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Sunday 23 December 2018 13:49, UK
Leeds goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell was born in the North East but after being let go by Middlesbrough as a teenager, it is Elland Road that feels like home.
The Yorkshire club went top of the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Bolton and Peacock-Farrell's ninth clean sheet of the campaign was another example of the youngster recovering from setbacks.
An early bump in the road for the 22-year-old came at Christmas six years ago when he was told he would not be offered a scholarship at the Riverside.
However, a successful trial at Leeds the following year - and a pro contract in 2015 - proved to Peacock-Farrell, who was originally a left-back, that he still had a place in the game.
"I only swapped to being a goalkeeper when I was 12," he says. "But by 16, scholarship age, I was about 5ft 9in and that's really small for a goalkeeper. That was one of the reasons I didn't progress at Boro.
"Leeds is a very family-oriented club and they look after their own. It was one of the major differences I noticed going from Middlesbrough. I went through their system from 8-16, yet never felt any of that.
"Then at Leeds, straight away, it felt like home. It felt right."
The relief of finding a big club who wanted him was tempered when he found it difficult to get loan moves, an essential part of a young player's progress, especially for those in gloves.
There were nearly two years between Peacock-Farrell's Leeds debut in April 2016 and his second game in March this year.
In that time, trials at Oldham ("They were stalling on an answer so Leeds just gave up on it") and in Sweden came to nothing. A handful of games at non-league York hardly helped the young 'keeper feel he was progressing.
"The expectations at Leeds are double that of any club in the Championship, other than maybe Villa or West Brom. The demands are sky-high.
"Most young players, such as myself, would have gone on loan and maybe played 50-100 games and come back ready to play. Where I am almost learning on the job.
"I never got that chance, so I've kind of skipped it - not through choice - but every single Saturday and Tuesday, I'm learning.
"Being a goalkeeper, you have pressure on you. It is the nature of the beast. You need 100 per cent execution because if you fail, it's usually a goal.
"You have the pressure of making a mistake, the expectations of the fans and magnitude of the club to deal with. But I really enjoy playing with those kind of stakes."
The pressure was on last season too, but Peacock-Farrell stepped up, putting in great performances against Aston Villa and Wolves that led to the 22-year-old being named Leeds' young player of the year.
He has found this season more challenging as a tough game against free-scoring West Brom last month proved.
On top of this, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa - who Peacock-Farrell calls "a different level of manager" - admitted the youngster would have been dropped had his rival Jamal Blackman not been injured.
A lot to take for a young, inexperienced keeper.
"You have highs and lows, but you have to maintain a level mental state," Peacock-Farrell says.
"You can't be too high or too low otherwise you'll be mentally ruined by the roller-coaster of emotions.
"Boro and the loans not working out have set me in good stead and made me mentally really strong in what I can handle.
"I can handle playing for Leeds and performing in big games has answered those questions for people of: 'Can he play at that level?'
"I held my own. That gives you confidence and solidifies in your head that you can do it."
Bouncing back has also been a strong part of Peacock-Farrell's young career. After the disappointment of the West Brom defeat came a match-winning penalty save against Reading.
The story behind stopping Marc McNulty's 89th-minute spot-kick shows the importance Peacock-Farrell places on thorough preparation, but also his trust in his instincts - another key attribute for a goalkeeper.
"We have analysis on each penalty-taker, so we know where the last five have gone," he explains.
"You go into a game with that knowledge, but when you're on the pitch, you've got to assess the situation.
"The last penalty McNulty took, he went to the goalkeeper's left. But the way he looked and shaped up against us, as a right footer, to win the game for Reading, away from home - all these little factors - I thought he's probably going to pull it right, the safe side. Rather than open up his body and curl it the other way.
"You've got to assess him and take all these things into account. The analysis is there to help you make a decision - it is not the decision to make. It gives you all the information to allow you to make an educated guess."
Leeds clearly have their hands a young man who is not worried about making mistakes because he trusts himself to atone for them through hard work and an inner self-confidence in his ability.
Though he admits his future is unclear with a little over a year left on a contract he signed while still in Leeds' U21s, he has found a home and a club that has big expectations that chime with his own.
"Leeds is my home. This is where I would like to stay and play for many years," he says.
"The fans are expecting promotion. This is what we want and what the club deserves."
