Source: FOOTYMAD
Quirke Is Ready, Willing And Able To Fill In For Westwood
City youngster speaks about his first start Coventry City's latest hero, Academy graduate Michael Quirke, has spoken about his first start for his home town team and of how he is ready to carry on in the absence of Kieren Westwood.The 19 year old third choice Sky Blues goalkeeper suddenly found himself thrust up the order with the bizarre injuries to the two 'keepers ahead of him.Westwood suffered a thigh injury in the heavy home defeat at the hands of Bristol City and was replaced by substitute goalie Danny Ireland, who only minutes after replacing Westwood tore a muscle in his leg and had to play on for the rest of the game in pain.Ireland was definitely ruled out of the mid week trip to Doncaster, but Westwood had a Tuesday morning fitness test, which he failed thus paving the way for Quirke to be thrust into the limelight.Quirke spoke of the sequence of events that led up to him being told he would be starting his first senior game for Coventry City."Westy was with me all day, wishing me the best and telling me that I would be fine," said Quirke. "He had a chat with me on the coach going over and he was great." "Learning from an international goalie like him has been fantastic, you can't beat the experience he has got and it is great just being around him in training every day. He really looked after me." "Before the game he came up to me and gave me a pair of his gloves and said 'go and do yourself and your family proud.' Hopefully I did them justice and I'd like to thank Kieren for everything he's done for me."He then revealed how he heard he would be playing that night. He was told by the goal keeping coach Steve Ogrizovic at 2pm."Westy got injured on Saturday and was touch and go until Tuesday and I knew Danny Ireland wasn't going to be fit," he said. "Oggy came to see me and said 'you're in,' and that was it. I had to get my head on the game and prepare to play.""I played 75 minutes against Watford earlier in the season but that was different because I was obviously on the bench that day and wasn't expecting to get on." "It was sprung on me after 15 minutes of the game when Iain Turner got injured and I went on and did a job there but to make my full debut was great. It shows the trust the gaffer has got in me and how hard Oggy has worked with me in training this year.""I feel like I have improved since I played against Watford, that I have got better, stronger and technically more stable and it is fantastic to know that the gaffer and management have confidence to put me in."He admitted, "My nerves were going ten to the dozen. Supporting Cov (sic) as I have grown up meant it is a massive thing, a dream come true, but as soon as I got started I felt a bit better and you don't really have time to think about the nerves because you just have to get on with the job." "It is always nice to get your first few touches and to make an early save was great, and then to make the save like I did to help us get to half-time still 1-0 up was great."Quirke is one of many Coventry City players on short contracts and he is hoping that he has done enough to earn an extension so he can stay at his home town club. He then described the game and his saves and the goal he was disappointed to have conceded right at the end of the game."It was one of those where I couldn't really see it because there was a defender and striker in the way," he recalled. "Brian Stock hit it and I just took off really and got a hand to it. It was one of those that I thought I had palmed into the net but I turned round and the ball hit the bar and the post and as I went to catch it, Martin Cranie booted it away. ""Getting up after that was a great feeling, I could hear all the fans cheering and nothing beats that. It was great and I think that carried me through the rest of the game because it gave me confidence. I am not saying I wasn't confident but it is hard for a 19 year old, especially in goal, to make a save like that and keep the team in front.""We are obviously disappointed to concede the late goal because the win was what we needed and would have been a great boost going into Saturday, but we showed character, fight and determination and we are on the right path now and we can only get better."He commented on the last gasp equaliser Donaster scored, "We can't blame anyone for the late equaliser.It was just a long through ball and the striker gambled and took the goal well.""The gaffer said the same after the game but the performance we put in shows we are going in the right direction after Saturday."After the game the City boss Aidy Boothroyd said he would have no qualms about playing Quirke again if Westwood didn't recover in time for the visit to The Ricoh of Hull City on Saturday, which was music to the ears of Quirke and boosted his confidence even further."That's great to hear," said Quirke. "He threw me in at the deep end and hopefully I did him proud, and if I am needed at the weekend then hopefully I will go and do the same again and maybe help the team get a clean sheet and a win."
