‘I was worried for my life’ - Jamie Sneddon reflects on injury-time Cove equaliser after winning SPFL ‘Goal of the Month’ award for December

Jamie Sneddon admits he will happily parade his SPFL ‘Goal of the Month’ award in front of his Partick Thistle team-mates, family and friends after becoming the first goalkeeper to ever win one.

The Jags No.1, who had become accustomed to being an unsung hero at the Maryhill club, picked up the accolade yesterday following his sensational stoppage-time equaliser against Cove Rangers at Balmoral Stadium in December.

The 25-year-old hit the headlines when he was ushered forward for a late corner by Thistle goalkeeping coach Kenny Arthur before arching his run into the penalty area and glancing a powerful header into the net to spark wild scenes of celebration among the travelling fans.

Manager Ian McCall admitted it was the first time in over 40 years in football he has witnessed a goalkeeper scoring at such a vital stage, adding: “Most people would call me a dinosaur because I hate seeing goalies go up but I didn’t hate it after he scored. I never told him to go forward but it is fairy-tale stuff and he deserved it.”

Almost six weeks on, Sneddon, who became a worldwide sensation, has had time to process his achievement but confessed he can remember next to nothing in the build-up to the goal.

He said: “It’s not something you ever contemplate as a keeper. It happened over a month ago now and it’s just starting to sink in. I can’t even describe the feeling when the goal went in, you don’t remember what actually happened in the moment. It was just so surreal and picking up this award has brought it all back to life a wee bit.

“The boys haven’t brought it up yet, to be fair, I don’t know why that is! It has only just been announced so they’ll probably see it and maybe a couple of strikers will be a wee bit angry! It will be good banter. I might bring it into training just for a bit of fun and put it at my station.

“In terms of satisfaction, it’s always great to keep clean sheets and that’s my main job. But I’ll never experience a feeling like I did at Cove again. I can understand why striker’s buzz of scoring a goal so much. That moment when the ball hit the back of the net is something I’ll remember forever.

“I’ll be keeping it for myself, that’s for sure. I stacked my awards from last season in my cupboard because my flat is tiny and I’ve nowhere else to put them! I might eventually take them back to my parents house but hopefully I get find myself a bigger place soon and can start up a wee trophy cabinet. I’ll be showing it off to everyone.”

Sneddon joked he was “worried for my life” at the bottom of a scrum sparked by his 96th-minute leveller, stating: “I remember getting rugby tackled to the ground and quickly curling up into a ball. I was hoping for the best and 30 seconds later I got back to my feet and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was just pure emotion.”

Asked if he would consider going up for more set-piece opportunities in the future, the former Hearts youth stopper replied: “I was actually thinking when we were 1-0 down at Queen’s Park a couple of weeks ago, ‘If this scoreline stays the same late on, I’m up there again because I’m confident and preparing myself for round two,’ but unfortunately we conceded a second.

“You never know, if there’s one goal in the game and it’s 90 minutes gone then you’ve got nothing to lose so you may as well go up for it. I would only get away with it in added time.

As for becoming the first goalkeeper to claim the prize, Sneddon quipped: “I’d be raging if I wasn’t! A few people have said to me, ‘Was it a winner you scored?’. I said, ‘There is no chance I’m up there if it is a draw, we’re holding out for the point’.”

Fourth-placed Thistle take on Championship title favourites Dundee at Dens Park this weekend and Sneddon knows exactly what’s at stake. He said: “People often say ‘don’t look at the table’ but when it comes to games like this then it’s a huge incentive if you win because we can go above them and put ourselves in a better position.

“Barring that minor hiccup at Queen’s Park, we’ve been on a good run of form. We’ve got the confidence to go up there and get a result. It’s a huge game for both teams who are in a similar position, so we know it’s not going to be easy but we’ve been preparing well this week.

“Like us, Dundee have won a lot of games lately and there’s not a lot between us in the league, so it’s all set up to be a really good match.”