Scott Carson backed to beat the boo-boys

Apr 25 2008 By Bill Howell

SCOTT Carson has been backed to beat the boo-boys tomorrow as the on-loan Liverpool keeper returns to Merseyside with Villa chasing fifth place.

The 22-year-old is set for a hot reception at Goodison Park because of his Anfield connections but Martin O’Neill holds no fears.

“The stick shouldn’t bother him too much. Everybody gets stick nowadays”, the Villa boss said.

“Sometimes you get stick and you don’t know what for. But he should be able to shrug that off.”

Carson has admitted himself that his mistake for England against Croatia last year is also likely to be remembered.

O’Neill says that the Cumbrian’s mental strength will see him through.

“People can get over it, and if you have got a strong mental attitude - then that helps enormously.

"It is all about this in the game. If you don’t have those things you have to acquire them, and if you have them naturally then it is a great asset to have.”

O’Neill still believes Carson can still follow two genuine greats of the game.

“Every single player goes through it - from allowing in a soft goal to allowing something as monumentally important as the England thing.

“As I said before, Peter Shilton let in a goal against Poland in 1973. For one so young you would wonder if he would ever recover from that. He recovered so much to become one of the best keepers the world has ever seen.

“Pat Jennings was up there with Shilton as two of the best keepers there have been.

“In his early days he had signed from Watford and moved to Tottenham, Pat told me that whenever he could get into the side he was chucking them in.

“If you’d seen Pat Jennings you would never have thought it.”