going up,” he recalls. “The manager is telling me to hurry up the free-kick, the lads are telling me to slow it down. I'm thinking, ‘I've got no idea what's going on here.’”Proper geezers. pic.twitter.com/meXQQ2I9G1— Cambridge United FC (@CambridgeUtdFC) May 4, 2026 He continues: “Final whistle goes, I just fell to the floor. Just felt sick thinking we've done all this work, and we watched the Rochdale and York match, seeing what happened there, I'm thinking 'Something's going to happen, someone's going to score. We're not going up.'“I was around their goalkeeper Ian Lawlor talking to him, and everyone just sort of runs on the pitch. Our lads were like, 'Oh my God, it's done'. There was a sense of relief but the whole experience, that whole day was overwhelming.”The result means the goalkeeper will now be playing League One football for the first time in his career. “I'm there to sort of prove a point and prove I'm a good goalkeeper, as I had to do last season, whether it be League Two, League One, wherever I'm playing. So that work carries on the same,” he says.After admitting it will be “tougher than this season was” he concludes: “We've got nothing to fear. There are some big clubs, so I'm excited for it.”
The top goalkeeper news stories from 26th April - 3rd May 2026.German legend set to sign new contractBayern Munich legend Manuel Neuer is set to extend his current contract at the club despite now being 40 years of age. The German has played 596 games for Bayern, but reports suggest he may take a wage cut for the deal to logistically work. In the meantime, Neuer has a big Champions League semi-final ahead of him on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena as he eyes up a third German treble in his illustrious career.Also at Bayern, youngster Leonard Prescott - who was tipped to make his senior debut aged 16 in the Champions League this season - is rumoured to be in line for a new contract. Prescott's current deal expires in 2027, and Sky has reported that the German giants are keen to extend it. Liverpool to step into the goalkeeper transfer market?Last week, Freddie Woodman started for Liverpool against Crystal Palace and impressed the Anfield faithful. However, due to Alisson’s injury woes and Mamardashvili’s inconsistency this season, the Reds are reportedly exploring the goalkeeper market. One of the names that is linked is James Trafford, who has lacked minutes in the Premier League this season despite playing a significant role in Manchester City’s domestic cup runs. Could Liverpool secure the services of Trafford in the summer? Goalkeeper banned for 13 games following bizarre incidentLast week in LaLiga 2, Real Zaragoza faced SD Huesca in a game where things took an unexpected turn in the last few minutes. There were three red cards in added time, one of which was shown to Real Zaragoza goalkeeper, Esteban Andrada. Andrada was given a red card and then punched an opponent player in the face after receiving the dismissal. Since the game, the league has awarded Andrada a 13-game ban which will continue into next season. A bizarre moment in a bizarre game! Former Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada lost his mind and punched an opponent in the face after getting sent off. This happened in the derby between Real Zaragoza and Huesca in LaLiga 2. 🤯🇪🇸🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/VHZ7ZNDt7X— All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 (@AllFutbolMX) April 26, 2026 Manchester United set to sign another goalkeeper?Despite Senne Lammens' success as a Red Devil this season, Manchester United may be looking to swoop the signing of Dortmund goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel. Kobel has also been viewed as a potential successor to Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid showcasing how sort after he is. The Swiss international has played in Germany for his entire senior career so a new challenge abroad could prove tempting. Carl Rushworth wins Championship golden gloveSaturday marked the final day of the Championship season, with the battle for the golden glove still alive between Coventry’s Carl Rushworth and Ipswich’s Christian Walton. Both sides managed to keep clean sheets as Coventry beat Watford 4-0 and Ipswich defeated QPR 3-0, gaining promotion back to the Premier League. As a result, Rushworth claimed the award with 17 clean sheets to his name. Finally, we end with our new segment, Stock RISING & Stock FALLING, where we mark the goalkeepers whose reputation we think has enhanced in the past week, and the goalkeepers who may be refraining from buying a newspaper on Monday morning...P.s. we are goalkeepers. we know what it's like to stand between the posts. This is just a bit of fun. All stocks will dip temporarily, and past performance is not an indicator of future success ;-). STOCK RISINGGeorge Wickens (Lincoln City)Lincoln City's League One winning goalkeeper George Wickens ended the season with an incredible 103 points, a League One trophy, and the joint-highest number of clean sheets in English football this season. What's more, With four assists, he matched former Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson for the most assists in a season by a goalkeeper in English football. Wickens shares the League One Golden Glove with Filip Marschall for 2025/26. Well in, George - enjoy the summer!With a League One winners medal and now the golden glove award, George Wickens says he has no regrets about joining the Imps.🎧 Hear more on Red Imps Club: https://t.co/6slNmaedzH pic.twitter.com/eSa0JOoTjU— BBC Sport Lincolnshire (@BBCSportLincs) May 3, 2026 STOCK FALLINGEsteban Andrada (Real Zaragoza)Following the aforementioned punch incident in La Liga 2, and Andrada's subsequent 13 game ban, it would be tough not to see the Argentine goalkeeper's stock tumbling this week. Both he and Zaragoza will be subject to financial penalties. It should be noted that Andrada has publicly apologised for the incident. Onwards and upwards.