Pompey keeper MacGillivray's not winging it any more

As a quicksilver winger, Craig MacGillivray's explosive talents persuaded Leeds and Celtic to offer trials.

Their subsequent rejection shaped a career path which this summer led to a Pompey move '“ as a goalkeeper.

Leeds and Celtic had opted to turn down the 14-year-old MacGillivray and within two years he had also renounced his outfield ways.

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Irrespective of natural attacking capabilities and his Saturday league manager's desire to retain his pacy ability on the flank, a life in goalkeeping beckoned.

Within a year-and-a-half of picking up the gloves, the rookie keeper had been recruited by Harrogate Railway Athletic and soon began to capture admirers.

Now the one-time wideman is bidding to wow the Fratton faithful in their League One surrounds as the latecomer aims to make up for lost time.

MacGillivray said: '˜I was a striker or winger and had trials at Leeds and Celtic.

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'˜I was quick, to be fair, also representing my school in sprinting.

'˜I was aged 14 when I had my Leeds trial over six-week blocks.

Sam Jones, who I was later to play with at Shrewsbury, was there at the same time.

'˜Unfortunately I was let go because I was small.

'˜Even in an outfield situation, a lot of lads around were me were big and strong.

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'˜They could see I had pace but if you have pace and not the height then you can get man-marked out of it.

'˜So I was released and returned to football in the Saturday and Sunday leagues.

'˜Then one Saturday morning, ahead of a game, I volunteered to go in goal for a shooting drill.

'˜Well, why not? It was muddy, wet and cold and I enjoyed it.

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'˜I was 16 at the time and told the manager I wanted to play in goal again.

'˜'No, no, no,' he replied. 'We've got our goalkeeper'.

'˜At the end of that season I left and found a club which would have me in goal. I was that serious about it.

'˜It took me back to being a kid, throwing yourself around in the mud.

'˜I had actually been a keeper when I was very young.

'˜At the age of six I fancied myself as a goalkeeper but had no idea what was going on.

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'˜Then one day there was a shooting drill and myself and another keeper went in nets together and we went for the same shot.

'˜My teeth met his head, knocking my teeth out and splitting the other lad's head.

'˜Fortunately they were my baby teeth but after that I thought 'I'm going to play out now'.

'˜What followed was a long stint without playing in goal '“ then a decade later I fancied it again.

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'˜Even though it was shooting practise before a game, it was one of those sessions when everything which came towards the goal stayed out.

'˜There remains no better feeling.

'˜I don't know what it's like to score a goal.

'˜I haven't had that feeling for a very long time.

'˜But try keeping a shot out that was destined to go in and hearing all the noise around you.

'˜That cheering when you save it and the oooh sound.

'˜If that's not on par with scoring a goal then it's actually better, in my opinion.'

The son of a Scottish rugby union player for Galashiels, MacGillivray had never played football before moving to England at the age of six.

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At the age of 17 '“ having served a year-and-a-half in the unfamiliar role of goalkeeper '“ he was snapped up by Harrogate Railway Athletic, putting himself on the pathway to the Football League.

There followed a route which took him to 14 appearances with Shrewsbury Town last season as they fell in the League One play-off final to Rotherham.

Now installed as Pompey's number one, the career of Scots-born MacGillivray continues to gather impressive momentum.

The 25-year-old added: '˜Unfortunately for me at the time, a lot of managers in non-league look for an older head.

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'˜They don't want to put in a young lad in case he gets bashed about.

'˜But I got my chance at Harrogate Railway, who were in the Northern Premier League at the time.

'˜From there I went to Stalybridge Celtic and then Harrogate Town.

'˜I did very well in my first year at Harrogate Town in Conference North.

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'˜I was a young lad getting talked about but people wanted to see if I could do it for a second year.

'˜Then I received a phone call from Neil Cutler, a goalkeeping coach who wanted to take me to Scunthorpe.

'˜The only problem was he had just left them following relegation from the Championship.

'˜Instead he took me to his new club, Walsall, in June 2014 and I've been in the Football League ever since.

'˜Now it's time to be a number one, that is my ambition at Portsmouth.'