Andrew Redmayne reveals how he pulled off penalty saves in Sydney FC’s grand final win

Andrew Redmayne’s two penalty saves won the A-League grand final and the Sydney FC goalkeeper reveals the secret notes behind his colossal shootout performance.

Andrew Redmayne made two saves in the penalty shootout. Picture: Getty Images

• Shambolic VAR overshadows Sydney’s moment
• Sydney coach’s grand final meltdown
• A-League grand final player ratings

Three minutes of goalkeeping heroics won the grand final for Sydney FC, but it was a shootout triumph almost four years in the making.

Andrew Redmayne’s two saves from three Perth Glory penalties allowed the Sky Blues to lift a fourth A-League championship, thanks to a combination of video analysis, training ground observation and gut instinct.

The final whistle to end extra-time meant the execution of a detailed penalties plan for Redmayne, marrying data on each taker with his own instincts as he faced down each kick.

Goalkeeping coach John Crawley quickly went through the recent kicks of those likely to take Glory’s penalties, information Redmayne had only seconds to absorb.

Andrew Redmayne dives to his right to save Andy Keogh’s penalty kick. Picture: Getty Images

Redmayne gets a finegertip on Keogh’s kick. Picture: Getty Images

The first Perth penalty was taken by Juande, the Spanish midfielder who only arrived in the A-League last July.

Since then he had taken two penalties, going top left against the Wanderers in January and top right in last week’s semi-final shootout against Adelaide.

Crawley correctly predicted he would repeat the latter, but Redmayne dived the other way and Juande scored.

“It was a bit of instinct — the first thing John Crawley said to me afterwards was that I went the wrong way on the first one,” Redmayne said.

“It’s spur of the moment, you get a feeling in your belly, and go at it 100 per cent.”

Next up was Andy Keogh, who hadn’t taken a penalty in two and half years — and he missed that one in 2016.

Relying on his instinct rather more successfully, Redmayne dived to his right and saved Keogh’s kick.

Finally came the moment that killed Glory’s hopes, as Brendon Santalab stepped forward. Santalab scored in last week’s shootout, but had previously taken just a couple of penalties in professional football.

Andrew Redmayne holds the A-League championship trophy aloft. Picture: Getty Images

He had, though, taken a few more in training when he and Redmayne were teammates at Western Sydney, and goalkeepers — like elephants — don’t tend to forget.

On top of that, Crawley’s notes on Santalab were simple: “Dink, middle.”

And so the striker’s would-be Panenka kick lobbed gently into the arms of a goalkeeper who stood waiting for it.

Santalab looked on in horror at the outcome of his last kick in professional football.

“I've seen Santa practice a few penalties in our time at the Wanderers and I just had a feeling,” Redmayne said.

“JC also does a lot of research and I'd be naive to say it doesn't happen behind the scenes.

“Perth went to penalties last week so I'm sure that was going through their heads — do you stick to what you’ve shown, or change it up?

“It was going through my head too, that’s penalties — a mind game, like Russian roulette I guess. You have one of three options to get right.”

With Redmayne’s teammates calmly converting four straight penalties, Sydney’s triumph was complete — at which point Redmayne made an emotional tribute to Crawley, his mentor at various points for a decade and half.

“I was first with JC back in NSWIS, he started me off on my career path and I was with him for five years on and off including the Mariners.

“It was going through my head too, that's penalties — a mind game, like Russian roulette I guess. You have one of three options to get right.”

“Being back with him (since joining from the Wanderers in January 2017), I can't thank him enough. If I talk too much I'll probably tear up.

“JC as a person is a fantastic character, and everything that I am, is down to Crawley pretty much.”