Neil Etheridge steps up to the plate

Neil Etheridge steps up to the plate

By Ian Mitchelmore

19th August 2018


Following the Bluebirds' draw with Reading - the game that sealed Cardiff's promotion from the Championship - Etheridge spoke at length about how he was sleeping on a friend's sofa in Oldham just a few years ago after being cast into the wilderness by Fulham.

He's now playing Premier League football, and is the first man from the Philippines to play in the division.

But it doesn't stop there.

The 28-year-old denied Callum Wilson from the spot in the opening day defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium while his heroics in preventing Kenedy from scoring an injury time winner for Newcastle from 12 yards out saw Cardiff claim their first point of the 2018/19 season.

While he deserves plenty of praise for his penalty exploits, Etheridge also deserves a special mention for keeping the game level against Newcastle.

He pulled off a string of vital stops and is proving that - even after the addition of Alex Smithies in the summer - he more than deserves his chance to prove his worth in the top flight having enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with the Bluebirds in the second tier.