Welcome to the first edition of ‘My Football Journey’, our feature designed to tell the stories of the Albion Women players, and how they came to love the beautiful game.
Our first candidate to tell us about her first, best and most influential football moments is goalkeeper Harriet Grimshaw.
From Boundary Park to Peter Schmeichel, and with a stop at Sandbach United in between, there are plenty of quirky topics discussed.
Take it away, Harriet…
What’s your earliest memory of playing football?
I’d just started at Sandbach United at U12 level, and I remember coming out to smother a shot, then the referee decided to call it a penalty, and I managed to get it overturned to a free-kick. I feel I’m quite good at talking my way out of things with the referees. I started playing for a boys’ team at Hanley Town, and I quite enjoyed playing for the boys’ team because you used to just walk on the pitch and they used to laugh and point - but you saw their heads drop when you made the first save against them.
What made you start playing football?
I have some big influences in my life. I have a big brother, and we started playing ice hockey to begin with, but then he quit, so I followed suit. He switched to football after that, and I started to see the saves he made and how brave he was, but I would collect the footballs out of the bushes. I wanted to give it a go and try it myself; now I’m here today.
Do you remember the first football shirt you owned?
It would’ve definitely been an Oldham one. When we were younger, my Dad used to take me to watch Oldham, and I don’t plan on changing my team anytime soon. Why would I change when I can stick with Oldham? My dad has been to watch loads of different teams, but the first one he took us to was Oldham, and we carried on going there. To be honest, there are a lot of team clashes of who to support, to be honest.
What’s your favourite memory in football so far?
I’ve got quite a few. I feel like the older I get, the more memories we make. I love watching back and thinking about the saves I’ve made in the main.
Who’s your footballing idol?
It’s between my brother and Peter Schmeichel; I like watching clips of him from back. The old-school style of goalkeeping has got to be my favourite; it’s always been the best type. I love watching the old games, and there’s a lot of nostalgia involved in seeing those back on TV. There’s crunching tackles, it’s chaos, really.
What do you think are the most iconic boots/gloves?
Puma have got to be the boots for me, they fit my feet nicely. Then I wear Deejay GK gloves, which I found through TikTok a few weeks ago, but they fit my wrists and they’re the most iconic ones I own.
What’s the best stadium you’ve been to?
It’s got to be Boundary Park, that’s because of the memories attached to it, but still, the meat and potato pies with tomato sauce are the only reason I went sometimes.
What’s your biggest motivation to play football?
It would be my family. I think no matter what, through the highs and the lows, they’ve always been with me. They always pick me back up after a mistake, so I’ve got to be grateful for them and grateful for the time they put in taking me to games. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
