Norwich boss Paul Lambert was full of praise for debutant Jed Steer as he helped Norwich City into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Norwich boss delighted with Steer
Norwich boss Paul Lambert was full of praise for debutant Jed Steer as he helped Norwich City into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Steer pulled of some stunning saves as Norwich claimed a 2-1 win at the Hawthorns.
It was Steer's first ever start for his hometown club and the 19-year-old's performance delighted his boss.
"I thought his saves were world-class," Lambert said.
"He was terrific and it is only one game but he has great temperament and great enthusiasm for the game, he is really level headed which is most important than anything but his handling was brilliant and his saves were exceptional.
"I have never had any fear about playing any of the younger ones, you won't know until you give someone an opportunity so until then how would you know, but his temperament t is great so I knew he could cope with playing behind the defence and I think he has the makings to be a top keeper, and we are fortunate to have three great goalkeepers.
"He is only a kid, but if he keeps his career going and keeps level headed he will have a massive career.
"His time at Yeovil on loan was great form him, but today is different no disrespect to Yeovil but an FA Cup tie against a Premier League team is different.
"We did not tell him he was playing until this morning as we didn't want to put pressure on him."
Premier priority
And Lambert insisted if he needed to play Steer again the youngster would easily be considered for a Premier League outing.
"Would I have any fear throwing him in again? I would not have any fear whatsoever. I knew he would not let us down, but it is only one game but he does have the potential to be a really top keeper."
Lambert admitted he was delighted to be through to the fifth round of the cup, but could not hide the fact that the Premier League remains their number one priority.
"We knew what to expect, we knew the fans would be vibrant, we brought a good crowd which is great and we came to win and we are delighted to be through," he said.
"I am delighted, but as I said I didn't want a replay, we said before this is a really hard place to come but I thought we came up trumps, and are happy to be through.
"Wanting to stay in the Premier League is not to undermine the FA Cup at all but, if you're asking me what I would prefer, Premier League status is vital to the football club."
