Bootle goalkeeper Theo Roberts was delighted to play a key role in their win over Mossley.
The dual-registration goalkeeper was signed on the eve of their play-off clash with the Greater Manchester side with the 23-year-old picking up the man-of-the-match award for his role in the triumph.
Ben Hodkinson returned to score the opener before two quickfire goals from Morgan Homson-Smith and Jack McGovern at the death sealed the win.
Roberts, who signed for City of Liverpool earlier this season, described the ‘whirlwind’ that unfolded in the build-up to the clash.
“Yeah it was [a whirlwind], been at Bury the last couple of weeks so I have been trying to get a place in there after I played for them in a Vase game, they had a keeper who cup-tied so I went and helped them out after I left City of Liverpool,” he told Off The Park.
“The keeper they’ve got there, they’re said he’s doing well I don’t want to drop but I said I wanted to fight for my place. I wasn’t playing the weekend just gone and Brian rang me and said ‘what’s the situation? Can you come help us out for a few weeks?’ Spoke to Andy at Bury, he said if you want a game, go and play.
“I was nonstop all afternoon on Friday afternoon, think work were a bit annoyed because I didn’t do anything.
“After not playing for a few weeks it can go one or two ways, you can have a good game and you’re hungry to get back and playing or you’re rusty and don’t have a great start.
“But I know a few of the lads at Bootle, they’ve been a good side since Brian took over, they’ve sort of rocketed up the league. He said the thing they want to sort out most is clean sheets and he just said play your game.
“You come back in with a hunger to play and to keep clean sheets, Mossley did come out and they’ve been on a bad run of form lately, they threw everything at it and it was just one of them games where everything went right.
“It’s a flattering result to us, 3-0; a penalty and two late goals I think they’ve come because Mossley have been pushing forward to get something from the game but that’s football at the end of the day. You’re not always going to be the best team but it’s about digging in.
“From about the 60th minute, when we were 1-0 we had a few players go off – Jay McCarten centre half went off a big loss. But to have the resilience to sit in and grind out a result, a bit of luck they hit the bar a couple of times but that’s football, it happens and they’re the results that push you up the league.”
Roberts won’t be available for selection for the sold-out clash with Marine on Monday but hopes he can help Brian Richardson’s side moving forward.
He added: “When ‘keepers get man of the match, it’s usually a draw or might’ve won 1-0 and you’ve kept the team in it, it’s not usually 3-0 when a ‘keeper gets man of the match. I was just glad to help the team out, good saves at important times, I think we were 1-0 up and 0-0 in the first half [when the important saves were made].
“But that’s what Bri said ‘I brought you in to do stuff like that, I know you can do that for us’ I’m just happy to help the team.
“It was great. It was surprising after they said Ben Hodkinson continuously wins it every week for them they said so it’s nice for somebody else to win it. They were great the fans, they were all day when I got to the ground, hopefully I can continue doing that for them.”
[Featured image: WGriff.Photo]
