Doncaster Rovers' new man on a dream debut, 'Madness' chant and MMA background
Rovers’ new goalkeeper had a debut to remember
As far as competitive debuts go, Tommy Simkin's first outing for Doncaster Rovers couldn't have gone much better.
The goalkeeper, on a season's loan from Championship side Stoke City, played a big role in Rovers' EFL Cup win over Stockport County. He made a clutch of important saves during the 90 minutes, ensuring the tie went to penalties after finishing 1-1. Then, in the shoot-out, the 21-year-old excelled with fine stops to keep out Ben Osborn and Eoghan O'Connell and tip the tie in Rovers' favour.
Throw in a catchy new chant from the Rovers fans housed in the away end, and it all adds up to a pretty memorable maiden outing for Simkin.
"Obviously, it means a lot when they do that (chant his name) because it means they've took to you a little bit," a beaming Simkin told the Free Press post-match at Edgeley Park.
"Obviously, it was only one game, but you want to continue that and make sure that they keep on chanting your name."
The Rovers faithful will certainly be belting out the tune - which is a play on the Madness song 'Our House' - on the terraces if Simkin maintains the level of performance he's shown in the early part of his time in South Yorkshire.
Whilst he's posted some impressive showings so far, he admits he's itching for the league action to get underway. "Pre-season, for me, I find very difficult. I'm so happy now that all the competitive stuff has started, because it's like proper business now, whereas in pre-season you probably do an extra pass where you shouldn't or something like that. I'm really happy that we've started the season now and hopefully can continue with the winning streak, because I've had enough of pre-season games!"
Simkin's manager Grant McCann purred over his stopper's performance post-match and made a particular note of the aggression shown by the England under-21s man, saying: "He's an aggressive boy and I think it comes from his dad, who was an MMA fighter back in the day, so he obviously takes that from him."
Focusing on that fascinating backstory, Simkin's father Neil is a former karate world champion, trained in multiple martial arts disciplines.
Simkin junior admits it's an unusual facet to his game - one that not too many other footballers can lay claim to. The burning question is did he ever fancy following his dad's footsteps into a slightly more dangerous choice of sport?
"When I was younger I did it for a bit, but when all your mates are playing football, then that's all you're going to do!" he says.
"My Dad is a little bit older now so he's a coach and has got a few people in the UFC. Him and my mum come to all the games, but obviously when he's away with the coaching, he'll always try to watch the games I play in so it's good to have that support."