Ben Amos on coming to Brunton Park
Keeper Ben Amos spoke to us about his loan move to Brunton Park shortly after completing his first training session with the club on Friday afternoon.
“The move has been mentioned in Manchester for the last couple of days so I suspected it might happen,” he said. “It actually wasn’t confirmed until about half seven last night and it was then a case of jumping in the car and making my way up the M6.
“I spoke to the staff at Man United before I left and they have told me it’s a good opportunity to come out and get some games. I’ve played at league one level before and I know how tough it can be. It has its own challenges but I’m just really looking forward to playing again.”
“That’s all I really want,” he continued. “I’ve been working exceptionally hard in training but that has been without having the game time and exposure I really need. It has been hard and you have to do whatever you can to keep yourself motivated. There does come a time when you have to hold your hand up and say that you need games. This gave me a chance to do that and it’s good to be here.”
“I met the lads this morning and they have all made me feel really welcome,” he added. “Training had that level of intensity that comes on the day before a match and everyone is really up for it. I can see a set of lads who want to get a good run of results going and hopefully I’ll be involved tomorrow and I’ll be able to play my part.”
“I think the fact I’ve had loan spells at other clubs and I’ve played a lot of games has meant that I’ve always wanted more of that kind of thing,” he admitted. “There is nothing like being on the pitch when it matters because it brings its own edge to your game. I was a bit nervous on my way up the motorway last night but once you get settled and you meet everyone that goes away.”
As to what type of keeper we can expect to see, he said: “I’d like to think I’m a positive keeper who takes the pressure off the defenders, if I can. I think my all round game is decent and, just like any player, consistency will come with the more games I play. I want to perform well week in and week out and I want to have a zero in our goals against column as much as possible.”
On his career background, he told us: “It’s obviously fantastic to be involved with a club like Manchester United but it’s been a long and hard road, to be honest. I joined them when I was 11 and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t anything but hard graft. Having said that, what a great journey it’s been. I’ve met and worked with some unbelievable people and hopefully that isn’t over for me just yet.
“But I do need to think about me and my football career because I just want to be the best goalkeeper I can be. With a bit of luck that will be with Man United. I’m in a situation now where I can call Edwin van der Sar at the drop of a hat because he’s always there to give encouragement and advice.
“I trained with him every day, I cherry picked different parts of his game and I picked his brains for every bit of information I could get. He’s an incredible person and I would be very disappointed with myself if I didn’t make the most of the opportunity to learn from someone like that.”
“I don’t see a move like this as a backwards or sideways step at all,” he insisted. “I see it as putting myself in a tough and important game environment where I will be tested all the time. I can’t hide away from the fact I’m in the shop window and, if I don’t perform, then that reflects badly on me.”
“I’ve played up here at Brunton Park with Oldham and I know how passionate the crowd can get when they are behind their team,” he said. “It will be great to be part of that. The distance we travel or the time it takes to get here from home, and things like that, don’t matter to me. I just want to be part of what the manager and the team are trying to do.
“Kav has watched me a few times, I think, and he’s told me that he wants me to settle and play my game. He’s told me to organise the lads in front of me in the best way I can and to be vocal. There’s a real desire to get a run going and, like I say, I want to be part of it.”
And we couldn’t let him leave without mentioning the FA Youth Cup meeting between United and Manchester United back in January 2008 when goals from Hindmarch and Madine left the Cumbrians with a shock 2-1 victory.
“I have to be honest and tell you that game hurt me a lot,” he admitted. “We’d made it to the final against Liverpool the season before and we were expected to beat Carlisle comfortably.
“It definitely didn’t turn out that way. I even gave a penalty away which made it even worse. It was one of my first games back from a shoulder injury and we were done by a fantastic shot and that penalty. It was all part of my learning curve at the time ... but not something I can say I enjoyed.”
