Boro's teenage keeper gets early call

Teenager Ross Turnbull had to get his dad to make an 11th-hour dash to Birmingham to give him his first taste of life in the Barclaycard Premiership.

The 18-year-old goalkeeper was in bed on Saturday morning when he was told to head for the midlands without delay after Mark Schwarzer was forced to withdraw from the clash with Aston Villa after his daughter became ill.

Schwarzer’s absence handed former Manchester City ‘keeper Carlo Nash a senior debut for the Teessiders, but it also promoted Turnbull to the bench, and he loved every minute of it as his side eased their way to a valuable 2-0 victory at Villa Park.

“Paul Barron, the goalkeeping coach, told me I had a slim chance of going down to Villa,” he said.

“Then he rang me on the night and said ‘keep your phone switched on’ because Mark had gone back home.

“He woke me up at eight o’clock in the morning and my dad had to dash me down to the hotel.

“It was unfortunate for Schwarz and I wish he was playing to be honest. But I enjoyed the trip and we got a win.”

The Bishop Auckland-born teenager and England Youth international, of whom big things are expected, had been planning to watch the club’s under-19s in action at Rockliffe Park.

Instead, he was able to relish the atmosphere of the Premiership and further prepare himself for the challenge of forcing his way into the first-team picture at the Riverside Stadium.

“The atmosphere of the Premiership, among the away fans and our fans, was tremendous,” he told the club’s official website, www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk.

However, Turnbull had little choice but to keep his feet firmly on the ground when he returned to action for the reserves at Newcastle and played his part in a hard-fought 2-2 draw.

Meanwhile, Boro fans are being offered cut-price tickets for the club’s Carling Cup fourth round clash with Everton on December 3.

Attendance in the competition in recent seasons have been disappointing, but Boro hope to cash in on their extended run – and the chance of further progress - by attracting a bumper crowd.