8 MAY 1999: The day a keeper made history!! Where were you? I WAS WATCHING MY SON PLAY CRICKET FOR HIS SCHOOL 1ST XI AND HE SCORED THE WINNING RUNS!
I am also following, NOW, various "last chances" of clubs in the Football League, fighting promotion or relegation!
In history, on this day, the last kick of the season saved Carlisle United from relegation: SO...Happy St Jimmy's Day! It is 24 years since the on-loan keeper, from Swindon, Jimmy Glass, wrote his name into football folklore by scoring the injury-time goal against Plymouth Argyle in 1999 that kept Carlisle in the Football League. The footage will never get boring - nor will Derek Lacey's legendary BBC Radio Cumbria commentary - and, if United need any inspiration at all to get the job done in Glass's native south London this afternoon, then where better to turn than this:
Jimmy Glass: Famous goalscorer who became Bournemouth’s ‘go-to man’.
Little do some of them of them know about the amazing story that he himself has to tell though. “Even yesterday morning one of the young players came in to me and said, ‘I didn’t know there was a documentary about you,’” the 49-year-old says with a chuckle, because Glass is the scorer of one of the most notable goals in English football history.
The date: May 8th 1999, 24 years ago. The game: Carlisle United v Plymouth Argyle at Brunton Park in the final game of the season.
To say there was a lot riding on it would be a bit of an understatement. Carlisle had to win to have a chance of staying in the Football League - and even then they had to hope that Scarborough failed to beat Peterborough. The alternative was dropping out of the Football League and, in all likelihood, going out of business. Glass had only just arrived at the club on an emergency three-game loan from Swindon.
“I was getting ready for my holidays and six weeks off,” he remembers. “The manager called me into his office and said, ‘Carlisle have come in for you on loan, do you want to go?' I wasn't getting in the team for Swindon at the time so my immediate reaction was yes.” With four minutes of the game remaining, the score was 1-1 and Carlisle were getting relegated. News started to filter through from Scarborough - their game against Peterborough had finished 1-1.
Over the tannoy the announcer screamed: "We’ve got four minutes to save our football club!” There were 10 seconds left when Carlisle won a corner and Glass strode forwards from his own area. The keeper saved a powerful header but the ball dropped to Glass, lurking on the edge of the six-yard .He calmly side-footed home and there was pandemonium inside the ground, with thousands of fans pouring onto the pitch. This was the moment Glass had lived his life for.
TODAY Carlisle United visited my old club, Sutton United in Football League Two and an 85 minute own goal earned them a 1-1 draw! 330 miles and 5 hours plus by road (one way!).
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