MIDFIELDER Matty Warburton saved two penalties as 10-man Redditch United stunned Solihull Moors to reach the quarter-finals of the Birmingham Senior Cup via a shootout.
Warburton wore the gloves for 80 minutes of regulation time after Tyrese Warmington received a straight red card with the game 10 minutes old at Damson Park.
Brad Nicholson scored the resulting penalty to draw Moors level after Liam Loughran’s strike put the Reds ahead against the National League side.
However, the Reds defended heroically in the remaining minutes to take the game to a shootout.
Remarkably, former Solihull midfielder Warburton denied both Ben Worman and Jacob Wakeling from the spot as the Reds triumphed 3-1 on spot kicks against all the odds.
And Warburton described the experience of playing in goal as ‘surreal’ as he wore the gloves for the first time in his career.
Warburton said: “It was the most bizarre but brilliant evening.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s very surreal. I’ve never put myself forward to go in goal in my career.
“I just thought, I’m coming back from injury, they didn’t need my legs in there, I wouldn’t last as long as the others.
“It paid off somehow. I cannot say how. I didn’t have loads to do and that’s down to the boys in front of me.
“They made my life as easy as possible and they really stepped up when I really needed them to.
“I’ve never [played in goal before]. It’s been a great experience. It was a lot of fun.
“If that’s the only chance to go in goal in my career, I want to leave it like that.
“It’s just a gamble [with penalties]. I had no idea, luckily I’ve guessed the right way and they were quite a nice height.
“I couldn’t quite believe it when I got to the first one, never mind the second.
“I can’t quite put into words what’s just happened.”
Redditch are next in action against Alvechurch on Saturday, February 21 with kick-off at 3pm at Lye Meadow.
