Former Harambee Star Duncan Ochieng has explained why goalkeepers are subjected to criticism, scepticism, and mockery.
The former Mathare United, in a second series detailing with how difficult the work of a goalkeeper has become, says they are the last people to be praised even when the mistakes lie elsewhere.
"Do you mind doing a job where you are most likely to be remembered for your mistakes? Imagine doing a job where you might get your neck broken every day you go to work," Ochieng said on a Facebook post.
"Or doing a job where you wear silly coloured clothes and great clown gloves, where you are mocked and jeered and are the most likely footballer to be sent out of the room in disgrace. Well, then that’s being a goalkeeper."
The retired goalkeeper, who served Mathare United for 16 years in four different stints reveals what it is for a goalkeeper while doing his job between the posts.
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"It is a lonely place between the sticks. The hours are short and there is not much to do, but boy, if you make just one little mistake, then half the world is gloating and the other half avoids you for the rest of the week," added the former Tusker goalkeeper.
"Sadly goalkeepers are rarely remembered for their heroics in front of the goal. If anything, they are remembered for the exact opposite.
"If you type ‘great goalkeeping saves' on YouTube, you will receive over 18,000 videos in response.
"But type ‘goalkeeping errors’, and the number of responses is almost tripled!
"In the modern era, when every single match that is played is scrutinized right down to the finest details, goalkeepers always remain subject to criticism, scepticism and mockery."
But Ochieng believes the mockery and criticism are not the end of the world for any aspiring goalkeeper.
"Goalkeepers simply need to learn one thing: they are only human," the former Mumias Sugar star concluded.
"The chances are extremely high that a goalkeeper will make more than one mistake in his career. But this doesn’t mean that his reputation has to suffer.
"One mistake or one bad performance does not define a goalkeeper. It is how they bounce back from these mistakes that define him."
Ochieng won the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title with Mathare United in 2008 and with Tusker in 2016.