Better than Roy of the Rovers as keeper's late goal keeps his team afloat

The Observer - 9/5/1999

Some people are on the pitch ... they think it's all over. And so it was when Carlisle United's on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass (pictured celebrating with fans) came up for a last-chance corner and managed to secure the club's league future with the closing kick. What happened in the fourth minute of added time at Brunton Park yesterday was more far-fetched than anything to happen to Roy of the Rovers, and more exciting, as one of emotional young fan suggested, than being in a European Final. Carlisle are still a long way from that, despite chairman Michael Knighton's much trumpeted ambitions, in fact had they lost, or even drawn, against Plymouth Argyle, they would have dropped out of the football league after more than 70 years. As the game entered injury time that was exactly the scenario. Carlisle needed to beat Argyle to get past Scarborough, who, barring any other result from Cumbria, would have thought they had done enough guarantee their own survival by drawing at home to Peterborough. Carlisle had already come back from a goal down, and as the four extra minutes ticked away, angry fans were rounding on the unpopular Knighton as Glass trotted up - barely noticed - for a corner with seconds remaining. Amazingly, he scored, and though Glass, 25, returns to Swindon after being signed with special dispensation after the transfer deadline, he now has a permanent place in Carlisle history. "I only popped in for three matches, and I've helped save this club, I'm really pleased." he said "I've never scored a league goal before but this was luck. I walloped it, and next thing I'm under 2,000 people!" The much vilified Knighton came close to knowing the feeling. "I still believe in UFOs," he said "but now I believe in miracle goals from on-loan goalkeepers, too!"

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