Olly Coe stands over the ball on the edge of the penalty box. Twenty minutes into the match, Frodsham Town level with Mossley Hill Athletic at 1-1. Four defenders in the wall. The goalkeeper is organizing his line.
For the last three years, Olly was the one in goal. Now he's the one about to shoot.
The ball sits on the right edge of the box, tight to the penalty arc's curve. Olly plants his left foot and strikes it with the inside of his boot. The curl takes it away from the wall, bending toward the far post. The goalkeeper dives, stretches everything he has. Can't get there.
Top bins. All the way into the upper corner where the post meets the bar.
His first free-kick attempt as a striker and it's perfect.
From the gloves to the boots
"In the build-up, I made a forward run, got in front of my man and won the foul on the edge of the area," Olly says. "I was nervous because for the last three years I'd been a goalkeeper and never took a free-kick before."
Most players would hand that responsibility to someone else. The designated taker, the player who practices these every training session. But Olly had just earned the foul, and something told him to take it himself.
Three years of facing shots had given Olly perspective. He knew what goalkeepers expect, what angles they're comfortable with, and where they don't want the ball to go. He'd spent enough time in goal to know exactly where this one needed to be placed.
Sharing the moment
The curl on the ball did what it needed to do. Took it away from the four-man wall, gave the goalkeeper the worst possible angle. By the time he committed to the dive, the ball was already past him.
"It feels amazing to have it on Veo so I can share this moment with friends and family," Olly says. "And yes, I have watched the footage many times since the match."
When you've spent three years in goal watching other players celebrate their strikes, finally scoring one yourself hits different. Especially when it's your first free-kick attempt, especially when it goes top bins, especially when you can actually prove it happened.
Frodsham Town won 4-3. Olly's free-kick made it 2-1, keeping the momentum on their side early enough in the match to matter.
"It means a lot to me"
The goal has been submitted for this year's People's Puskas, which spotlights the best goals scored away from the biggest arenas. "It makes me feel very proud," Olly says.
For a player who spent years stopping goals instead of scoring them, having this documented matters in a specific way. "It means a lot to me as it was my first free-kick after returning to the striker position from goalkeeper."
First attempt. Top corner. Perfect placement from someone who spent three years watching shots come at him instead of taking them.
Think you can beat that? Submit your goal.
