King eyes goal bonus after strike
NEWPORT goalkeeper Tom King scored the longest strike in English league football history and then joked he’ll need a goal bonus in his next contract.
King netted straight from a goal kick in his team’s 1-1 draw at Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night.
His clearance at The JonnyRocks Stadium caught the strong wind and sailed over his opposite number Josh Griffiths in the Cheltenham goal.
The 25-year-old’s stunning strike will see him overtake previous record holder Asmir Begovic who scored from 100.5 yards for Stoke against Southampton in 2013.
King said: “I’ve got a clean sheet bonus, but no goal bonus. My agent text me after the game so I’ll have to ask him to get me one! I was more disappointed with the goal we conceded.
“The goal wasn’t expected or something I was going for, but it is something we practice. We do go a bit longer sometimes and we noticed the wind early in the warm-up.
“To be honest I was too busy screaming at Padraig Amond because I thought he should have got on the end of it – that’s what I was trying to do. It took a lucky bounce and landed over the goalkeeper. “I was a trainee at Portsmouth when Asmir was the firstteam goalkeeper. I’m sure he’ll be laughing and joking. I didn’t celebrate too much – it’s the goalkeeper’s union.
“I even apologised to him (Griffiths) after the game and said sorry. I’ve not meant it and if he’d done the same to me then I’d hope he would have apologised. The bounce was unbelievably lucky.”
Begovic’s strike was only confirmed as a Guinness World Record nearly a year after his effort.
But the Bosnian’s goal came from a back pass and outside the six-yard box. King’s distance is yet to be measured officially, but is clearly longer as it came straight from a goal kick.
He benefitted from football’s 1997 law change which allowed a goal to be scored from a goal kick.
It is thought King’s strike is the first goal to be scored straight from a goal kick in British football history. King follows Begovic, Peter Schmeichel, Tim Howard and Brad Friedel as goalkeepers to have scored in English league football.
Newport have signed winger Luke Gambin on loan from Colchester until the end of the season.