As Boro’ were down a keeper ahead of our 2021 League Two clash with Forest Green, we had to turn to ‘keeper coach Luke O’Reilly. He was named on the bench after Sacha Bastien picked up an injury late in the day. With young stopper Timmy Smith out on loan at the time, the decision was made to bring O’Reilly into the mix; the alternative being to go without goalkeeper cover in that match. It’s not as if he didn’t come with experience, however.

To start with too, it seems as if O’Reilly was given the gig of heading up academy goalkeeping. But that role evolved into first team goalkeeping coach too. And if we got that wrong, we’d be more than happy to set the record straight.

Luke O’Reilly: Before Boro’

O’Reilly called time on his playing career at a pretty young age; moving into coaching with Boro’ at the age of 25. If we can believe TransferMarkt (and why shouldn’t we?), he arrived here after a spell with Maldon & Tiptree United. It was the final stop on a playing career that gradually came down through the divisions; his youth career including time at both Cardiff City and Tottenham Hotspur. His first big break, however, would come at Carlisle United.