Alex Cairns

Imagine making your pro debut and then having to wait five years for your next taste of action. That, right there, is the life of a goalkeeper.

Welcome to the story of Alex Cairns, current No1 at Salford City with more than 300 appearances under his belt and plenty more in the tank.

We sat with the ex-Leeds man (a few weeks BEFORE the triumphant EFL Cup outing against his former club) to discuss what makes him tick, how he tackled his long wait for first team football, goalkeeping drills à la Kasper Schmeichel and why, after establishing himself as the main man at Fleetwood, he was cast aside and left in the goalkeeping doldrums for more than half a season.