GOALKEEPER Ben Alnwick made a dream start to his Sunderland career, but confessed he initially feared it was going to be a nightmare.

As it turned out the 18-year-old stopper couldn't have asked for a better script to be written with the game against Leicester on Saturday ending with promotion to the Premiership.

Alnwick was handed his first start for the club because of injury to experienced internationals Mart Poom and Thomas Myhre.

Sunderland needed to win and hope Ipswich didn't at Elland Road to clinch a place in the Premier League, but got off to the worst possible start when Alan Maybury put the Foxes ahead after only five minutes.

"The first thing I had to do was pick the ball out of the net," said Alnwick. "All sorts of things were going through my mind when that happened.

"But after that I got a couple of good strikes on the ball, and made a couple of saves which got me right into the game."

Alnwick did not know until the night before the game he was playing and admitted there were some pre-match nerves.

"When I was in the tunnel before the game my stomach was going, but when I got out on the pitch the fans were good to me and I felt better," said the England under 18 international.

"I really enjoyed it on Saturday. It's the things that dreams are made of. It's the best start I could have hoped for at Sunderland Football Club and I'm really happy at the way it's panned out.

"It came as a massive shock to me. I think he (Mick McCarthy) left it that late so I wouldn't be nervous. He said that if Thomas Myhre was fit he would have played.

"But Tommy was having a few problems with his back before the game."

The Prudhoe born shot stopper could make his second senior start at West Ham on Friday evening, but knows when fit, Poom or Myhre, remain ahead of him in the pecking order.

"I wasn't expecting to play until I was in my early 20s at least," Alnwick added. "It came as a massive surprise to me and I've still got a lot to learn from both goalkeepers.

"They are two very different goalkeepers and I'm getting the best of both worlds. But Mick has told me as long as I work hard I should get a lot of games."