Craig, 46, drafted in after nine other players cry off ...and saves the day

FIFTEEN years after his last appearance on a football pitch, goalkeeper Craig Watson inspired his team to victory when he answered an SOS call from them.

With an amazing nine goalkeepers unavailable, Northern League club Darlington RA turned to the 46- year-old.

And he produced an inspired display to secure a 5- 2 win over Marske United on Saturday, with his son, Tom, also playing his part.

He said: “I never thought that the day would come when I would play for the RA. Tom has played for the RA at different levels, but I’ve never had the chance.

“The club contacted me on Wednesday and put me on standby.

“Dave Woodcock, the joint manager, rang me on Saturday morning and asked how I felt about playing, and I told him I would like to help. The last time I played was 15 years ago in the Darlington Church and Friendly League.

“I wasn’t really nervous before the game because I was trying to concentrate.

“In the first ten minutes, a low cross came over, and I dived and collected it, and that gave me confidence.

“But I felt more nervous at half-time, because we were winning 3-1, and I did not want to let the lads down in the second half, especially playing against the wind.

“Tom came on as sub and at the final whistle we hugged each other. For me, after watching my son turn out for the RA in the past, playing for the RA in the Northern League doesn’t get any better.”

Mr Woodcock admitted that before the game he wondered whether he had done the right thing, and said: “Craig’s nickname is Monk, and when we saw him warming up and making a few mistakes, we were all praying. We signed him back in October when I returned to the club just in case of emergencies. He hasn’t played much at all since he was at school.

“But when the match started, he was superb. His first clearance into the wind barely got out of the box so, after that, we had the fullbacks take goal kicks. His first save gave him a lot of confidence and, to be honest, we couldn’t fault him for the two goals.

“He was superb. I bet there’s not many people make their Northern League debut at his age and do so well.

“I think he’s retired again now, while he’s on a high. If we left him out for Tuesday’s night’s game against Horden, I don’t think he’ll be unhappy.”