Source: FOOTYMAD
Quirke ready for Norwich game
Young 'keeper awaits contract decision Coventry City's 19 year goal keeper is waiting to hear if he will be needed to replace the injured Kieren Westwood for the last game of the season at Norwich. Westwood missed the last home game of the season with a shoulder injury and has had a scan to ascertain the extent of the problem. Quirke is also waiting to hear if he will be offered an extension to his one year professional contract or if he will have to leave his hometown club in the summer. He kept a clean sheet against Reading last Saturday, when he was selected to play after Westwood ruled himself out of contention and then made a few excellent saves which can have done nothing to harm his chances of being offered a new contract. He has now made three first team appearances and has gone some way to prove that he is capable of playing at Championship level. Quirke told the CT, “I haven’t heard anything yet. A couple of the other younger lads have been offered something but it is not affecting me at the minute because there is another game yet, and, if I play, hopefully I can play well in that and if a contract is offered to me at the end of the season then it will be great." “If not, I feel I have played well enough against Doncaster, Reading and Watford and hopefully other clubs will have been watching. But my main priority is to get a contract with Cov who are my childhood club who I have supported ever since I was little, so I will do my best to get a contract here.” Quirke is the third choice goal keeper behind Westwood and Danny Ireland, but Ireland has a long term injury, ironically sustained when he played in place of an injured Westwood, but Quirke revealed that he very nearly injured himself in training last Friday which would have meant that Coventry City would only be left with the 18 year old Academy player Lee Burge. Burge has been offered a one year professional contract with the club, just like Quirke was this time last year, but Quirke is still waiting to hear if his contract will be renewed. Quirke said, “I got a dead leg when I went in for a 50-50 challenge with Shaun Jeffers. The manager wasn’t very impressed and had a word with me about it but, as a goalie, I am going to be committed and I train how I play so if there’s a ball there to be won I will go and win it." “It was a bit of a scare but I did what the physio told me to and he said I was OK on Saturday morning, and although it was still a bit sore I didn’t feel it during the game because the adrenaline kicked in and it went to the back of my mind.” Quirke admitted to having an attack of the nerves before his home debut last week. He said, “I found out I was playing on Friday and had a bit more time to dwell on it this time. The last time I played was at Doncaster and I was told on the day that I was going to have to do a job, so this time I was more nervous and had a sleepless night because it was such a big game at home in front of a big crowd, but as soon as I made that first save I got a bit of confidence and pushed on from there, and to play in front of 22,000 fans I loved every minute of it. And on a personal level I am over the moon with a clean sheet.” Once the game started ant nervousness left Quirke and his confidence grew as the game progressed, so much so he earned another rebuke from manager Andy Thorn for dribbling the ball inside his area from a back pass which he could not pick up. It resulted in him having to get past Shane Long. His footballing skills won him a cheer from the City supporters and Quirke admitted, “I enjoyed that but I don’t think Andy Thorn was too pleased and had a little word in my ear after I had done it but I thought I did well because it was on my left foot.” “A couple of minutes before there was a similar one but I kicked that one but I got it right and as a keeper you have to make sure you do get it right when you do something like that. And it showed how confident I was in myself.” He continued, “As a keeper you want your first touch on the ball as early as possible and to make a save was even better, and to be deemed a good save down low, I was pleased with that." “The manager said before the game that he wanted the players to protect me and for me to be confident and I thought we did that. The back four were unbelievable and Martin Cranie, in particular, who got a deserved man of the match. But when I was called upon I produced and from a back four and keeper’s perspective we kept a clean sheet. “It was a great game and from the fans’ point of view it was a battle of end to end stuff. From a player’s point of view we just wanted to get that goal but hopefully it was a good game to watch.” Quirke is unsure whether he will play at newly promoted Norwich as it is not yet known how serious Westwood's injury is, but Quirke said, “We will see how Westy is this week and if I get the nod again then hopefully I can do another job for the team. Our aim will be to go there and get three points and finish the season on a high.”
