GRIMSBY goalkeeper James McKeown says that winning through to the Vanarama Conference Promotion final at the third attempt has helped him get over his mistake in last season's semi-final.
Twelve months ago, McKeown allowed a shot from Gateshead's James Marwood slip through his hands in the second leg at the International Stadium as the Heed beat Town 4-2 on aggregate
But having kept a clean sheet in last Sunday's 3-0 win over Eastleigh to ensure the Mariners finally made it to Wembley, 5-1 victors over the two legs, the 25-year-old stopper told The NLP of his relief.
The ex-Peterborough man said: “After last year, a lot of people would have been watching on Sunday thinking ‘How's he going to do?' And rightly so, because if you make a mistake in a big game, instantly, regardless of whether it's true or not, people will think ‘He can't handle pressure'.
“You could have played in 20 big games and not made a mistake, but it's something you have to live with.
“So getting through with a clean sheet on Sunday was brilliant. I couldn't do much about their goal in the first leg last Thursday. I didn't play great by any means, but I did OK and it was such a relief. The monkey off my back a little bit to hopefully prove people wrong.”
*A full interview with James McKeown will appear in this Sunday's NLP as part of the build-up to next Sunday's Vanarama Conference Promotion final against Bristol Rovers
