‘I even had my own pair of gloves brought to every match by the kit man, just in case I needed them. Jose left nothing to chance’ John Terry recalls his appearance in goal for Chelsea against Reading in 2006

John Terry plays in goal for Chelsea vs Reading, 2006.

Seeing an outfielder pull on a pair of goalkeeper gloves and don the No.1 shirt is often one of football’s most entertaining sights.

Whether it’s a striker flapping at a cross or a midfielder struggling to get down low after a team has used all their subs and is forced into a change between the sticks, an outfielder on goal always brings a bit of welcome chaos to any game.

Former Chelsea skipper John Terry was the subject of one high-profile goalkeeping cameo back in October 2006, when the centre-back was the next man up during a brutal game against Reading, which saw Petr Cech suffer the serious skull fracture that led to him wearing a headguard for the rest of his career, while his replacement Carlo Cudicini was knocked out in the closing stages.

John Terry recalls his goalkeeper cameo

Terry in a more familiar position (Image credit: Getty Images)

It would turn out, however, that Terry being the next man up was far from a random decision made in the heat of the moment.

"I was really nervous! It followed on from a really bad injury to Petr Cech, then Carlo Cudicini got knocked unconscious,” Terry recalls to FourFourTwo. “Reading were a big, physical side, so it was going to be a massive test for any outfielder going in goal.

Petr Cech had gone down injured (Image credit: Alamy)

“But it was always going to be me. Jose asked us early on in his Chelsea days, “If anything ever happens to both of my goalkeepers and we don’t have any subs, who will step up?”

“I told him I’d do it. That tells you so much about Jose because, from then on, I would go in goal at the end of training sessions, to prepare for that day if it ever came. I even had my own pair of gloves brought to every match by the kit man, just in case I needed them. Jose left nothing to chance.

“Two years after that first conversation, I was called upon, but I was so nervous that I didn’t even back myself to take a proper dropkick, on the half-volley.

“I just bounced it twice and hoofed it upfield on the full volley, which I got a lot of stick for!”

Terry kept a clean sheet (Image credit: Getty Images)

FourFourTwo would later rank Terry’s performance at no.15 in a list of the best outfielders who went in goal, and the player himself is quick to point out that he got the job done and helped see out a 1-0 win.

“I remind people that I kept a clean sheet, making me one of the few goalkeepers in history with a 100 per cent success rate. I’m delighted with that!”