Photo: Steindy (talk) 23:04, 30 March 2017 (UTC) / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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Arsenal's under-18 goalkeeper Jack Talbot produced a series of crucial saves to secure a 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the U18 Premier League season.
The first half offered little in the way of chances, but the game opened up after the break, with Talbot repeatedly called into action to keep the Baggies at bay.
A point-blank stop with 20 minutes remaining proved the standout moment of the match. "It was just pure reaction really," Talbot said. "The ball was just kind of scrapping around in the box, you see him take it down and shoot and I just reacted as quick as I could and got down to it."
Talbot acknowledged the difficult nature of the assignment. "It was a tough game. We knew it was going to be scrappy coming up here to West Brom. In the first half, we had to kind of ride the storm a bit and keep them out, and that gave us a platform to perform in the second half."
The teenager credited the collective defensive effort for the result. "I'm really proud of the boys today. We really defended our box well. They were very direct and we dealt with that well — that's something we identified before the game that we wanted to deal with, and we've done that today."
The clean sheet carries added significance for Talbot, who missed much of last season through injury. "Last season I had quite a few injuries, which kept me out of the team quite a lot, so I think this year I really want to get that experience, playing under-18s football every week," he said. "Keep building on the momentum that I've built in pre-season and hopefully see progress throughout the season."