360: Roy Carroll, Manchester United, The Official Premier League Sticker Collection 2003, 10th Edition

Today Emlyn Jones takes a look at the fascinating career of a man who is often only remembered for one famous moment in a Premier League game. I’m sure Ronny Rosenthal can sympathise but perhaps the fact that today’s subject got away with his moment of inadequacy, or the fact Nick Hancock was no longer banging out Christmas videos by this stage, meant that he managed to fly under the radar slightly. Over to Emlyn for the VHS highlights.

Goalkeeper – the loneliest job in football. Single blunders can define a player's career, or result in them shouldering the blame for a loss. From a Wales fan's point of view, they can also be wonderfully hilarious. Sincere thanks to Rob Green, Scott Carson, and Paul Robinson from me.

On occasion, the goalkeeper can't be blamed, such as Tim Flowers being lobbed by a bobble off the pitch, or Loris Karius playing on through possible concussion. However, there have been countless inexcusable goalie blunders, including Gary Sprake chucking it into his own net, Massimo Taibi allowing Matt Le Tissier's snail-pace shot to squirm between his legs, and Peter Shilton letting a coked up midget beat him to a cross.

In the pre-VAR days, one keeper managed (with a huge chunk of fortune) to spare his own blushes. At 0-0 in the 89th minute against Manchester United, Pedro Mendes of Tottenham Hotspur took a speculative halfway line shot. A young Northern Irish 'keeper ambled over to collect the ball, however, it ballooned out of his grasp towards the net. Despite replays showing the hapless custodian dragging the ball back from several feet over the line, the officials couldn't agree that a goal had been scored, much to the ire of the Spurs’ fans. Although this may be the overriding memory many have of Roy Carroll, his career was by no means short of noteworthy incidents.

Carroll was plucked from youth football in Northern Ireland by Hull City in 1995. He played over 50 games for the side while still a teenager, but was sold in 1997 to Wigan Athletic due to mounting financial issues. It was a slow start with the Latics, however, by the 1999/2000 season he contributed to a spell of 26 unbeaten games, being voted the best goalkeeper in the league. He may have added to his tally of clean sheets had he not had to undergo emergency appendix surgery late in the season.

The following season had high expectations for the club, however, a loss to Reading in the play-off semi-final saw them remain in the third tier. Manchester United swooped for the goalkeeper, continuing the search for the long-term replacement for Peter Schmeichel. He was largely an understudy to Fabien Barthez, and wasn't able to break through to the first team, though did rack up enough appearances for a Premier League winner's medal in 2003.

Carroll couldn't hold down a first team spot, and was dropped after the unpunished clanger against Spurs mentioned earlier in the article. He was picked sporadically in rotation with Tim Howard, managing 34 appearances in all competitions, however, another gaffe against AC Milan in a European game led to a goal and a 1-0 loss. After management couldn't give assurance that Carroll would be the number one choice, he chose to move on to West Ham United. He had a strong start, however, injury led to him missing half a season, and Rob Green's arrival, coupled with alcohol and gambling problems, meant he was never first choice. West Ham supported him through a stint in rehab for his personal issues; however, unable to promise him first-team football, the club allowed him to leave at the end of the 2006/07 season. Carroll's drink problems would persist until he was finally able to quit in 2011, which may have contributed to the beginning of a journeyman phase in his career.

Six month at Rangers yielded only one appearance, and in January 2008 Carroll moved to Derby County. Again, he started well, however, Derby were relegated and he ended up losing his place after a red card against Norwich City. He was selected for cup games, and reached the League Cup semi-final against former side Manchester United, though Derby lost 4-3 on aggregate. New boss Nigel Clough did not see a future at the club for the player, and he was released in August 2009.

His nomadic phase continued with 18 months at Odense BK in Denmark, followed by an unsuccessful trial at Sheffield United, before signing for Brentford, again on trial. While at Barnet, Martin Allen was sacked as manager ahead of the final of the Hertfordshire Senior Cup. With caretaker boss Giuliano Grazioli unable to return from a scouting expedition, Carroll took charge for the final. Barnet were victorious, giving Carroll an unusual distinction in having won a trophy in his only game in management. He then left in protest when his former Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez was approached for the job, going on trial at Preston North End.

The trial was unsuccessful, however, Carroll signed for OFI Crete in Greece. In 16 appearances over six months, he gained the attention of the champions Olympiakos, who signed him for €100,000. He kept twelve clean sheets in his first twenty games, earning the love of the fans, and remained at the club for two and a half years. Having lost his place in the side, he moved on to Notts County, and remained there until 2016.

Throughout this nomadic period, Carroll still played regularly for the Northern Ireland national side. In November 2014, he managed to follow up a game for the Green and White Army with a clean sheet for Notts County less than 24 hours later. Having played his first game in 1997, Carroll bowed out from the side in 2017, having racked up 45 games over the twenty-year period.

After leaving Notts County, Carroll returned to Northern Ireland with Linfield FC. He was still playing regular football in the semi-professional leagues this year, and has recently been given the role of Head Goalkeeping Coach for the Northern Ireland national side. Alongside these accomplishments, he was awarded a Red Cross Humanitarian Award for his work with a young cancer patient in 2001. Certainly a career with stories far beyond a brief fumble on the goal line.