Eddie Howe left it late to let Mark Travers know that he would be making his Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur.
19-year-old Travers became the first teenage goalkeeper to start a Premier League game since Joe Hart in October 2006 when Howe selected him ahead of Artur Boruc and Asmir Begovic for Saturday’s game.
Travers, who was called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the first time in March, kept a clean sheet against Spurs and was named Man of the Match for his many saves in Bournemouth’s 1-0 win.
“It was an unbelievable day for me,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s something I’ve worked towards the last number of years. To get the opportunity today was unbelievable, especially against such a top side in Tottenham and then to get the three points as well. It was unbelievable.”
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While players typically get the hint that they are starting a game a couple of days in advance based off of their manager’s training match selections, Travers was only made aware of his place in the Cherries’ starting XI on Friday.
“I just found out yesterday morning, the gaffer pulled me in,” Travers revealed.
“Surprisingly there weren’t too many surprises out there for myself. I felt comfortable out there and enjoyed every minute.”
After successful spells with Cherry Orchard and Shamrock Rovers, Travers was signed by Bournemouth in 2016 but was sent out on loan to Weymouth to gain experience.
Big things are expected of Travers, who admitted that he’ll never forget his first 90 minutes as a Premier League shot-stopper.
“I don’t know. It’s always the first one, isn’t it?” Travers answered when asked which of his saves on Saturday was his favourite.
“Your first save in the Premier League is unbelievable. I’ll always remember that one.”
