Bohemians goalkeeper James Talbot has revealed one of the secrets of his success this season - holy water.
The Gypsies ace was yesterday crowned SSE Airtricity / SWAI ‘Player of the Month’ for April.
Signed from Sunderland, he kept six clean sheets in the month and did not concede from open play.
He had big gloves to fill succeeding Shane Supple but Talbot is taking it in his stride while also carrying on a tradition first handed to his predecessor.
A Bohs fan gave Supple a bottle of holy water which she topped up for him from time to time before matches.
Talbot has it now, in his goal during games.
After the recent derby win over Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght, he forgot it and only remembered in the dressing room.
He raced back out but some Rovers fans behind the goal thought he was goading them after the 1-0 win and threw missiles.
Talbot said yesterday: “I just forgot it!
“I keep the bottle in my house because at the start of the season, the girl came up to me with her parents.
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“It means something to them. I don't know the full story but I know it's important to them and it reminds me of stuff as well, so it's good.”
But Tallaght wasn’t the only time that Talbot thought the bottle had gone walkabouts.
He said: “We were up in Derry and I use vaseline on my gloves and I had a tub of that, the holy water and my normal water with me in the goal.
“But with about 15 minutes to go in the game, I turned around to get the vaseline and there was nothing there.
“Behind the goal in the Brandywell there's a grass area a bit away from the pitch - and that’s where my stuff was.
“I looked at the ball boy, he was just looking at me smiling! He took it. He must have been told.
“Luckily we won 2-0 and I was in good humour because if we lost and he moved my stuff...
“At the end of the game, I ran around and got it myself. The ball boy was a little cheeky bugger, but I gave him a high five as he was a good lad.”
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