From sitting on the bench with Finn Harps to playing in Europe with Sligo Rovers and fighting it out for the Irish Premiership title with Cliftonville - it has been a rollercoaster year for Luke McNicholas.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper has played a pivotal role in Cliftonville's quest for the Gibson Cup.
McNicholas has spent the past eight months at Solitude after joining the Reds on loan from Sligo.
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Before his arrival in North Belfast he also had a frustrating spell at Finn Harps where he spent most of the time on the bench as an unused sub.
He has been a mainstay in Paddy McLaughlin's side, however, helping catapult Cliftonville into title contenders.
With one game remaining, the Reds lie just one point behind Linfield.
Their final installment takes them to the Oval on Saturday evening to face Glentoran, while the Blues host Coleraine.
It has been an enthralling title race, and McNicholas is just glad to be playing his part.
“We have to keep going now," McNicholas told Sligo's website.
"We have won the League Cup but still have the league to play for. We can’t rest on our laurels and have to keep to momentum going ahead of Saturday.
"I was delighted when the clubs agreed to extend the loan as this has been a great experience for me and for me to be able to play in big games like the ones we had and the one we have coming up can only benefit me in the long run.”
McNicholas admits it has been a season of contrasting fortunes for the young shot-stopper.
“It was surely, a lot of things happened that I didn’t expect and then some things didn’t happen the way I thought they would," he added.
"I was very lucky to play the few games for Rovers during the season given that both keepers were injured but then the loan spell with Finn Harps didn’t work out the way I would have hoped as I thought I would have played in more games.
"But that’s football and things don’t always work out the way you want.”
Injuries saw McNicholas thrust between the posts for Sligo's European games last summer.
Richard Brush - who Cliftonville fans will know well - and Ed McGinty both picked up knocks to rule them out of action, opening the door for McNicholas to earn his chance.
He said: "Richard Brush got injured in training and then Ed McGinty got injured in the game against Longford Town and I came on in that match.
"Playing in Europe despite the result was class. I loved it, the whole experience of playing a team from another country and travelling to Iceland.
"It makes you want to do it again and again and gives you that drive to have those opportunities again.”
McNicholas has already tasted success at Cliftonville, helping the club win the League Cup back in March.
They had to do it the hard way, coming from 2-0 down against Coleraine to win 4-3 after extra time.
McNicholas described the celebrations afterwards at Solitude as "class", highlighting what the cup win meant to the club's passionate fans.
“We went back to the social club and the fans were in with us and moments like that are something that you never forget," he said.
"For me it is my first senior winner’s medal and to be able to celebrate it with our supporters like that meant you could see how much it meant to them as well.
"It has been some 12 months and I played in Europe for Rovers and have now won the League Cup with Cliftonville.
"If you had told me that this time last year I wouldn’t have believed you when I was sitting on the bench with Finn Harps.”
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