The ups and downs of a dramatic week

LIFE as a professional footballer can change very quickly, particularly if you're a goalkeeper. A couple of good saves and you're everyone's hero, a mistake and suddenly you're a muppet.

You learn to take things in your stride early on in this game, otherwise it would really get you down, but you would struggle to find a more eventful couple of days than the weekend I have just been through.

On Saturday there was the win over Wales, not spectacular maybe, but a job well done. I couldn't really understand some of the criticism afterwards.

It was another clean sheet in a World Cup qualifier, the fifth in a row, and another step towards the World Cup finals.

I thought some of the stuff was unfair. The conditions were difficult but we put in a good, professional performance in what was, for the Welsh, their cup final.

I was pleased with that save in the first half. There are a few others which stick in the memory but considering the importance of the occasion, it had to be up there with the best I have made.

There are a few others which have given me great satisfaction. I especially recall one for Leeds in the Champions League against Barcelona at Elland Road. It was a header, I was going the wrong way but twisted and managed to tip the ball wide of the goal.

I was proud of that one and have a big picture of it in my house, which brings me on to the second part of the weekend and that break- in.

Fortunately there was no one in the house. My wife Rebecca and daughter Lucy-May were not there.

The burglars were only in the house for less than a minute and as soon as the alarm went off they legged it.

What really disappointed me though was that although the alarm is connected to the police station, it took nearly two and a half hours for someone to respond.

Surely that's not good enough despite all the pressures they are under these days.

The result of it all was that it was around 1am on Monday before things quietened down. I stayed the night, with the manager's blessing, at the house before returning to the team hotel.

I was allowed to do a session in the hotel gym rather than go training with the rest of the lads before leaving for Northern Ireland.

Things are back to normal now though and I'm looking forward to tonight's match at Windsor Park.

It's a tight ground all right, and it's my first visit to the city. But I must say the pitch is in excellent condition, better than the one at the Millennium Stadium on which they'd played a rugby match the previous week.

The system we played against Wales dominated a lot of the prematch publicity but it doesn't affect me an awful lot. The one constant in any formation is the man at the very back of the pack, the poor old keeper.

I would just like to mention Luke Young in the match against the Welsh, though. I've played in the same team as him at Under-21 level and so I know what a good player he is. It was a big occasion in front of a big crowd and he must have been nervous but Luke stood up to it all magnificently for me and there is no doubt he will get another chance, sooner rather than later probably.

Finally, being a Yorkshire lad, I couldn't end this column without a reference to the fantastic Ashes cricket series.

There's not too many cricket fans in the squad but I must say I've been following it avidly.

I've even been trying to get a couple of tickets for Sunday but the only offer I've had so far was a grand for two and I'm not that desperate to be at The Oval.

Paul Robinson writes for the Standard courtesy of RSR Ltd

(c)2005. Associated Newspapers Ltd.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.