A clean sheet and a dream come true

He made a few magnificent saves against Hillsborough Boys including one in the second half that manager John Hogg said “was the save of the season.”

​”It’s unbelievable. What a feeling. I can't describe it. And there are two fellas that can't be here wee Shea Haughey and Cathal Murphy, so this was extra special to win it for them. Months ago I didn't think I'd be here and now I'm out playing this match,” said Goodwill, who, since last July, has had a battle of his own off the pitch to contend with.

“I went to the first pre-season session and I was slow and I thought I had too much of a good summer. I couldn't move and that. Two weeks later, I went to the doctors and ended up in Craigavan [hospital] and twelve days later I was diagnosed with leukaemia.”

Luckily Joe is recovering well after treatment and while he was ill Kevin Marks came in and did a job for his Carnbane League team..

“I was down in the bed, but the boys kept winning away. Shout out to Kevy Marks, he stepped in and took my place. He won all the games that got us to the semi-final. I came in at the semi-final. So without Kevy jumping in between the sticks, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this dream. And that was the singular thing that kept me going – this moment here. Because this is history.

“This kept me going the whole way through. I told everyone, I don't want any negativity. Leave me alone. I'm going to deal with this my way.”

And Joe did indeed battle back in his own way with a dream and a positive attitude.

“Get the head down. Play on. Go to my training. Keep on playing football. Build myself stronger - All for today.”

And the Cleary keeper, who is a real vocal leader on the pitch, hadn’t lost his voice on Monday either.

“I was still doing the usual shouting and roaring. I had to keep the boys right, marshalling at the back.

“Hillsborough made us work for it, but yeah, it's my job to keep the boys in it and let the firepower do it.

"I think when we came out we were cagey and just sort of didn't want to lose the shield rather than go out and win it. In the second half we went for it. We went at them and that made the difference. The firepower made the difference. The quality just shone out in the end.”

But he was delighted to have done his job at the back ably too.

“That's now two Mid-Ulster Shield final clean sheets in a row. That's all you want from it from my point of view. I feel like I've earned my place now.”

Being part of such an immense history with Cleary Celtic and with Joe on the pitch to tell the tale, he wants his son Alfie, to remember days like these, as he and his mum, Joe’s partner Sarah, soaked up the celebrations.

“Alfie was a drive for me as well. This is a legacy. He'll be sick of hearing about it but you want to pass it on. That's all you want.

You want to live long in the memory of the family. That's what we do it for.”