Preston North End man opens up on 'craziest few weeks' of his life - from birth of child to football up & downs
Reflections on the last few weeks from PNE’s number one
Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman admits the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.
The 27-year-old has been PNE’s number one for the last two-and-a-half years, but had to sit out of the recent home game against West Brom. In the previous encounter, at Stoke, Woodman was shown a straight red card for a bonkers handball outside the box.
Upon his return to the XI, the shot-stopper saved a penalty at Sheffield Wednesday but then let in a tame effort from Michael Smith - which salvaged a point for the hosts. Then, it was on to Cardiff City - a club once Woodman’s bitter rival during his Swansea City spell.
Preston picked up three huge points and the goalkeeper kept a clean sheet on the night. Post-match, Woodman spoke to the media and reflected on recent events - not only on the pitch, either, with some huge news in his personal life.
“Yeah, it’s been the craziest few weeks of my life really,” Woodman told the Lancashire Post. “Away from the pitch, I had my daughter come into the world, pretty early. So yeah, it has been crazy - with the games as well, trying to manage football and manage my home life, it has been mental. But yeah, this one was nice... nice to get a result.”
Football is a pressured environment and you don’t always know what players have going on, away from the pitch. At Preston’s level, the expectation to perform is there regardless though. Woodman, whose form has been under the spotlight, assures he feels fine in himself and that self-belief will always be there, when he crosses the white line. If anything, football hasn’t been the stress of late.
“Yeah, football is football!” said Woodman. “It gives you the opportunity to just come and take your mind off it for 90 minutes. That is what I do really, so it’s been a tough few weeks, but football has given me that release, which I have needed. And yeah, hopefully things are getting better on and off the pitch. So yeah, really good.
He added: “Oh yeah listen, confidence is massive in a goalkeeper. I don’t really lose it to be honest, even when I go through tough times. You have just got to keep going... that is it really. You have to keep going and things will turn. I work hard every single day and give my all every time I play. Sometimes it is not good enough; sometimes it is. That is what I will continue to do until I retire.”