GOALKEEPERS ARE A LITTLE NUTS

JONNY BRICK LISTENS IN AS WATFORD FAN PODCASTS TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF WHERE THE CLUB THEY LOVE FINDS ITSELF...

"WHY'S our goalkeeper (Fred Barber) wearing a scary mask?" I found myself asking my Dad.

I was just six years old and I was now part of the terraces on a regular basis.

I was at my local club Peterborough United on a warm spring afternoon watching them play in their bid to reach the play-offs in 1992.

"He's nuts, that's why. You have to be a little nuts to be a goalkeeper!" I didn't question him. He was my fountain of knowledge whilst I was learning the beautiful game. And he played locally for 30 years so I knew he had his fair share of stories (I've heard many of them over the years so my intuition was right).

There are a lot of characters in football. Everyone who has played, watched and immersed themselves in the glorious game knows or has heard of some crazy shenanigans.

And as I got older, curiosity got the better of me. We've all heard plenty of pranks and funny stories recently with the likes of Gazza and Jimmy Bullard, but I still wanted to see what was out there from the archives of goalkeepers.

After all, it's what started me on my journey searching for more wonderful anecdotes.

So allow me to indulge in some of the more bizarre things I've come across. Some will be true, some will probably be tall tales which have become more elaborate over the years as time has passed on.

But, most of all, I'm sure it'll make you all think about the weird, warming, wonderful stories and experiences you've had over the course of your own footballing journeys.