Keeper Jack Bonham had an action-filled afternoon on Saturday as he pulled off a number of saves, including a second-half penalty block, which kept his side right in it as the game against Mansfield Town ebbed and flowed its way through 90 entertaining minutes.
Speaking at full time, he said: “It was quite a busy game, to be fair. There were a few saves for me to make – one off a free kick and a penalty save – so I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the win. The good thing is that it was another good team performance.
“Personally it felt like I did well and there are some good positives for me to take into the next game. The reaction from the fans when I made the saves was good but you don’t really take that in at the time because you’re so focussed on the game. With the penalty, it’s always nice to save them, but it was made better because it kept us in front at the time."
But had he decided which way he was going before the kick was taken?
“To be honest, as he was putting the ball down I still hadn’t decided which way I was going to go,” he admitted. “Initially I was going to my left, then I switched to going to my right, and then I looked up and I saw Danny Grainger point to the right.
“It’s pot luck at the end of the day because he’s either going straight down the middle or one of the other ways, to your left or right. You just have to make your mind up and then be positive with that decision.
“The lads ran up to me afterwards and I was just pleased I’d saved it. You’re obviously buzzing but you quickly have to put it out of your head and get on with it because the game doesn’t stop.”
On the build up to Calum Butcher’s equaliser, he told us: “It was a good ball into the box and I’d decided to go for it.
“I had to go through quite a few bodies to punch it and it was a good finish from the lad in the end. He was composed and he managed to pick the right spot.”
And on his own form, with seven games under his belt, he said: “I’m really pleased with how it’s going so far. I feel like I’m doing ok.
“I’m my own worst critic and I do look at everything quite deeply, and I’m probably even a bit too hard on myself at times. I’d only ever played one game in a row before I came here so to even get to this point is great for me.
“I can feel the momentum building and I felt a lot better today [Saturday] than I had in previous games. Hopefully that’ll keep being the case. I want to play at as high a level as possible and I’ve come to a team that demands the highest of standards. Everyone wants promotion and it’s just great to get games and to be part of it.
“This was definitely one of my better games and it is helping that I’m playing every week. Before coming here I’ve had to wait for six months between appearances, and things like that, but now I can use the good and bad from every game and take it into the next one.
“I know I’m fighting for my place with Shamal [George] as well. He kept a clean sheet in the game he played and that pushes me to make sure I perform as well. It’s really healthy competition between the two of us.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Jack Bonham on iFollow United now.
Thanks to Chris Holloway for the image at the top of this article.