JAMIE SNEDDON has gotten used to winning individual awards over the past year or so – but the Partick Thistle goalkeeper admits he did not dream of ever receiving the latest accolade to fall the 25-year-old’s way.
The shot-stopper, who won the Championship club’s player of the month award three times in a row last season before ultimately being crowned the Jags’ player of the year, went viral at the beginning of last month as he headed home a 95th-minute corner with surprising precision into the Cove net to salvage a point for Ian McCall’s side.
The goal meant Sneddon became the first Thistle goalkeeper ever to score from open play; now, he holds the honour of being the first goalie to ever win the SPFL goal of the month award. Understandably, he still occasionally finds the need to pinch himself to make sure it all really happened.
“It’s not something you ever even contemplate as a keeper,” Sneddon admitted. “It’s been over a month now so it’s maybe just starting to sink in.
“It was just such a good time on the day and for a week or two after it. It was really surreal. It’s now a month later so picking up the award is sort of bringing it back to life to a wee bit.
“I might put [the award] at my station to annoy the outfield players because I’ve got a goal of the month award and they don’t!”
“The boys haven’t brought that up yet, I’m not sure why that is,” Sneddon added, tongue rooted firmly in cheek.
Naturally, the keeper is more interested in keeping clean sheets than providing goals at the other end but he admits his scoring exploits mean the thought of charging forward late on to add to his goal tally has crossed his mind once or twice.
“I would say a clean sheet [is more satisfying] but I’ll never have a feeling like I did at that moment ever again,” Sneddon said. “I can’t describe it.
“I can understand why strikers buzz off it so much. That moment when the ball hits the net, I’ll remember that forever. I love keeping clean sheets – that’s my main job and that’s what I want to do.
“I was actually thinking the other week when we were 1-0 down to Queen’s Park and not playing very well, ‘if this gets late on and it’s still 1-0 I’m up there again’
“I was preparing myself for round two but then unluckily we conceded a second. You never know – if it’s the 90th minute and there is one goal in it then there’s nothing to lose.
“You can probably only get away with it in added time when you’re getting beat by one goal. A few people have asked me ‘was it a winner you scored?’. There’s no chance I’m up there if it’s a draw and we’re holding out for the point!”
