Mum too nervous to watch Hart

Every football-mad youngster dreams of playing in the Premiership and that obviously moved a step closer to becoming reality when I moved to Manchester City in the summer.

But I didn't think that my opportunity would come so soon.

It was during training on Thursday that it became clear that Nicky Weaver may be struggling to be ready for the game against Sheffield United.

He felt a back twinge and was touch and go from that moment on. The uncertainty was eventually ended on Saturday morning when Nicky failed a late fitness test and I got a couple of calls - including one from my goalkeeping coach Tim Flowers - to tell me I'd be playing.

I'd pre-warned my family and a few close friends that it was a possibility on Friday so they were in a position to come and watch.

My mum Louise was too nervous to sit through it but my dad Charlie was in the ground. I owe them both an awful lot for helping me get where I was on Saturday.

Plenty of my friends were there too and I actually picked out some familiar faces from Shrewsbury in the stands after the game.

I was really pleased to keep a clean sheet. I would have changed one or two things about my performance but I wouldn't change the fact we didn't concede.

It was just a bit disappointing we couldn't sneak a goal at the other end and get the victory we were desperate for.

My phone was red hot before the match with people wishing me luck. Dave Edwards asked me to text him as soon as I knew I was playing and he was on the Shrewsbury team bus on the way to Peterborough at the time.

A lot of my old team-mates texted me good luck messages which were really appreciated. I also received enormous help from my current team-mates both before and during the game.

They recognised I would be nervous and were talking to me all the way through the game and telling me I belonged at that level.

And the City supporters were absolutely tremendous. They really get behind the team and especially the young players.

I'm sure Nicky will be fit and ready to go again this weekend so it could be my stay in the first team is short lived for the moment.

But whatever happens in the future, nobody can take away the fact that I played in the Premiership and I'm very proud of that.

It's been a big few days for goalkeepers being in the news and I have to say I had a lot of sympathy for Paul Robinson when he was on England duty last week.

He's a great goalkeeper and it was frustrating to wake up on Thursday morning to find out he was getting plenty of stick for that freak second goal in Croatia.

Bobbles happen to outfield players all the time but, as is so often the case, it's much more obvious when it's a goalkeeper on the receiving end of an unfortunate moment.

He has made a habit out of keeping clean sheets for England recently and could have done absolutely nothing else about Gary Neville's back pass.

I can't believe how much criticism he received for an incident which had nothing to do with his ability. I think he could have done a bit better for the first goal but the second was a total freak.

I'm sure there would have been a few goalkeepers scouring their areas on 'divot-watch' this week but I didn't have to worry about that - our pitch is absolutely perfect.

We also saw more potential pitfalls of a goalkeeper at the weekend when Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini both suffered serious injuries for Chelsea.

Neither injury is what anybody wants to see on a football field and I wish them both a speedy recovery.

It's always possible something like that can happen to goalkeepers in particular but it's not something that ever crosses my mind. It would only have a negative affect on my performance.

Joe Hart was talking to James Garrison