Robinson's Magic Moment

Last updated : 25 September 2003 By Kevin Markey

He admits it was a magical moment in his career that will stay with him for the rest of his life.Scoring a goal in open play in front of the old kop at Elland Road.

Robinson chose to venture forward for a corner for the very first time in his short career, with Leeds 2-1 down to Swindon in their Carling Cup second-round tie and with the game deep into injury-time.

Following last Saturday's upset against Birmingham when his penalty save was cancelled out, this made up for it big-time.

Shortly after the game Nigel Martyn phoned him up to congratulate his old colleague.

Robinson said: "He phoned me from his car driving back from Everton because he had seen the goal and he wanted to know what had happened. He offered his congratulations - but then he still reminded me Duncan Ferguson had scored two in their (Stockport) cup tie.

"It's a one-off game, a cup-tie, a chance to get into Europe and so you never give it up.But I'd never been up in the box before and when we got the corner I asked if they (the bench) wanted me to go. They didn't hesitate and waved me up.

"When we got the first corner and nothing came of it, I looked back to my goal and thought 'I'm not going back there', so I stayed up and got lucky. You obviously wouldn't go up if you didn't expect something to happen, and although you think you might score, the chances of it actually happening are slim. I was lucky the ball just fell on my head.

"Thankfully, in training, the goalkeepers do some crossing practice. There are five or six of us and sometimes we do a bit of finishing against each other. That came in handy. But when the ball went in I didn't know what to do. So I just ran to the corner like everybody else does, and then everyone jumped on me and I crumbled to the floor.

"Although saves are very important to goalkeepers because that's how you earn your money and they are on what you are judged, scoring that goal was unbelievable, a one-off, something different which will stay with me for the rest of my life. After what happened on Saturday, it shows football's a game of fortunes and in this game somebody was looking after me."