'No one could really believe it' - Former Irish League goalkeeper finding love for football once again after scoring maiden senior goal
More used to preventing goals rather than scoring them, former Irish League goalkeeper Billy McDowell found himself in the strange position of coming up with a celebration last weekend after netting what ultimately proved to be the winner for Coleraine Crusaders in their clash with Portstewart Town.
Prior to this summer, ex-Northern Ireland youth international McDowell had spent the entirety of his senior career with clubs in the top-three tiers, starting out with Coleraine before spells at Ballymena United, Ballyclare Comrades and Portstewart, but with enjoyment fading through lack of opportunity, the 20-year-old decided the best course of action would be to rediscover that love once again.
After only a matter of weeks with the C&DL Morning Championship outfit, McDowell is embracing the chance to earn consistent minutes, but surprisingly his biggest contribution so far came at the other end of the pitch.
His 76th minute strike put Crusaders 3-0 up and they looked on track for a routine victory, but Portstewart fired back with two late goals, meaning McDowell’s long-range strike proved priceless.
"It was a bit mad,” he reflected. “We try and play out as much as we can but the sun was in their eyes so we were using it to our advantage and gambling on second balls over the top.
"This time I took another touch and could see the keeper off his line and I just hit it...it took a minute for me to register what had happened and everyone was running towards me going mad.
"I didn't know what to do and ended up putting the top over my head and running to celebrate at my own corner flag! It was mad. It ended up that goal was the winner because we'd a player sent off and conceded a penalty and before we knew it, it was 3-2.
"One of my main attributes is my distribution and I've always been able to hit a ball...I'm thinking about trying to do it again on Saturday!"
McDowell played at Ballyclare alongside Declan Breen, who scored in a Championship victory over Ards last season, and he has been inundated with messages throughout the week checking if the NI Football App has glitched with the goal beside his name.
"Everyone talked about it and the Coleraine Chronicle posted a match report so everybody was sharing it on Facebook,” he added. “Everyone I seen out and about in Coleraine was talking about it and people were wondering how it happened.
"People could see on the app that I'd scored and were taking screenshots asking me if it was true. No one could really believe it."
McDowell hopes that this spell with Coleraine Crusaders can act as a springboard for a move back up the Northern Irish pyramid and admits it’s helping him regain confidence after a tricky period.
"It was getting to the point where I wasn't playing, put on a bit of weight and you see yourself falling,” he said. “I was saying to myself 'is there any point in me even playing anymore?'.
"It was annoying me more going to football. It's tough for a young goalkeeper and you realise that more as you step up into the senior game.
"I spoke to a couple of people and my mum encouraged me to keep going. She suggested playing at a lower level and get enjoying my football again and get the confidence back. That's kind of the plan. I'm enjoying it, I want to go to training and we’re winning games."