Chorley FC keeper Matty Urwin says the key to his penalty shootout heroics is all in the mind

Chorley’s penalty shootout king Matty Urwin says the key to his heroics is all in the mind.
Matty Urwin celebrates after saving a penalty. Photo credit: Stefan WilloughbyMatty Urwin celebrates after saving a penalty. Photo credit: Stefan Willoughby
Matty Urwin celebrates after saving a penalty. Photo credit: Stefan Willoughby

The keeper was the hero for the second week running as he saved three penalties to help the Magpies to a 4-3 victory on penalties over Spennymoor Town – and a place in the National League.

It was just a week after his three saves in the sudden-death semi-final finale against Altrincham booked the Magpies passage to the final.

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It maintains his fine penalty record that has seen him lose just one shootout – for Blackburn Rovers’ Under-12s’ side in Holland.

The 25-year-old praised analyst Jason Taylor for his research work to prepare the keeper for penalties last week.

After Alex Newby and Louis Almond missed their spot-kicks Urwin knew he really had to stop the division’s top scorer Glen Taylor’s penalty to save the Magpies’ skins.

He said: “We spoke about it last week. I had a little bit of doubt when the second one was missed.

“I thought I have to save this now but luckily I did.

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“I spoke to Jason Taylor and he said a few of them did not go the same way so, you have to do a bit of research but you have to be calculated too.

“I played a few mind games with them, I don’t know if you noticed but I was standing to one side of my goal, then moving back in and they could not resist the challenge of going back to my right on the first one.

“So yeah, everything went well.”

When he saved the final spot-kick Urwin was mobbed by his team-mates and the fans.

Chants of ‘Urwin, Urwin’ went up every time he made a save and he praised the fans and says the Spennymoor fans behind the goal gave him a decent reception too.

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He said: “The fans were great on Sunday, they made a real noise when it was penalties.

“But I was kind of hoping it would be at our end this time.

“It was not but I didn’t get as much stick as the Altrincham fans gave me the previous week, which was a relief.”